AP Photo/Michael ProbstA letter posted in a hole in the Bridegroom’s Oak which has a famous knothole that has been used as a mailbox since 1892, in Dodau forest, near Eutin, northern Germany, Saturday, March 1. EUTIN, Germany (AP) — It’s timber over Tinder in a forest in northern Germany where the Bridegroom’s Oak has connected lovers for more than a century. Known as “Brautigamseiche” in German, the Bridegroom’s Oak has a famous knothole that’s been used as a mailbox since 1892. It even has its own postal code in the Dodau Forest some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Berlin. Mail carriers from the German postal service act as Cupid, delivering 50 to 60 letters to the knothole each month. They must climb a ladder to reach the arboreal mailbox about 3 meters (10 feet) up the 25-meter (82-foot)-tall tree that’s more than 500 years old. Visitors to the tree can leaf through the missives, some of which are mailed from other continents, and choose whether to become postal paramours with any of the letter-writers. “The resulting pen pal relationships have even led to a few marriages,” the postal service says. The oak was first used as a waystation between a forester’s daughter and a chocolate manufacturer from Leipzig, according to the postal service. The forester initially opposed the courtship, so the couple left love letters for each other in the knothole. They ultimately married, with the forester’s permission, under the oak’s leaves in 1892. Send your own love letter to: Brautigamseiche, Dodauer Forst, 23701 Eutin, Germany. UNIVERSITY PARK — For Sue Hynicker, leaving a legacy means helping to put fresh food on her community’s tables. ... UNIVERSITY PARK — Interested in learning about plants while exploring the natural world? Penn State Extension ... Copyright © 2025 Ogden Publications of Pennsylvania, LLC | https://www.lockhaven.com | 9-11 W. Main Street, Lock Haven, PA 17745 | 570-748-6791 At least 50 to 60 letters are delivered to a forest in northern Germany each month Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A 500-year-old oak tree in a forest in northern Germany has been connecting lovers for more than a century The Bridegroom's Oak, known as “Bräutigamseiche” in German has a famous knothole that's been used as a mailbox since 1892 At least 50 to 60 letters are delivered to the knothole each month with mail carriers from Deutsche Post After an influx of letters in the 1920s, the tree even received its own postal code in the Dodauer Forest near Eutin, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Berlin or 100km northeast of Hamburg to facilitate the demand the mail carriers must climb a ladder to reach the arboreal mailbox about three meters (10 feet) up the 25-meter (82-foot) -tall tree that's more than 500 years old Visitors to the tree will need to do the same to leaf through the missives some of which are mailed from other continents read the letters and choose whether to become postal paramours with any of the letter-writers “The resulting pen pal relationships have even led to a few marriages,” the postal service says The oak was first used as a waystation between a forester's daughter and a chocolate manufacturer from Leipzig, according to the postal service. The forester initially opposed the courtship, so the couple left love letters for each other in the knothole. They ultimately married, with the forester's permission, under the oak's leaves in 1892. Anyone in the world can send their own love letter, for the price of postage, to: Bräutigamseiche, Dodauer Forst, 23701 Eutin, Germany. “Anyone looking for a partner can write here. Some people have actually already found their true love through this special mailbox,” the postal service said. A passerby climbs up a ladder of the Bridegroom's Oak bringing together couples looking for love Audio NewsThis article has been translated using AI. See original 00:0000:0010101.00xBy Muhammad Samsul Hadi 05 Mar 2025 20:50 WIB · English The destiny of love can emerge and intertwine anywhere approximately 250 kilometers north of the capital Berlin has for more than a century served as a connector of love between people from various parts of the world means “groom’s oak.” There is a knothole in the tree that has been used as a mailbox since 1892 Due to its fame and the long-standing association with its function Mail carriers from the German postal office delivering letters to the tree are often referred to as "the gods of love." they typically deliver 50 to 60 letters to the knot hole in the tree They must climb using a ladder to reach the knot hole which is located approximately 3 meters high on the tree that is over 500 years old Visitors can flip through the letters in the knot holes and choose one to start correspondence with the sender "The relationships between pen pals often lead to marriage," stated the German postal service manager the oak tree initially served as a resting spot for young girls who were forest workers and chocolate makers Forest workers originally prohibited romantic relationships among them couples in love left their love letters in the hollow knots of the oak tree The more their love was nurtured with letters at the tree whether it is still effective in bringing together love write a letter to the following address: Bräutigamseiche the world’s most romantic postbox14 February 2018ShareSaveEliot SteinFeatures correspondentShareSaveEliot SteinDenies' mailed letter sits inside the oak tree's small knothole (Credit: Eliot Stein)A 500-year-old oak tree outside the town of Eutin has been matching singles for more than a century and is reportedly responsible for 100-plus marriages On a chilly afternoon deep in northern Germany’s Dodauer Forest a postman wearing a bright yellow uniform was walking alone through the woods he rummaged through his bag and then slowly climbed a 3m-tall wooden ladder to deliver a purple envelope to a 500-year-old oak tree before crunching back through the forest and disappearing towards the next letterbox on his route The purple envelope was from Denies in Bavaria isn’t afraid to laugh at herself and loves nature doesn’t mind being alone but wonders if there’s a man out there who can surprise her is looking for love inside the tiny knothole in this oak tree Known as Die Bräutigamseiche (the Bridegroom’s Oak) this ancient timber outside the town of Eutin has been matching singles long before Tinder and is reportedly responsible for more than 100 marriages people from all over the planet write letters addressed to the tree hoping that for the price of a postage stamp • Where one kiss brings 15 years of luck • Is this the most perfect love story? • The couple that defied the stars who’d like to find a man who can dance; Heinrich from Saxony who’s searching for a travel partner; and Liu from Shijiazhuang who just wants to know if there’s a German woman who’d like a Chinese friend “There’s something so magical and romantic about it,” said 72-year-old Karl-Heinz Martens who delivered letters to the tree as its postman for 20 years it’s a beautiful coincidence – like fate.” Martens still keeps a scrapbook filled with photographs letters and newspaper clippings from his time as love’s official messenger – which he happily showed