Read about Magdeburg on Wikipedia here, and on their own, rather pathetic, website here.
I have never been in a city with so many statues and monuments everywhere.
Statue of Hildegard von Bingen (“Mutter Erde”):
Statue of Käthe Kollwitz:
More to come.
Kunstmuseum Magdeburg, read more here and here.
By all means, do not let such minor details deter you. You are driving a motorised vehicle. In Berlin, that automatically categorises you as a V.I.P. first-class citizen.
That gives you the right to do whatever you like.
Including leaving the rubble on the ground, spreading all over the driveway, leaving a horrendous mess. But don’t worry about that. We are honoured to have to look at that because it means that a very important person was here.
Happy Corona summer on the balcony.
Edit 6 August 15.45: Wow. What a difference a Facebook post can make. That is a heck of a lot more light than before. What happens next is of course a worry, but for now I assume I can risk starting to clean and re-furnish and use the balcony. And enjoy what is left of the summer.
I still wish they would inform me (IN WRITING) what is going to happen to that wall and to my balcony, and preferably approximately when, because I am fully aware of the fact that the real nightmare may not even have started yet, but they do not seem to want to do that.
This morning:
Every time I think it will get better, it gets worse.
In an e-mail last week, I was informed that the last work would be done on 3 and 4 August, and that the net could then also be removed (I don’t know what it is doing there at all now). I therefore dropped my plans of leaving Berlin for any considerable length of time.
I did flee the chaos for three days, and arrived home in the afternoon of 5 August hoping to be able to slowly start cleaning and using my balcony (and my living room) again.
Instead, I found things looking worse than ever. In addition to some more boards and some more rubble, they have installed what looks like an entire euro-pallet – ON my balcony. So much for “your balcony will not be affected”. That statement is becoming more and more laughable by the week, and has been for over a year now.
No work was being done on that wall yesterday afternoon, and none whatsoever today, 6 August, either.
I don’t know what is more breathtaking – the arrogance or the propensity to lie over and over again. Do they actually think it is nice to have a good-sized balcony and not be able to use it? Especially during the summer, in a year where I ought to be at home most of the time? Not to mention the fact that my living is full of most of the things that are normally on the balcony.
First, an overdose of photos from Alaris Butterfly Park, about 35 minutes walk from the center of Wittenberg.
Next door: “Abandoned Wittenberg”
On the way back: Playing with the 35 mm Macro, and later with Lightroom:
Soviet War Memorial:
Stadtkirche where Luther was married:
Luther Garten
Actually three very different gardens connected by lines of a total of 500 trees, integrated in the green belt surrounding the old town which used to be the location of the city fortifications.
All-Saints Church where Luther was buried:
A few of the celebs who have graced Wittenberg with their presence for shorter or longer periods over the centuries:
Not particularly worth a visit, but it is part of a walk in the green belt around what used to be the ramparts, and the entrance fee is 1 euro.
EDIT: Latest development: There is now an agreement that the current work will be finalised, and the net removed, by the end of next week.
I will make sure I am not in Lindenstraße, or even in Berlin, a lot during the next ten days.
During the week 10 to 15 August I will then be able to clean everything and take possession of my balcony again. They did offer to do the cleaning, but I prefer to do that myself. I really am not in the mood to have strangers invading my home these days and I do not want to talk to anybody.
I sincerely hope that these are the last words I will ever write about this matter.
EARLIER: Now they are turning up on my doorstep – unannounced – asking to be let in. Why? So they can tell more lies, this time undocumented? If they want to see the balcony, they are almost standing on it.
The must have eaten nails, as we say in Danish.
I guess there is no point in cleaning the balcony today (see video below). I hear a fresh layer of dust descending upon the one from yesterday (see next post).
I just spoke to one of the young people in the WG next to me who was almost in tears. All three are either studying or working from home and keep having to go somewhere else, and they have so far been unsuccessful in obtaining a reduction in rent (despite the fact that the owner of the flat will sooner or later receive compensation, or at least that was promised in a meeting of owners with the Hausverwaltung in spring 2019 – but perhaps that was also a lie, just like the claim that our balconies would not be directly affected).
And still no indication how long this is going to last. But I guess that is better than when they lie and say they have finished when they clearly have not.
They said they had finished and that it was no longer necessary for the balcony to be empty, so I cleaned parts of the balcony yesterday and started to put things back on it.
Now I just arrived back from a daytrip and found this. The entire balcony looks like this – again.
F…! It was THIS close to having been a lovely day.
I was always taught, in school and by my parents, that lying was completely unacceptable. Here in Germany, it seems to be a sport. That, and blaming others for everything that goes wrong. You can certainly see where a certain US president, with German ancestors, gets his habits of lying and blaming others from.
By the way, what are those black stains, and how do I remove them? They appeared during the work they did last summer, shortly after this part of the scaffolding had been erected. There are many more, also on the marble shelf and on the floor of the balcony – currently covered by dust – again. I thought I would be able to scrape them off, but they are completely solid and stuck.
Is it because the monstrosity is under Denkmalschutz that they can get away with being so unbelievable arrogant and do what like?
Schön & Sever , Cresco Capital Group, Cresco Real Estate
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