Weekend Stories
I enjoy going exploring on weekends (mostly). Here is a collection of stories and photos I gather along the way. All posts are CC BY-NC-SA licensed unless otherwise stated. Feel free to share, remix, and adapt the content as long as you give appropriate credit and distribute your contributions under the same license.
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Forgotten victims of the Nazi regime: Roma and Sinti
‘Forgotten victims’ are those who were ostracized and persecuted during the Nazi era, but whose suffering continued beyond 1945. Even after the Nazi defeat, these individuals remained shunned and discriminated against, denied moral recognition as victims, official rehabilitation, and financial compensation. A special exhibition in the El-De Haus pays tribute to these victim groups and their suffering. The group of Roma and Sinti was one of these forgotten victims. In this post, I summarize their plight as conveyed through my recent visit to the El-De Haus.
Forgotten victims of the Nazi regime: Disabled individuals
‘Forgotten victims’ are those who were ostracized and persecuted during the Nazi era, but whose suffering continued beyond 1945. Even after the Nazi defeat, these individuals remained shunned and discriminated against, denied moral recognition as victims, official rehabilitation, and financial compensation. A special exhibition in the El-De Haus pays tribute to these victim groups and their suffering. Disabled individuals were among the groups that were persecuted. In this post, I summarize their plight as conveyed through my recent visit to the El-De Haus.
Forgotten Victims of the Nazi regime: ‘Social Outcasts’
‘Forgotten victims’ are those who were ostracized and persecuted during the Nazi era, but whose suffering continued beyond 1945. Even after the Nazi defeat, these individuals remained shunned and discriminated against, denied moral recognition as victims, official rehabilitation, and financial compensation. A special exhibition in the El-De Haus pays tribute to these victim groups and their suffering. Among these groups were the so-called ‘asocials’ – people whom the Nazi regime saw as unfit for the ‘national community’. In this post, I summarize their plight as conveyed through my recent visit to the El-De Haus.
Fate of the Jews in Cologne under Nazi rule
The Jewish community in Cologne, integral to the city’s cultural, social, and economic landscape, suffered profound persecution under Nazi rule. This persecution unfolded through escalating legal restrictions, economic disenfranchisement, social isolation, and, ultimately, deportation and genocide. The systematic dismantling of Jewish life in Cologne exemplifies the tragic fate of Jewish communities across Europe during the Holocaust. From my recent visit to the El-De Haus in Cologne, a former Gestapo headquarters and now a documentation center, I learned more about the Jewish experience in Cologne. Here is a summary of the exhibition, coupled with my reflections on this dark chapter in Cologne’s history.
NS DOK El-De Haus: Retracing the steps of Nazi history in Cologne
I recently visited the El-De Haus in Cologne, a former center of the Gestapo and now the NS Documentation Centre of Cologne, which left a profound impression on me. The house is not like other museums; it is a storyteller of a dark chapter in Cologne’s history and a stark reminder of the horrors that totalitarian regimes can inflict. What I liked most is that the documentation center focuses on the story of victims and the resistance to the Nazi regime, giving them much more space than the perpetrators. Here is a summary of the exhibition, coupled with my personal reflections.
Christian ivory carvings and their comparison with Japanese netsuke: A cross-cultural analysis
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit a netsuke exhibition. The exhibition was amazing! While strolling through the exhibition, I also noticed a similarity with European Christian ivory carvings. Japanese netsuke and Christian ivory carvings both have their roots in the meticulous art of ivory carving. However, they differ considerably in purpose, symbolism and stylistic expression. Unfortunately, there was no exhibition about the latter that I could have visited at the same time or before. So I searched through my photo archives and put together some examples of European ivory carvings here.
The Ruhr Museum: A Journey through the cultural heritage of the Ruhrgebiet
During a recent visit to the Ruhr Museum in Essen, I discovered not just an outstanding modern museum, but also a gateway to the rich history of the Ruhr area, also known as the ‘Ruhrpott’. This museum visit opened my eyes to the depth and complexity of the Ruhr region’s past and present.
Helena Parada Kim’s ‘Interstices’ - A fusion of cultures and traditions
Helena Parada Kim’s ‘Interstices’ at the Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne masterfully blends Korean traditions with European artistry, creating a dialogue between past and present. Her unique approach to cultural fusion is exemplified in works that juxtapose traditional Korean motifs with contemporary European painting techniques, offering a fresh perspective on cultural identity and arts in general.
Netsuke – The elegance of Japanese craftsmanship
The Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne is currently hosting the exhibition ‘Kyōto’s Netsuke - Masters & Myths’ to celebrate the 60-year partnership between Cologne and Kyōto. The exhibition showcases an extraordinary selection of netsuke from the Kyōto school, each piece embodying the exceptional Japanese craftsmanship and celebrating the long-standing friendship between the two cities.
The Three Worlds
The royal illuminated manuscript ‘Traiphum’ from Bangkok, 1776, depicts the tripartite Buddhist cosmos and is a testament to King Takin’s reign after the fall of Ayutthaya. Luckily, I had the chance to see it at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin.