Around Jena

Two weeks have passed since our excursion to Berlin, and we have been exploring the multiple layers of history that confront us daily in and around the city of Jena.

Mornings are spent in class with our three teachers from the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität (Institut Deutsch als Fremdsprache= German as a Second Language Institute); afternoons have variously excerised both our legs and our minds! Some highlights follow.

Wandern -- Hiking

On Thursday 10 May, we were led by Bernd Zickler (one of our colleagues at jenakolleg) on a Wanderung (hike) tracing the path taken by French soldiers in 1806 up the hill known as the Landgrafen toward a field near the village of Cospeda. The day was so clear one could see from the Intershop tower (a GDR 'eyesore' built in 1972) to the Leuchtenburg, a medieval fortress from the 12th century that is 20km away in Kahla.

• Juliet looks south over the Saale valley.

Under cover of night, Napoleon's troops pushed cannon up the hill to surprise the Prussians in the battle for Jena on 14 October 1806. A total of 36,000 soldiers lost their lives in the French victory, a harrowing number comparable to the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. A stone monument marks the spot where Napoleon directed his troops.

The view from the former battlefield toward the eastern part of Jena in beautiful. The area is now a nature preserve, and is growing back to its natural state after years of use by the Soviet army for tanks and other maneuvers.

Fortunately, our guide Bernd Zickler calls the village of Cospeda home and so he graciously opened his terrace to us for water and cola after our efforts AT retracing Napoleon's steps.

Interesting for our students was the commemoration of this battle that we as Americans know nothing about. We are also talking about connections between the ideals of the French revolution and German Romanticism, a path which leads directly to our trip to Weimar and Buchenwald on 22 May.

Kahla

Monday brought a lecture on the daunting tasks faced by Lutheran social services in eastern Germany and how social needs have changed drastically over the last 10 years since the Wende (the annexation of East Germany by West Germany).

On Tuesday we organized a trip to one of the most successful businesses in Thüringen, the Porcelain factory in nearby Kahla (KAHLA Kahla/Thüringen Porzellan GmbH). This business, in existence since 1844, survived the Wende and the privitization that was frequently mismanaged by the west German Treuhand organization in the early 1990's.

Presently, KAHLA porcelain is sold for use in American and European hotels as well as for personal household use. We had a fascinating tour of the plant to see how the porcelain is produced. And we are determined to look for it in the US; however, until then, we are all pleased to be living near the factory shop, where students purchased inexpensive but beautiful gifts for host families and others!

Goshen-Haus

At our weekly Goshen-Haus meeting on Friday, May 11, we had a cake for our April/May birthdays: Elizabeth and Megan.

Wednesday 16 May brought the first of four student small groups to the Hellenbrand Goshen-Haus, where 4-5 students will come on successive Wednesdays for a bit of fellowship, not to mention food--prepared by the students. Karl, Juliet and Jeremy opted for a most delicious stir-fry.

While Karl and Juliet slaved over the stove, Jeremy tried to find all of the locations for upcoming village studies. The younger Hellenbrands took notes for their SST experiences in 15 years.

• Supper is almost ready. 

The weekly meeting was Thursday 17 May to prepare for the village studies on Friday and Saturday. Here Alexandra talks with Juliet and Jeffery about things to do.

To add a bit of levity, the refreshments got us in touch with our "inner children." Students had fun putting together the toys found in a favorite German kids' treat, the Kinder-Schokolade Überraschungseier -- a hollow chocolate egg with various odd little toys inside them--perhaps the cultural equivalent of Crackerjacks?

After the meeting, Juliet and her host father Andreas joined Jack and GC alum Todd Burkhalter ('96) for the weekly soccer game of Todd's colleagues at the Jena company where he works.

 

On Friday 18 May the students take off in 5 groups for the inaugural village studies in Germany, further explorations in Thüringen that will take students from sites of the Reformation to new intentional Christian communities, from Goethe's favorite part of the Thuringian forest to potato culture to modern problems of unemployment and social unrest.