me over coffee in downtown Eutin Martens delivered letters from six continents He explained that while today many people know about the tree 128 years ago it was a secret shared by two lovers a local girl named Minna fell in love with a young chocolate maker named Wilhelm Minna’s father forbade her from seeing Wilhelm so the two started secretly exchanging handwritten letters by leaving them in a knothole in the oak’s trunk Minna’s father finally granted her permission to marry Wilhelm and the two were wed on 2 June 1891 under the oak tree’s branches The story of the couple’s fairy-tale courtship spread hopeful romantics throughout Germany who had no luck finding partners in biergartens or ballrooms began writing love letters to the Bridegroom’s Oak assigned the oak its own postcode and postman It also placed a ladder up to the fist-sized postbox is that if you open a letter you don’t want to answer you should place it back in the tree for someone else to find “The tree receives about 1,000 letters a year,” said Martin Grundler I suppose that’s when everyone wants to fall in love.” there’s a legend that says if a woman walks around the oak’s trunk three times under a full moon while thinking of her beloved Today the Bridegroom’s Oak remains the only tree in the world with its own mailing address a postman has walked through the forest – rain snow or shine – and climbed the ladder to stuff letters from starry-eyed singles into the tree And no-one has ever delivered mail to the oak tree longer than Martens The tree receives about 1,000 letters a year“It was my favourite part of the day,” Martens said handing me a black-and-white photo of him wearing a brimmed cap and bifocals smiling as he dropped letters into the oak “People used to memorise my route and wait for me to arrive because they couldn’t believe that a postman would deliver letters to a tree.” Martens said there were only 10 days when no-one wrote to the oak and while he’d occasionally deliver as many as 50 envelopes a day people from East Germany who had no contacts in the West used to write to the tree and ask what kind of cars and music we had available,” Martens remembered other messages that arrived over the years started as sweet nothings and blossomed into beautiful somethings turn right at the Alex Münster distillery and you’ll see a wooden sign pointing towards the tree on the left a young German soldier named Peter Pump reached into the oak felt several letters and pulled out a piece of paper that had just a name and address on it he decided to respond to the ‘Honoured Miss Marita’ who hadn’t written to the tree in the first place – her friends had Peter and Marita corresponded for a full year before he built up the courage to meet her They were married in 1961 and are celebrating their 57th wedding anniversary this year Then there’s the story of the Christiansens Martens delivered a letter to the oak from a 19-year-old East German girl named Claudia A West German farmer named Friedrich Christiansen found it and wrote back to her Friedrich and Claudia exchanged letters for nearly two years across the border the two met for the first time and were married in May 1990 “I know of at least 10 marriages brought together by the tree,” Martens said I know of at least 10 marriages brought together by the treeIn 1989 a German TV station was doing a special feature on the oak and asked Martens if he himself had ever found love under its branches while Martens was climbing up the ladder to deliver the mail to the Bridegroom he spotted a handwritten note from a woman named Renate addressed to the oak’s postman “So I called her – rather clumsily – and soon I met her,” Martens said handing me a picture of him and Renate kissing on their wedding day “We were married in 1994 and had our reception under the oak tree.” The local newspaper printed a photo of Martens on the ladder in his suit and one of the newlyweds kissing under the tree alongside the headline and the former postman still keeps her letter As the sun began to fade in downtown Eutin Martens suddenly closed his scrapbook and reached for his coat this time following Martens’ heavy footsteps towards the old oak he pointed towards two signs: one describing the tree’s history after more than 100 years of bringing people together the Bridegroom’s Oak was symbolically married to a 200-year-old chestnut tree near Düsseldorf the trees remained together for six years until the chestnut started suffering from old age and had to be cut down the tree was stronger and healthier,” Martens said pointing up to a series of cables securing the oak’s branches so I suppose we have a special connection.” arborists detected a fungal infection inside the oak leading them to lop off a number of its limbs to prevent it from spreading he explained that his bones aren’t so stable anymore “But I can still climb the ladder,” he said After peering through the oak’s tiny post box a slight man with neatly combed hair carrying a small piece of paper came plodding through the forest I cautiously asked if he wouldn’t mind answering a few questions for a story I was working on He said he sometimes comes to the tree by himself after work I’m searching for a slim-medium built loving and loyal partner I waved goodbye and started walking out of the woods sliding something purple into his jacket pocket Custom Made is a BBC Travel series that introduces you to custodians of cultural traditions all around the world Join over three million BBC Travel fans by liking us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram If 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Luke Petronick and Rockel Eutin were selected as the Boswell Jaycees athlete of the month for November from North Star High School Luke Petronick is the son of Frank and Lisa Petronick He is a 12th-grade college prep student at North Star Rockel Eutin is the daughter of Yvonne Marks and Rocky Eutin She is a member of the volleyball and basketball team Receive emails when new obituariesare published to our website a century since Ora founded that first funeral home the Snyder family strives to honor their long-standing heritage with each family they serve the Snyder family’s goal has remained the same:  We take care of more details than the average funeral provider so you can spend more time grieving & healing with your family Watch the 100 Year Documentary Learn what your friends and neighbors have to say about our services Make funeral arrangements from anywhere in 15 minutes or less Snyder Funeral Homes, Bellville Butler Chapel81 Mill Rd, Bellville, Ohio 44813(419) 886-2491 Snyder Funeral Homes, Stombaugh Batton Chapel225 West Findlay St, Carey, Ohio 43316(419) 396-7520 Snyder Rodman Funeral Center101 Valleyside Dr, Delaware, Ohio 43015(740) 362-1611 Snyder Funeral Homes, Fredericktown Chapel33 East College St, Fredericktown, Ohio 43019(740) 694-4006 Snyder Funeral Homes, Richardson Davis Chapel218 South Market St, Galion, Ohio 44833(419) 468-1424 Snyder Funeral Homes, Lindsey Chapel123 North Market St, Loudonville, Ohio 44842(419) 994-3030 Snyder Funeral Homes, Lexington Ave Chapel2553 Lexington Ave, Mansfield, Ohio 44904(419) 884-1711 Snyder Funeral Homes, Finefrock Chapel350 Marion Ave, Mansfield, Ohio 44903(419) 525-4411 Snyder Funeral Homes, Denzer Chapel360 East Center St, Marion, Ohio 43302(740) 387-9136 Snyder Funeral Homes, Gunder Hall Chapel347 West Center St, Marion, Ohio 43302(740) 382-3612 Snyder Funeral Homes, Ingram Chapel975 North Maple St, Marysville, Ohio 43040(937) 642-4861 Snyder Funeral Homes, Craven Chapel67 North Main St, Mount Gilead, Ohio 43338(419) 946-3040 Snyder Funeral Homes, Dowds Chapel201 Newark Rd, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050(740) 393-1076 Snyder Funeral Homes, Flowers Chapel619 East High St, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050(740) 392-6956 Snyder Funeral Homes, Lasater Chapel11337 Upper Gilchrist Rd, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050(740) 392-0005 Snyder Funeral Homes, DeVore Chapel637 State Route 61, Sunbury, Ohio 43074(740) 965-3936 Your browser may not work with certain site. 