Halberstadt

On Wednesday the 7^th, at 6:00 PM, I arrived in Halberstadt. I will say little about the trip itself, other than: 1) I managed to avoid jet lag by sleeping the entire duration of the flight across the Atlantic, 2) Lufthansa brings back the magic of flying that has long been lost by many US airlines, 3) Deutshce Bahn no longer maintains its reputation for timeliness, resulting in several missed connections and lengthening my trip from Frankfurt to Halberstadt by over four hours.

But now we have Halberstadt—the town where I first became familiar with German culture. I moved here in the late summer of 2005 when I was a part of the Rotary Youth Exchange program, and have since considered it a Heimatsort. Little has changed over the past six years since I left, and that should not surprise me as much as it does, considering the city is over 1200 years old. Needless to say, I did notice a Subway has since opened, and the old train station was finally refurbished.

Halberstadt was severely damaged during WWII, a fact about which the inhabitants of Halberstadt remain bitter. The town was bombed in late April of 1945, a point when the Germans claim it was clear the war was lost, and such a strike was pointless. Fortunately, many of the more historic buildings--such as St. Stephens’s Cathedral--have survived, and remain steadfast landmarks in the region.

Because of the heavy bombing, the post-war Soviet influence in Halberstadt is incredibly clear, as East German blockhouses fill the gaps between the remaining half-timbered houses that survived. The recently constructed New Rathaus, or town hall, is breathtaking. Having been constructed after unification, it was designed to mimic the architecture of its pre-war predecessor. Many of the original stone pieces make up the outside wall, and the original statue of Roland once again stands guard at the door. The New Rathaus is an icon of post-unified Halberstadt, as the Soviets would have never wasted the time or money to reconstruct the building to match the original design.

My attention turns now to the tasks at hand, and the first challenge is to secure my visa. For the time being, I hold a 3 month tourist visa, which I hope to replace with a 12 month freelance worker visa. I will likely take on a minor position as an assistant English teacher at the local community college. This will require a minimal amount of time spent at the college, while still allowing me to conduct my study and maintain my visa. From here, it is mainly a matter of paperwork.

This coming Monday I will be making my formal introduction to the local Rotary club. This is the same club that hosted me six years ago, and they are reportedly anxious to hear what I have been up to since I left. I have also volunteered to work with the exchange students presently here, and on the first night of the local Christmas market we will be selling mulled wine to raise money for Rotary’s efforts against Polio. I'm hoping work with the students throughout my time here as a way to give back to the club that gave me so much.

In a couple of hours I'm heading off to the train station to ride over to Wernigerode, a beautiful little town nestled in the base of the Harz. The bookstore in the old town portion of Wernigerode is owned and operated by one of my prospective chroniclers, Rainer Schulze--whose family has lived in Wernigerode since the 30 years war. Rainer Schulze is also a Rotarian, and I'm very hopeful that he will have a great deal to offer my study.

It’s 48 degrees and cloudy. A couple of raindrops have marked my window, and I should probably leave for the station before the sky opens much further. 

Tschüß!