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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The Heinzelmännchen: Secret shadow workers of Cologne
Here is another snippet from the long list of Cologne legends: The Heinzelmännchen. The Heinzelmännchen are a legendary group of house gnomes or elves who, according to the legend, performed domestic chores and crafts in the city of Cologne during the night, leaving the inhabitants to wake up to a clean and orderly city.
Nubbelverbrennung – Another Cologne Carnival tradition
After exploring the Roman origins of the Cologne Carnival and the “Geisterzug”, I realized I had nearly overlooked another pivotal local tradition: The “Nubbelverbrennung”. The “Nubbel” is a straw puppet that is hung up and burned down at the corner of a street or a pub on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. It serves as a symbolic purification of the sins and mischiefs that have happened during the carnival.
Origins of Cologne’s coat of arms
Did you ever wonder about the coat of arms of Cologne and why it is the way it is? I just did some research and found out that its history is quite interesting and also includes some funny twists.
Halve Hahn: A special dish in Cologne
If you’re currently out enjoying the Cologne carnival, you might encounter a local specialty that can cause some confusion: The ‘Halve Hahn’. Don’t be misled – this dish isn’t poultry.
Geisterzug: The alternative Carnival in Cologne
After exploring the Roman origins of the Cologne Carnival, we will now take a look at the alternative carnival event in Cologne called ‘Geisterzug’ (lit. ‘Ghost Parade’). It is actually a more recent addition to the Cologne Carnival tradition, starting in 1991, and can be seen as a protest against the commercialization of the today’s Cologne Carnival.
Roman origins of the Cologne Carnival
As the clock strikes 11:11 AM tomorrow, the so-called ‘Fifth Season’ begins in Cologne. The city is overrun with revelers, and the streets are bustling with people. The citizens of Cologne celebrate with unrestrained joy and, notably, a fair amount of alcohol. But where does Carnival actually come from? What are its origins, and how has it evolved over time? This post takes you on a brief journey through the history of the Cologne Carnival to shed light on the cultural background of the festival, which tends to be forgotten in today’s thoroughly commercialized carnival.
A Zen-Buddhist interpretation of the ‘Kölsches Grundgesetz’
Zen op Kölsch – I recently discovered a small booklet by Michael Wittschier, who interpreted the so-called ‘Kölsches Grundgesetz’ in a Taoist way. Taoism is a philosophical tradition of Chinese origin which emphasizes living in harmony with the Dào, a term that can be translated as ‘the way’, ‘the path’, or ‘the way of nature’. Wittschier’s interpretation is a very interesting read and I couldn’t resist to buy the booklet. However, I also thought that it would by an interesting experiment to interpret the ‘Kölsches Grundgesetz’ in a Zen-Buddhist way. So, here we go.
The Ratlines: Post-war escape networks for Nazis and fascists – with the complicity of the Catholic Church
The Ratlines were clandestine escape routes established after World War II to facilitate the flight of high-ranking Nazi officials, collaborators, and other war criminals from Europe. These networks allowed some of history’s most notorious figures, responsible for orchestrating the Holocaust and other atrocities, to evade justice. Operating in the shadowy aftermath of the war, the Ratlines exposed a complex interplay of geopolitical interests, ideological sympathies, and institutional complicity. In this post, we briefly explore the origins, key figures, and ethical implications of the Ratlines, focusing on the controversial role of the Catholic Church in enabling these escapes.
Collaboration with Devils: The Catholic Church and totalitarian regimes in the 1930s
The Catholic Church’s relationship with totalitarian regimes during the 20th century reveals a complex interplay of pragmatism, institutional survival, and moral failure. Among the most controversial instances of this interaction is the Reichskonkordat, signed between the Vatican and Nazi Germany in 1933. This agreement, which lent a measure of legitimacy to Adolf Hitler’s regime, epitomizes the Church’s willingness to compromise with dictatorial powers to secure its institutional interests. However, this was not an isolated incident; the Vatican also reached similar accommodations with Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime in Italy and Francisco Franco’s Nationalist government in Spain. These alliances raise critical questions about the Church’s priorities and its complicity in enabling authoritarian rule.
Paragraph 175
For over a century, Paragraph 175 of the German Criminal Code represented the legal persecution of homosexual men in Germany. Originally introduced in 1871, it was not merely a statute but a symbol of systemic discrimination that endured through various political regimes, including the devastating intensification under the Nazis. Its impact continued long after World War II, with postwar Germany carrying forward its oppressive legacy until its final repeal in 1994. This article examines the history of Paragraph 175, its chilling effects on LGBTQ+ lives, and the long road to justice for its victims.