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Germany Chief of Police and current Sister Cities Friends of Lawrence president tours the Lawrence Public Library Friday are visiting Lawrence through Tuesday to celebrate 25 years as a sister city Vollertsen has also put together an exhibit of the importance of German citizens in Lawrence history that is currently on display at the library Maria Hieber and Carina Schwarz attend their jewelry class at Free State High school last week The three are part of a group of exchange students from Lawrence's sister city Eutin living with a host family and attending school You can’t blame Lawrence City Commissioner Bob Schumm for thinking that a Kansas-style barbecue would be a good way to celebrate with 200 or so friends from Lawrence’s sister city of Eutin But it probably is fair to blame Schumm for the odd image that a sizable group of German airport employees likely have of Lawrence and in Germany finding pork and beans can be quite a chore Schumm had the dozens of members of a Lawrence delegation traveling to Eutin pack in their luggage a No “I don’t think the custom agents knew quite what to think of us,” Schumm says If only all of our misunderstandings were so minor Helmut Scheewe knows very well that they are not Scheewe’s father was killed in action in Russia as a member of the German army in World War II Scheewe was 10 years old at the end of the war and remembers well his feelings “I knew that getting in contact with people who had been at war with Germany would be important,” Scheewe says “I wanted to give them the feeling that Germans really are normal human beings and not these monsters who had occupied their countries.” “I remember Helmut telling me once that he never thought he would have an opportunity to have friends in America,” says Schumm Scheewe not only has American friends but he’s helped provide 25 years of opportunities for American and German friendships to grow Lawrence and Eutin are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their Sister City relationship which started after Scheewe and other officials from Eutin and Lawrence came together through KU students who had taken summer language courses in Eutin A delegation of about 20 Eutin officials currently are in Lawrence for banquets significant friendships formed,” says Ken Albrecht chair of the city’s Friends of Eutin group There have been the memories of watching young kids grow into young adults Albrecht said there have been three Eutin/Lawrence couples who have married over the years “There are many people in Eutin who say ‘before we die we have to come visit our friends in Lawrence,'” Scheewe says there have been a little more than 2,000 Lawrence and Eutin residents who have traveled back and forth between the two cities as a part of the Sister Cities program They’ve done so for a common cause: a belief that if people get to know each other as people there will be fewer chances for us to treat each other as monsters and enemies That’s the concept behind the international Sister Cities program and that’s why dozens of high school students from each city participate in an exchange program each year and perhaps a hankering for some fast food “I love the fast food,” says Niklas Gutzeit an Eutin high school student who is studying at Free State for a three-week period but they don’t taste as good as they do here.” another Eutin high schooler studying at Free State KU Athletic officials already are planning polka promotions and schnitzel giveaways for future KU games.) The students often focus on how different their two countries are Both Gutzeit and Schwarz say the American system allows for students to better explore their individual interests students early in their school careers pick a path of study — the sciences or the humanities for example — and have classes specifically designed for that interest Schwarz — who is on a physics path — is enjoying a course in jewelry making When learning about another country or another group of people the differences are often what are highlighted who has visited all three of our sister cities — Eutin; Hiratsuka Greece — says it becomes more evident to him all the time that one of the great values of the program is that it reminds us of how similar we are Even residents of two countries who once fought the most vicious of battles still have more in common as humans than they have in differences as adversaries In 1989 we chose a German city as our first sister city many of the men and women choosing those cities had fathers who fought in World War II “This program does show you how much is possible,” Albrecht says Sometimes the best friendships remind us of something about ourselves As I was talking with several Eutin residents last week I was struck by an observation of America that we sometimes suppress: America is unique but our Eutin friends made it clear that America feels different And it is not just our love of pork and beans they all talked of an open-mindedness in America Perhaps that is just evidence they haven’t spent any time listening to AM talk radio or maybe their observations about our country go beyond mere politics “There is this theme of freedom that hangs over the entire country,” says Harro Kuenning an Eutin teacher who has accompanied the dozen students to Lawrence Scheewe says America has taught him something of what “people can do on their own enterprise.” Starting businesses “I am glad that America helped to expel the Nazis from power,” Scheewe says “I think that was the most important thing.” the high school student taken by our love of football “The sky is bigger here,” Carina says “You have more places to dream.” The latest headlines from the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com Copyright © 2025 Ogden Newspapers of Kansas, LLC | https://www2.ljworld.com | 1035 N. Third Street, Lawrence, KS 66044 | 785-843-1000 | Terms of Service In 1986, the City of Lawrence launched a Sister Cities program to bring people together For 36 years, the award-winning nonprofit has been promoting peace and understanding between Lawrence and its three sister cities When the Lawrence City Commission first passed an ordinance creating the Sister Cities Advisory Board it tapped Carol Shankel to help form a steering committee To find locations that had a comparable population to Lawrence