Tuesday, August 24, 2010

The Living and the Dead of Altona

Today, I took a walk through the quarter I once lived in, and as I passed the jewish cemetary, I took a few photos from outside it which you can see in a little galery. A number of these show tombstones in roof shape, indicating the Portuguese origin of the persons they remind us of, as the wealthy and generous Abraham Texeira. He had the St.Michael's church roof done all in copper without sending a bill to the Hamburg administration, and he put Queen Christiane of Sweden up in his house during her visit.
There was another benefactor of our town, Salomon Heine, the uncle of the poet Heinrich Heine. He generously helped the town after the great fire of 1842. He also donated a hospital. The building still exists and is an office where people can apply for social welfare.
My town was a very, very ungrateful one.

Just a few meters on, there is our "sinful mile", the Reeperbahn. Here endeth my walk.

4 comments:

Barbara Strobel Lardon said...

Well those building in a row of such beautiful colors is certainly inspirational. That was quite the hospital that was built as well. How wonderful to have had those all restored.

Judy said...

Thank you for taking me along on your walk Eva. I love walking in Germany. The cemetery was lovely in its own very silent and solemn way. Why the color on the monuments? What is the symblolism there? Beatles Square looks like a fun place too....is that where they got their start? I seem to recall that it was at a club in Hamburg.

xo

Yael said...

Hallo Eva, ich haette gerne mit Dir den Spaziergang durch Altona gemacht. Wir haetten den Juedischen Friedhof zusammen besucht und mal geschaut was so auf den Grabsteinen steht, wir waeren NATUERLICH bei Frau Tulpe eingetreten und haetten uns dort viel Zeit gelassen und ein paar tolle Einkaeufe geteatigt und dann haetten wir am Beatlesplatz eine schoene Kaffepause eingelegt, mit einem Tortenstueckchen natuerlich! Das Wetter waere gar nicht heiss gewesen, sondern grade richtig und ohne Regen - um die Reeperbahn haetten wir einen Bogen gemacht (oder haettest Du mich mal ein bisschen reinspickeln lassen?) und wir haetten einen herrlichen Tag zusammen gehabt!!! Naja, davon traeumen ist ja auch schoen! :-)
Diese bunte Haeuserfront gefaellt mir maechtig!!!

Eva said...

Liebe Yael, wer weiß, vielleicht machen wir das doch wirklich mal.