War Memorial in the town where I live

The town in Germany where I live has what is actually a rarity among German war memorials.   It has a memorial to the dead of the Franco-Prussian War.   Of course, they have the obligatory WWI and II memorial like every self respecting German town that calls itself a town.   Most do not have Franco-Prussian War memorials though, in all my travels throughout Germany over 12+years I have only seen a few memorials to the Franco Prussian War.   The one where I live is actually pretty nice and obviously well thought out.   The memorial is in the form of an obelisk supported by three cannonballs and … More after the Jump…

The Grave of Richard Wagner

I recently visited the grave of Richard Wagner behind the Wagner Museum in Bayreuth, Germany and thought I would share the photos I took while there.  The grave itself is not very remarkable and the only way you know it is is his is because there are signs pointing to it.  There is no marking on the grave itself saying it is where Wagner and his wife are buried.  There is an outstanding site with a wealth of information on the composer at the Richard Wagner Archive.   The gravestone for the dog says Here rests and guards Wagner’s Russ.  Russ was the name of his dog.  

Photo Essay: Geichberg Castle

I got a chance to visit the Geichberg Castle yesterday and decided to post a picture esay of the castle and a brief description of the fortifications and discuss the strong and weak points of the fortifications. The Geichberg is a castle located about 10km west of Bamberg Germany in Unter Franken or Lower Franconia in English.   The castle was completed no later than 1125 as that is the first time it was recorded in documents.   It has been destroyed and rebuilt several times in in its history.   The current incarnation originally dates from 1390 but was extensively renovate in the early 17th century. According to the … More after the Jump…