and with an interest in cultural and educational activities a German studies professor at KU who is currently the chair of Sister Cities Lawrence He helped Eutin become Lawrence’s first sister city building on an already long-standing relationship with the KU German department Lawrence has been sharing high school student exchanges with the lake-spotted German town since 1990 — the year after the Berlin Wall came down the Lawrence community’s relationship with Eutin has grown It includes hundreds of student exchanges with KU and local high school students “My favorite experience from Sisters Cities was the Eutin delegation visit in fall 2009,” Keel says “We rented a bus and took them to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve with the wide open spaces and buffalo roaming free they just couldn’t believe their eyes Hiratsuka became Lawrence’s second sister city Shankel sealed the deal with her connections to their city officials and by leveraging a relationship KU staff had already developed with Kanagawa University staff there Located an hour away from Tokyo, Hiratsuka offers a coastline of the Pacific Ocean, a close-up view of Mt. Fuji, and an annual Tanabata Festival To celebrate the five-year anniversary of the community partnership the mayor of Hiratsuka presented the City of Lawrence with five yoshino cherry trees which were ceremoniously planted in Watson Park They also funded the Japanese Garden project located downtown next to the Watkins History Museum “During our 25-year anniversary exchange, we took the Hiratsuka delegation to Circle S Ranch The [workers] met us on horseback at the driveway to go in and the mayor of Hitasuka even went on a horseback ride They all thought it was like a Western movie — just what they imagined this country would be like,” Shankel says Iniades became the newest addition to the Lawrence family tree The Ancient City of Oiniades was even named after the ancient Greek word for wine The partnership with Iniades is relatively new but brimming with possibility eight Lawrence-area teens kicked off the first youth exchange in Iniades They spent six days with host families in Iniades and the surrounding small towns a group of Greek students and chaperones were planning to visit Lawrence in 2020 but their flights were canceled because of the pandemic Keel says they finally came over the Christmas holidays in 2021 Although Shankel and Keel activated the Sister Cities Lawrence program nearly four decades ago, its benefits seem more relevant now than ever. America is facing record-high division, and pandemic rage is real Sister Cities offers a defense against that by helping people build (sometimes lifelong) friendships and cultivate values like curiosity “International travel helps us see how other people live and how there are similarities along with the differences,” Shankel says “[This program] is more than we ever expected when we started Find more information about Sister Cities Lawrence on its website. Lawrence residents can get involved with volunteering, going on an exchange, or joining a Sister Cities committee by becoming a member.  Click here to learn more about our newsletters first Note: This article has been corrected from a previous version a contributor to The Lawrence Times since August 2021 is a 2019 KU grad with degrees in journalism and political science Check out her work at jrdnwntr.com. See more of her work for the Times here Lawrence school board approves nixing some high school classes Kansas Republican defends gerrymandering and partisan politics as ‘just things that happen’ Kansas owned and operated publication covering key news and providing important information for the Lawrence and Douglas County We operate without a paywall so that everyone can read our coverage, regardless of ability to pay. Please click here to support us if you are able The Times is a proud “aspiring entrepreneur” member of Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers We are happy to consider individual requests to republish content; however no content from this site may be republished without express permission This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Jasmin Delfs was born in Eutin in Schleswig-Holstein and studied singing with Manuela Uhl at Lübeck’s Academy of Music She made her debut at the Eutin Festival in 2019 as Fatime (Abu Hassan) Her repertoire also includes parts such as Linfea (La Calisto) Viktoria (Viktoria und ihr Husar) and Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro) She won third prize in the Maritim Music Awards in 2019 as well as the audience prize a sponsorship award and an engagement with the Hamburg Chamber Opera At the 2021 Concorso Lirico Internazionale di Portofino she was awarded the ‘Under 25 Prize’ and also won the third prize and a special prize at the International Cesti Competition at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music She has been a member of the Opera Studio of the Bavarian State Opera since the start of the 2021/22 season appearing in a number of roles that have included Papagena (Die Zauberflöte) and Vespina in a new production of Haydn’s L’infedeltà delusa As a concert artist she has been heard in Hamburg’s Laeiszhalle and elsewhere In order to offer you the best possible online experience cookies from selected partners are also used We take data protection seriously and respect your privacy: You can change your cookie settings at any time Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper functioning of the website Marketing cookies are used by third parties or publishers to display personalized advertising They do this by tracking visitors across websites Statistics Cookies collect information anonymously This information helps us understand how our visitors use our website BY Irene Kukota POSTED 27/09/2022 11:17 AM Elena Orlova-Afinogenova is perhaps best known in Germany where she is represented by Fabra Ars Gallery the artist unveiled an earlier commissioned painting of “The First Meeting in Castle Eutin” (Erste Begegnung auf Schloss Eutin) featuring the encounter of a young Princess Sophie Auguste Friederike von Anhalt-Zerbst or “Fike” (future Catherine the Great) with her future husband Herzog Karl Peter Ulrich von Holstein-Gottorp (later Both were children when they first met in 1739 and this was exactly the moment captured by the artist The painting now remains in a local museum in Zerbst It took the artist over a year to finish the canvas, as local Zerbst newspapers reported in their  reviews Elena Orlova-Afinogenova is known for her nuanced the artist spent many long hours studying the paintings of old Dutch and Flemish masters in the Hermitage Museum in St This is particularly apparent in her still lifes that are full of allusions so much beloved by the artists in the 17th century An art critic once referred to her compositions as “theatre of things” where objects live their quiet Being an international artist with an established career Aalborg (Denmark) and in Philadelphia (U.S.A) It must seem surprising that in her young years she could not even dream of becoming an artist when did you become aware that being an artist was your vocation Elena Orlova-Afinogenova: Elena I began to draw early in childhood