Lubeck, Germany
The headline on this morning’s Britain Today read “Euro constitution agreed.” And though it still has to be formally ratified by the 25 national parliaments, the 300-page document stands as an almost unbelievable achievement for a continent that only 60 years ago lay mired in ruin and mistrust. Germany, in fact, has been rebuilt twice in the past century, perhaps even three times if you consider the enormous task of re-annexing East Germany. Granted, much of that reconstruction and recovery was due to the country’s own actions, but today the nation, represented on our voyage by the city of Lubeck, stands almost fully healed and restored. Even more importantly, the social wounds from two world wars have been mended if not forgotten. Germany now stands in the forefront of a united Europe and one where war between its members seems utterly inconceivable.
Of course, this is not the first time much of Europe has been peaceably unified and under Germanic influence. Indeed Lubeck once stood proudly as the “Queen of the Hanseatic League” and acted as base of operations for the merchants that vigilantly maintained the peace and thereby their own prosperity throughout much of Europe. The city is a fitting final outing for us as we have visited or will visit many of the League’s former important port cities, from Tallinn to Amsterdam. The medieval Hanse merchants brought with them not only financial prosperity, but also cultural enlightenment and were some of the first to promote Christianity among the formerly “barbaric” northern Europeans. The remnants of their legacy can still be seen and enjoyed today by watching the copper and bronze skyline of the “seven towers of Lubeck” as its churches bask in the afternoon sun.
One of these churches, known locally as Marienkirche, opened its doors to us today and offered a bit of shelter from intermittent showers. Toward the end of WWII, Lubeck, like much of Germany, was subjected to massive air strikes, and Marienkirche did not escape unscathed. The tower bells seen here, fell to the floor of the church during service after the spire received a direct hit from Allied forces. The parishioners then decided to leave the bells where the fell to serve as a reminder of the war’s tragic times; perhaps in the hope that the city would not have to undergo such devastation ever again. And while it may be premature to say that their wish has been fulfilled, it certainly seems unlikely that war will break out between members of this European Union.
The headline on this morning’s Britain Today read “Euro constitution agreed.” And though it still has to be formally ratified by the 25 national parliaments, the 300-page document stands as an almost unbelievable achievement for a continent that only 60 years ago lay mired in ruin and mistrust. Germany, in fact, has been rebuilt twice in the past century, perhaps even three times if you consider the enormous task of re-annexing East Germany. Granted, much of that reconstruction and recovery was due to the country’s own actions, but today the nation, represented on our voyage by the city of Lubeck, stands almost fully healed and restored. Even more importantly, the social wounds from two world wars have been mended if not forgotten. Germany now stands in the forefront of a united Europe and one where war between its members seems utterly inconceivable.
Of course, this is not the first time much of Europe has been peaceably unified and under Germanic influence. Indeed Lubeck once stood proudly as the “Queen of the Hanseatic League” and acted as base of operations for the merchants that vigilantly maintained the peace and thereby their own prosperity throughout much of Europe. The city is a fitting final outing for us as we have visited or will visit many of the League’s former important port cities, from Tallinn to Amsterdam. The medieval Hanse merchants brought with them not only financial prosperity, but also cultural enlightenment and were some of the first to promote Christianity among the formerly “barbaric” northern Europeans. The remnants of their legacy can still be seen and enjoyed today by watching the copper and bronze skyline of the “seven towers of Lubeck” as its churches bask in the afternoon sun.
One of these churches, known locally as Marienkirche, opened its doors to us today and offered a bit of shelter from intermittent showers. Toward the end of WWII, Lubeck, like much of Germany, was subjected to massive air strikes, and Marienkirche did not escape unscathed. The tower bells seen here, fell to the floor of the church during service after the spire received a direct hit from Allied forces. The parishioners then decided to leave the bells where the fell to serve as a reminder of the war’s tragic times; perhaps in the hope that the city would not have to undergo such devastation ever again. And while it may be premature to say that their wish has been fulfilled, it certainly seems unlikely that war will break out between members of this European Union.
