Well, the snow did come after the wind and rains of yesterday and last night. This morning, we awoke to another winter wonderland with 4 inches of new snow. At the ski slope near where my husband works, they must have gotten a significant amount more. Check our the scene from Immenstadt's Mitagbahn slope:
http://www.allgaeu-cam.de/wetter/wetter_cam_bilder_allgaeu_16_2.html. Remember, though, that we are 5 hours ahead until the 29th when we return to 6 hours ahead. If you wait too long to look at this site, it will be dark here.
It's funny how sometimes one blog can lead to another. My original mission was to tell you about the amazing Cologne Cathedral. But in searching for the term for church, I came across the cheese location in France. I also came across the German town of the same name (and with the German spelling), Münster, which has nothing at all to do with cheese. Upon looking at the info about the town a little more, I thought it, too, would be interesting to share with you.
Münster is in the region of North Rhine-Westphalia. The city has a large population of about 270,000 people and a large student population due to the eight universities in this city. Due to the nature of having multiple universities and a lively young adult population in relation to the schools, it is also viewed as the cultural center for the German region. It is also known as the bicycle capital of Germany.
Historically, two very important events took place in this city. The first was the Anabaptist Revolution in 1534. During the Protestant Reformation, not only Martin Luther was upset with the Catholic Church's abuses. Other groups also came to rise with principles and ideas of their own, giving us the modern day denominations we associate with American Christianity. During 1534, though, these very conservative people were actually able to take over the city government and rule for 18 months before being deposed. It began with the leaders of the religious movement offering adult baptism in the city. Of course this was totally unacceptable to the Church, who still controlled the government here. People, already dissatisfied with the Church and wishing to find their own paths spiritually began to band together. They overthrew the government and established Anabaptist rule for all. Unfortunately, the leaders of this group, who preferred to rule by force, were not quite what the people wanted to follow. By June of 1535, the original government was put back in place and all of the Anabaptist leaders were punished with death. Their bodies were displayed in cages hanging from a local church. Today, these cages still hang from the church as reminders of this turbulent time. The groups we think of today that are most associated with the Anabaptists are the Mennonites, who came from the Dutch Anabaptists, and the Amish. Both of these groups evolved from peaceful Anabaptists who wanted to make sure that they were not associated with the violent group from Münster. Münster was returned to a Catholic following and is heavily Catholic today.
The second major event that took place in Münster was the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. This treaty ended the horrific 30 Year's War that basically tore Europe apart. The results of this treaty reshaped Europe, and particularly Germany, through the rest of the ages. What was once ruled as the Holy Roman Empire was no more and religious freedoms (of a sort) were finally allowed.
Although Münster is a relatively large city, there are many agrarian areas within and surrounding the city due to the lay of the land and climate. There is also a limit on building height, so it tends to sprawl a little more than the average German city, and of course, there are no skyscrapers. The city lies in a region of Germany that sees frequent gentle rains. There is a common saying in the area that "either it rains or the church bells ring. And if both occur at the same time, it's Sunday."
Unfortunately for the town during World War II, the leader at the time was a staunch opponent to the Nazis. Because of this, the Nazis took control of Münster and made it one of its military strongholds. As a result, 91% of the Altstadt (old city section) and over half of the rest of the city were destroyed in a bombing raid. But as in much of Germany, the remaining citizens took great care in rebuilding the ruins. The entire Altstadt was restored as before the war by the mid 1950s. Today, Münster is a very beautiful and livable city. In 2004, it was honored with the Most Livable City award for a city of its size. With its devotion to arts and culture, spread out nature, and many things to do and see there, it is no wonder.
The word for today is bicycle: das Fahrrad (fahr rahd).
The questions for the day are "So what was the Treaty of Westphalia really all about? How did it change Europe and what was all the fighting about?"
Auf Wiedersehen,
Frau Spitzer