but I could not even believe that an unassuming person like myself could be an Artist Only as a first-year medical student (I enrolled to study medicine after I finished school) I realized that And it also became clear that I wished for that to happen more than anything else in the world I abandoned my medical studies and entered intensive artistic training so that I could apply to St Peterburg Repin Academy of Fine Arts Irene Kukota: How long did it take you to train to be accepted by the Repin Academy Elena Orlova-Afinogenova: As a medical student I studied human anatomy for a whole year – something that later would prove extremely useful to me as an artist I realised that I was facing my now-or-never moment: I would either become an artist or not this is how I left medicine and began my artistic training I had to work as a courier and then as a cleaner in order to support myself and keep the daytime available for my art studies I was lucky to be allowed to audit classes at the Evsey Moiseenko studio I am immensely grateful to him for believing in me and I will remain so for the rest of my life after three long years of honing my artistic skills and I was accepted as a fine art student at the Repin Academy of Arts I finished my studies with Moiseenko in 1982 Then I left for Moscow where I took part in the prestigious competition for young artists I was awarded with travel prize for my “Tokarenko Family” portrait which was immensely enjoyable and inspiring for my artistic practice Irene Kukota: Who was the greatest influence on you Elena Orlova-Afinogenova: It was my first husband who taught me essential artistic skills and the foundations of profession every day that you have not spent painting with whom I studied at the Repin Academy of Fine Arts He was a truly outstanding fine arts professor He taught his students to be artistically discerning sensitive and responsive to the world around them Irene Kukota: Tell us about your artistic creed Elena Orlova-Afinogenova: The beauty of the world greatly fascinates me and I wish to capture this beauty in my art Irene Kukota: Do you have any rituals or routines that you follow before setting to work I need to sit a few minutes in peace and quiet and smoke a cigarette This is my way of tuning in and concentrating on what I am about to do Irene Kukota: Can you describe your normal working process Elena Orlova-Afinogenova: It is hard for me to talk about this I honestly cannot say how it all happens and comes about I remain an active participant within this process is to keep focussing on what I should be doing and how Irene Kukota: There is a discernible trace of Magical Realism in your works Your paintings appear to have a certain mysterious What prompted you to choose this artistic language I have not deliberately chosen any language – on the contrary Irene Kukota: What do you find so attractive about the collage technique Elena Orlova-Afinogenova: I think that collage is a very exciting it is a very time-consuming and painstaking method A variety of textures makes each collage intriguing Depending on the angle or the quality of lighting the collages may unpredictably alter their compositional highlights suddenly transform into snow-covered treetops and hopeless months of the year working on collages Irene Kukota: Do you work in some other genres or techniques Elena Orlova-Afinogenova:  I have recently taken to pastels This practice is something entirely different and intriguing to me one can find references to the Middle Ages to Dutch and Flemish masters (Northern Baroque) Which one of these eras do you like the most I am unwilling to limit my choices only to that era especially when such a variety and wealth of expressive modes is available Irene Kukota: Does this mean that you associate each painterly genre with a certain artistic era (still life corresponding to the Dutch Baroque etc) Only a certain artistic aesthetic can be associated with a certain era one can choose any genre one prefers the most some contemporary artists consider Old Masters to be outdated a kind of art that can only be relegated to museums I can only say that this kind of thinking is tantamount to rejecting one’s ancestors Irene Kukota: If you could meet someone from the past Irene Kukota: What would you recommend to a novice artist Elena Orlova-Afinogenova: I would recommend them to get outside themselves first but to go outside and look for it around them We must keep our eyes open and let ourselves be astonished and amazed by it attaining mastery is the way to professional and personal freedom Irene Kukota: Gallery or museum of your dreams… Elena Orlova-Afinogenova: Any contemporary art museum in a major city Irene Kukota: In which countries have you exhibited your work And in what collections can your paintings be found Elena Orlova-Afinogenova: I have exhibited in Germany Most of my works are in private collections Irene Kukota: And could you share some of your artistic plans Elena Orlova-Afinogenova: After I finish one canvas I do not like to share what kind of painting I am working on before the time is right; I like to keep it all to myself I am looking very much forward to my solo show in Magdeburg It will be hosted by Fabra Ars gallery I have been collaborating with for many years I also have plans to exhibit my series Passions According to Mythology in London The series was recently shown in Germany; it consists of seven large paintings What Latvia’s Oscar-winning animation ‘Flow’ tells us about the world today Rachmaninoff reimagined by Teodor Doré – a tapestry of symphonic energies and spirits Hidden stories of migration What is the heart of Europe? Tour Frans Hals at the National Gallery with Irene Kukota NOTFOREVER: CAPTURING THE COLLECTIVE SOUL OF THE STAGNATION ERA Old Frescoes Discovered: Interview with Keeper of the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin Music prodigy – conductor Maxim Emelyanychev <  April | June  > © Copyright 2011-2024 Izba Arts ksenia.kazintseva@gmail.com stand next to Gaumnitz's art installation in Eutin The piece was installed in Eutin this week About 20 Lawrence residents felt at home in their sister city Eutin sang “Home on the Range” and drank German beer Wednesday night during a welcome party The party served as a reaffirmation of the bond between the two cities It also couldn’t have had better timing As relations seemed to slide between President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting Wednesday of the Group of Eight summit in Germany these two cities were solidifying their relationship “Everyone in this town is well aware that the G-8 meeting is taking place in eastern Germany with Bush and Putin and riots,” said Graham Kreicker “And we have a meeting of 200 people from two different cities and singing and dancing and real people-to-people bonding.” Eutin (pronounced oy-teen) has also been celebrating the city’s 750th birthday this year The Lawrence delegation presented Eutin with a stainless steel sculpture by Lawrence resident Jan Gaumnitz which Kreicker said represented the rebirth of relations between the two cities “Everybody seemed to be very pleased with it,” Gaumnitz said “And I think the theme of growth and renewal is a common theme and