Germany has many wonderful attributes, even those that were remembered in infamy are now an attribute to this country and its progress. There is the long history, the architecture, the culture and all of the changes over time as the many peoples came together and went their separate ways again, the language (one of the more challenging aspects of this place, I must say), the literature, the scientific contributions to the world, the technological contributions to the world, and their keen sense of nature and humans' place in it. I could go on.
To honor and protect the nature of this country, there are national and regional parks that are set aside so that they cannot be developed, but rather enjoyed by all. There are museums GALORE. The sheer level of restoration of the architecture is really quite overwhelming, especially when you consider how much was destroyed in World War II. And even in the worst of times, Nazism as a movement and all the ills that can still be sometimes unspeakable that were done here, the people have overcome their shortcomings and mistakes to make themselves a better nation, a better people and a vital part to the world today. And they keep reminders of the mistakes they've made to try to prevent it from ever happening again. They have quite a heritage here in Germany.
Usually, it is up to the country to preserve these aspects of their society and land, but there is an organization that recognizes special places and tries to help preserve them. This organization is called UNESCO, or the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. According to their website, "UNESCO seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity." These are places they feel are so important, that they should be not just a "national" park, but an international park, if you will, so that people everywhere can see it for what it is, regardless of the boundaries of the land, and to pass it on to generations yet to come. In total, there are now 878 places designated as World Heritage sites throughout the world, ranging from the African Serengeti plains, to the Great Barrier Reef, to Armenian monasteries. Each site has its importance in its own way. Some are natural features, some are modernized architecture (such as the Berlin Modern Housing Estates), some are churches, and some are entire cities that represent an age in history.
Germany, with it's tremendous background, has 33 such sites throughout the country. Compare that to only 20 sites in all the US. Only Spain, Italy, and China have more. Below is a list of each site with the year it was added and the link to click on if you would like to investigate it further. I would not want to make the blog entry too long with a description of each one. To see all the sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list, go to http://whc.unesco.org/en/list
Aachen Cathedral (1978)
Speyer Cathedral (1981)
Würzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square (1981)
Pilgrimage Church of Wies (1983)
Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at Brühl (1984)
St Mary's Cathedral and St Michael's Church at Hildesheim (1985, 2008)
Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier (1986)
Frontiers of the Roman Empire (1987, 2005,2008) * 10
Hanseatic City of Lübeck (1987)
Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin (1990, 1992, 1999)
Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch (1991)
Mines of Rammelsberg and Historic Town of Goslar (1992)
Maulbronn Monastery Complex (1993)
Town of Bamberg (1993)
Collegiate Church, Castle, and Old Town of Quedlinburg (1994)
Völklingen Ironworks (1994)
Messel Pit Fossil Site (1995)
Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar and Dessau (1996)
Cologne Cathedral (1996, 2008)
Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg (1996)
Classical Weimar (1998)
Museumsinsel (Museum Island), Berlin (1999)
Wartburg Castle (1999)
Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz (2000)
Monastic Island of Reichenau (2000)
Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen (2001)
Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar (2002)
Upper Middle Rhine Valley (2002)
Dresden Elbe Valley (2004)
Muskauer Park / Park Muzakowski (2004) *
Town Hall and Roland on the Marketplace of Bremen (2004)
Old town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof (2006)
Berlin Modernism Housing Estates (2008)
With the exception of the new immigrants that don't understand this culture, I have been treated with respect and kindness. Neighbors and mothers have reached out to me and made me feel welcome. Strangers have blessed me (as is their custom to bless everyone that they make eye contact with) and fellow expatriates (people who are also over here from the USA for Bosch) have come to my rescue to help us get settled. Our meager time here has already shown me that this place is definitely worthy of world attention.
The question for today is "Does Germany practice Daylight Savings Time?"
The word for today is Heritage - das Erbe (air beh - but the beh is very subtle, not over-pronounced or emphasized.)
Auf Wiedersehen,
Frau Spitzer