something they seemed to like.” The meeting helped renew interest in the sister city relationship an exchange program that’s done in many cities but oftentimes forgotten a Kansas University German professor who helped start Lawrence’s partnership with Eutin “The consulate in Hamburg has said our program is the most active in northern Germany,” Baron said Kreicker said it is an interest that he hopes people in Lawrence reciprocate “There’s 20 people here from Lawrence and they’ve all paid their own way and they all believe in outreach programs and feel it’s necessary to counteract all this mischief in the world,” he said “So we would like to see more people in Lawrence take it seriously.” Kansas University music students perform alongside professionals in the operetta “Die Blume von Hawaii” in Eutin Students are Lindsay Ohse (left foreground Bao-Tin Van Cong and Mai Tadokoro make up the per the percussion section for “Die Blume von Hawaii” at the Eutin Festival Timmis and Tadokoro are Kansas University students performing operas in Germany comes with certain challenges asking fellow chorus members — the native ones — to translate “Having to laugh at German jokes that we didn’t understand was the funny part,” says Madison Mikenna a Kansas University graduate student in opera from Birmingham Mikenna was one of 33 KU vocal and instrumental music students who spent June 15 to August 20 in Eutin which is one of Lawrence’s sister cities rehearsing and performing alongside international professionals at the Eutin Festival “We’re hoping that this becomes annual,” says Robert Walzel Students rehearsed and performed alongside professional and community musicians two chamber concerts and three operas — “Nabucco,” “Die Blume von Hawaii” (“The Flower of Hawaii”) and “L’Elisir d’amore” (“The Elixir of Love”) “They were busy making music all the way through,” Walzel says percussionist in KU’s graduate program says his only previous experience performing with professionals had been gigs “here and there.” He says the festival — where he participated in all seven shows plus an additional percussion show — was a valuable opportunity “This is the first time that it wasn’t a gig,” he says “We were all a part of the same ensemble and being able to play along with them for the duration of the summer.” Mikenna had roles in “Nabucco,” as a chorus member and “Die Blume von Hawaii,” as an American tourist the program provided her first trip to Europe and an internship-like atmosphere to build her performance experience “It looks really good on résumés for us to have experience with summer programs and festivals,” Mikenna says The festival paid for the students’ plane tickets proved popular among the German locals and other Europeans who spend summer holidays in the area He says the Germans seemed eager to support young people “Introducing them to their country and aspects of culture they haven’t seen is something they’re very proud of and something they enjoy,” Walzel says Timmis says some of the professional musicians even invited students into their homes cooked for them and showed them sights in the Eutin area He says he also appreciated the Europeans’ love for music which seemed to contrast the United States where pop music tends to reign and orchestras are dying out just seeing the amount of support and the amount of interest in what we were doing was really eye opening and it was encouraging to see people who are still interested and still excited about what we do,” Timmis says Six performances of “Nabucco” were originally scheduled but organizers added a seventh because the show kept selling out A photograph of a costumed Mikenna alongside another KU student rehearsing “Die Blume von Hawaii” was even blown up and used in advertisements for performances “They plastered our faces all over the town on these giant posters,” Mikenna says “There was a couple times when I got recognized out on the town.” has its own postal address and actually receives around 40 letters every day They are sent by love seekers from all around the world in the hope that someone will read them and write back With so many dating apps and services available nowadays sending letters to a tree in Germany hardly sounds like the most effective way to find love There’s just something undeniably charming about sending a letter and allowing fate to work its magic so the Bridegroom’s Oak remains very popular even in this digital age Photo: Holger.Ellgaard/Wikimedia Commons “There’s something so magical and romantic about it”, a 72-year-old postman delivering letters to the Bridegroom’s Oak, told BBC it’s a beautiful coincidence – like fate.” The famous oak has been growing outside of Eutin for an estimated 500 years but it only became a facilitator of love around 100 years ago when it found itself at the center of a now legendary love story the two started exchanging love letters in secret by leaving them in a knothole of the tree we now know as the Bridegroom’s Oak Minna’s father found out about their continued relationship under the branches of the oak tree that helped keep their romance alive Photo: Armin von Werner/Wikimedia Commons The couple’s story spread around Eutin and the surrounding area people unable to find love the conventional way started writing romantic letters and leaving them in the tree’s knothole it was already known as Bräutigamseiche (German for ‘Bridegroom’s Oak’) and had become so popular that the Deutsche Post assigned it its own address and postal code allowing people from all over Germany and even abroad to send in their letters Love seekers visiting the Bridegroom’s Oak need respect only one simple rule They can check all the letters in its knothole and take with them the one they wish to reply to but they have to put the others back for other people to find Photo: Holger.Ellgaard/Wikimedia Commons “The tree receives about 1,000 letters a year,” a spokesman for Deutsche Post said I suppose that’s when everyone wants to fall in love.” Does writing to the Bridegroom’s Oak actually work the BBC reports that it has been responsible for at least 100 marriages as well as many other romantic relationships the postman who has been delivering letters to the tree for the last 20 years Atlas Obscura contributor frauhuber writes that a few days after appearing on a German television program about the tree martens received a personal letter from a woman in Hamburg The two hit it off and have been happily married ever since So if online dating apps or agency aren’t romantic enough for you maybe give the Bridegroom’s Oak a try Somerset County Campus Foundation Board Scholarships were awarded to eight county students for study at the local campus of Allegany College of Maryland in the current 2013-14 academic year designated for 2013 graduates of Somerset County high schools are sponsored by the Somerset County Campus Foundation for ACM for study at the community college here Sara Berkebile of Cairnbrook is a nursing major She is a Shade-Central City High School graduate and the daughter of Dennis and Trudy Berkebile is a graduate of Berlin Brothersvalley High School She is the daughter of Tammie and Rick Lynch Courtney Dively of Berlin is a physical therapist assistant major She is a Shanksville-Stonycreek High School graduate and the daughter of Daniel and Angela Dively Emily Eutin of Stoystown is a social work major she is the daughter of Sherry and Todd Eutin Laekyn Jano of Somerset is a physical therapist assistant major She is a Somerset Area High School graduate and the daughter of Wes and Renee Jano Shannon Knopsnyder of Rockwood is a nursing major she is the daughter of Mark and Ruth Knopsnyder Megan Oakes of Somerset is an occupational therapy assistant major She is a Somerset Area High School graduate and the daughter of Elizabeth Oakes and Richard Oakes Bethany Reddick of Meyersdale is a general studies major she is the daughter of Connie and John Reddick Carolyn Young’s “Returning to Kansas” was taken in Ruleton It’s among the photos Young is showing in Eutin “Fire Dance,” a view of a sunset at Clinton Lake “Konza Light in June,” taken on the Konza Prairie Carolyn Young was making the arduous drive back to Kansas from Colorado ‘Why do I leave that majestic beauty?,'” Young says a sight caught her photographer’s eye and she spontaneously pulled onto the side of Interstate 70 A police officer witnessed the event and pursued You can’t just pull off the road carelessly,'” she recalls what you don’t understand is that I’m a photographer They had stopped in front of a particularly eye-catching patch of sunflowers the officer suggested Young get off at the next exit of Ruleton where there was an even more spectacular field “Returning to Kansas,” has become one of her signature pieces That Kansas brand of “majestic beauty” is now being seen internationally thanks to a showcase of her photos taking place in Lawrence’s sister city of Eutin One of my favorite places to be is in the Flint Hills and the Konza because there are such good hiking trails there,” she says Although the Chicago-area native had previously lived in Germany she was unable to attend the show’s May 30 opening (It runs through June 23.) But her bold colors and stark contrasts have apparently gone over well with the locals “It’s a very attractive way of showing what Kansas is about,” says Frank Baron a Kansas University professor in Germanic languages/literatures Baron is currently traveling in Germany and was able to view Young’s exhibit He says the work is being displayed in a “nice exhibition area” in the Eutin Regional Library “We had a chance to walk around and see these beautiful photographs of the Lawrence vicinity,” Baron says “Each one of these is like a work of art It’s not just the sake of showing the land They’re really fantastic photographs.” Baron had previously brought a group of Eutin residents to see Young’s work at the Lawrence ArtWalk which is where the idea for the show originated “Frank asked if I would like to do a show with some small works: matted 12-by-16 He said he could take them in his suitcase,” says Young “I thought it sounded like an easy thing and a great opportunity Baron has proven instrumental in fostering the artistic exchange between Lawrence and Eutin This formally began during the 15-year anniversary of the sister city program by showcasing the art of Nancy Bjorge Baron says he noticed all kinds of paintings and art prominently displayed throughout Eutin by Lawrence artists Young’s contribution is just one of many artistic exchanges to take place this year between the cities A contingent of Kansans went to Eutin this month to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its sister city connection (Lawrence also enjoys a similar relationship with Hiratsuka Japan.) The Lawrence Guitar Quartet is currently touring Eutin and other German cities through June 22 And the Eutin Guitar Orchestra will return the favor when it comes to Kansas in October says the cultural exchange was established in 1966 when KU students began spending semesters there hundreds of students have taken part in the program “This morning I was walking in from the train station in Berlin It turned out to be one of these exchange students,” Baron says Lawrence High School first took part in a program in which six Lawrence students would go to Eutin and live with the families of high schoolers who would later come to America and trade hosting chores “You really have an intensive foreign experience that’s so different from tourism In this case you have people actually getting to know families abroad It’s a totally different kind of experience,” Baron says “It’s a new way of looking at society and your own world.” people still fall in love the old-fashioned way Meet the celebrity oak tree that has been bringing together dreamers from around the world long before dating apps were even conceived The 500-year-old Tinder The 500-year-old tree is a registered national monument and is the first tree in the world to have its own postal address and postman hoping that it will reach the right person can be reached by a three-meter-tall wooden ladder resting against the trunk It is lovingly referred to as the Bridegroom’s Oak (in German: Bräutigamseiche) The tree itself was symbolically married in 2009 to the Himmelgeist Chestnut, a horse-chestnut tree in Düsseldorf The long-distance relationship worked great for six years Plaque announcing the marriage of the Bridegroom’s Oak | © Holger.Ellgaard / WikiCommons Love it or leave it Anyone can climb the ladder and open any letter they want to they simply need to put it back in the postbox The history of the tree as a postbox dates back to the late 19th century. It is believed that the daughter of the local head forester, Minna, fell in love with the son of a chocolate maker from Leipzig Since Minna’s father didn’t approve of the match the young lovers used to secretly leave notes for each other in the trunk of the oak tree and the couple tied the knot under the very tree on June 2 The Bridegroom’s Oak | © Armin von Werner / WikiCommons | © Armin von Werner / WikiCommons The coolest job in the world In 1927 to keep up with the vast amount of mail the tree was receiving Deutsche Post assigned the tree its own postal address and postman a postman delivers letters to the tree from hopeful hearts around the world On the occasion of Valentine’s Day 2018 wherein a correspondent had a heart-to-heart with 72-year-old Karl-Heinz Martens a postman who delivered letters to the tree from 1984 to 2004 it’s a beautiful coincidence – like fate.” Sign up to our newsletter to save up to $800 on our unique trips See privacy policy The tree receives at least 1,000 letters per year Martens remembers delivering up to 50 letters a day and counted only 10 days in 20 years when he didn’t have any letter to deliver to the oak Martens keeps coming back to the tree that changed his life A letter delivered to the tree | © Holger.Ellgaard / WikiCommons Success stories The tree is believed to be responsible for bringing together 100 couples in matrimony including postman Karl-Heinz Martens and his wife Renate Martens featured in a TV program about the oak tree where he was asked if he had found love in the postbox he discovered a letter addressed to him from Renate and the couple said their vows under the tree in 1994 Another beautiful story involves a young German soldier named Peter Pump who found a note in the tree with only a name and address written on it he responded and the couple celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary in 2018 The tree also brought together loving hearts from two sides of the infamous Berlin Wall A 19-year-old named Claudia from East Germany and farmer Friedrich Christiansen from West Germany fell in love with each others’ written words A wedding under the oak in 1900 | via WikiCommons Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in December See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Summer Design The Most Beautiful Churches in Berlin See & Do Germany's Most Beautiful Abbeys and Monasteries See & Do The Best Weekend Trips From Heidelberg Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in November Art 10 Masterpieces You Can Only See in Munich See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in September See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in October See & Do A Guide to River Cruises in Germany: What to Know See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in July See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Autumn US: +1 (678) 967 4965 | UK: +44 (0)1630 35000 tripssupport@theculturetrip.com © Copyright 2025 The Culture Trip Ltd notes and links from around Kansas University • James K. Hitt, a former longtime KU university registrar, died last Friday at the age of 96 The middle initial became something like tradition who served as university registrar after Hitt who left KU to become the vice president for student affairs at the University of Central Missouri The registrar before Hitt was another man who used his middle initial named George O who also served KU for a long period of time that Foster and Hitt both served as president of the university registrar’s professional organization the American Association of Collegiate Registrars hoped to become the organization’s president 100 years after Foster in 2015 But it was through the association that Morrell got to know Hitt because everyone would ask about him at the meetings So he reached out to Hitt after coming back from one of the meetings and the two of them set up regular lunches Morrell remembered that Hitt had a reputation as a stern taskmaster but he found him to be a kind and gentle personality who continued to serve as a gentle caretaker for his wife who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease as he got older Morrell enjoyed Hitt’s many stories of older days at KU and remembered that the first year of six-digit KU ID numbers (today they are seven digits long) and basketball star Wilt Chamberlain got one of the early six-digit numbers that year “So I don’t know what Wilt Chamberlain’s ID number was but I bet it was really low,” Morrell told me • I heard from a number of sources that the KU delegation that went to Eutin this past weekend to perform a concert was greeted there as a rousing success told me that the city of Eutin has contributed some funding for a return trip over the summer so many more students will likely have the chance to travel to Eutin for a summer festival later Baron said specific details are still being worked out but that the initial reception from German officials were a good sign told me that his band recently was named national champions of General Mills’ U Rock The band rode a wave of student votes to a competition in Los Angeles before a panel of judges from the music industry The University Daily Kansan described their music as inspired by the Beatles and Neil Young “And that can go on the record,” band member John Skoch told the Kansan You can hear some of their music on their MySpace page Heard on the Hill will never have a MySpace page. And you can put that on the record. Send me tips the old-fashioned way — by e-mail! — at ahyland@ljworld.com performed for students Tuesday at Southwest Junior High School talks with students at Southwest Junior High Tuesday February 26th While many junior high school students play Guitar Hero they readily admit it’s nothing like playing the real thing After watching two talented classical guitarists perform “It was very cool,” said Alex Kong a Southwest ninth-grader who plays the popular video game Kong was looking forward to learning how during an upcoming unit in his music class “It was nice to see perfectionists do it before we get started,” he said Those perfectionists were Andreas van Zoest and Sandra Flessau who are from one of Lawrence’s sister cities They played three selections Tuesday at Southwest Junior High School It was one of many performances scheduled during their weeklong visit Their final performance will be a public concert Sunday at Kansas University While it is Flessau’s first visit to Lawrence van Zoest was here a year ago with his 27-member guitar orchestra there has been an interest in establishing an orchestra in Lawrence He said anyone – from beginners to advanced – can play in an orchestra “I will try to combine this and make an orchestra and they are making tours over the whole world,” he said “I hope it’s great fun for all people.” He said starting a guitar orchestra is just like a choir or band It’s a matter of fitting the parts together and “there’s always room to improve.” Van Zoest teaches guitar and ensemble performance at the Musikschule Ostholstein in Eutin His students are among the most accomplished in Germany whom he started teaching about 10 years ago She was a prize winner in the German national competition Jugend musiziert Flessau said van Zoest is an exceptional teacher because he shows an interest in his students; it’s not just 30 minutes and then on to the next student “He wants us to play together and to play good,” she said Van Zoest has been working with his Lawrence host Marc Greenberg’s guitar quartet chairman of the department of Slavic languages and literatures at KU he took 15 students this week at Deerfield School and taught them the basics of classical guitar in 10 minutes “He has a great deal of charisma and a very open personality He connects very quickly with students,” Greenberg said “He’s got one of these friendly he hadn’t heard of the video game that has them picking up plastic and pretending to be rock stars he knows a lot about “Guitar Heroes,” a Grammy award-winning CD by the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet The physics student said she enjoyed playing classical music over rock because it offers variety and can be more challenging “I think younger people don’t listen to classical music very much “But I think it is more fun to play classical music than rock music because it is much more interesting It’s much more than playing the same chords all of the time.” Sunday in Swarthout Recital Hall at Kansas University A donation of $10 for the public and $5 for students is suggested The program will include excerpts from the opera “Der Freischüetz” by Eutin-born composer Carl Maria von Weber; the Divertissement opus 68 by the Spanish guitarist and composer Fernando Sor; the Holberg Suite of Edvard Grieg on the centennial of his death; “Casablanca” by Jaime Zenamon a tribute to the film; and Pierre Petit’s Toccata with references to “Porgy and Bess.” Van Zoest also is working on forming a classical guitar orchestra in Lawrence. For more information, send e-mail to van-zoest@t-online.de