Advent calendars have become big business in the U.S. these days. Shoppers can easily spend upwards of $200 for calendars with samples of makeup and skincare products But if you are looking for a larger-than-life Advent calendar Each December, the hamlet of Gengenbach turns its town hall into one giant Advent calendar they raise the shade of another window to reveal a new picture behind it just as the owner of an Advent calendar unfolds a flap to procure a candy — or these days "It's quite spectacular because everything gets dark and then we have a spot on the window and then it's like a little bit of a curtain that goes up," said Michael Foell of Gengenbach's tourism bureau "Everyone is just watching with big eyes and mouths open." The art rotates each year. In the past the town has displayed reproductions of paintings by Marc Chagall and Andy Warhol. This year, Gengenbach is featuring the work of German illustrator Olaf Hajek. Gengenbach was primarily a summer destination at that time and local businesses wanted to find a way to attract more visitors during the cold months a few of the business owners gathered outside the town hall one night to discuss what to do It just so happens that standard Advent calendars have 24 slots. (The Christian Advent season can however vary between 21 and 28 days depending on the year.) between 100,000 and 220,000 people from around the world visit Gengenbach each winter to see the calendar — and patronize the Christmas market in the town center But even more important than buying a few tchotchkes is that visitors leave with the true spirit of the holidays "It's a point where everyone comes together Become an NPR sponsor 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 Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here There are no statistics available for this player Thanks for visiting There is an unknown connection issue between Cloudflare and the origin web server There is an issue between Cloudflare's cache and your origin web server. 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Additional troubleshooting resources Receive emails when new obituariesare published to our website Each of our funeral homes offers a complete range of services in tastefully decorated Professionally trained and licensed staff members stand ready to provide sensitive caring service and strive to exceed the expectations of each and every family.Our communities are wonderfully diverse in religious beliefs Our staff truly appreciates these differences and our training includes heartfelt understanding and respect for the special needs of all whom we serve Hartford | Windsor | Poquonock | Granby | Suffield | South Windsor | Rockville | Vernon | Avon© Carmon Community Funeral Homes | Funeral Home Website Design By Frazer Consultants & TA Your browser may not work with certain site. Upgrade now. We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money all deaths handled by Crain Funeral Home & Cremation Service must have a minimum of the name uploaded to our website Made with love by funeralOne Thanks for visiting Bitter Winter A magazine on religious liberty and human rights 11/02/2022 A+ | A- The five volumes on Gengenbach published by Christophe Stener.Christophe Stener, Professor of Geostrategy at the Université Catholique de l’Ouest (UCO), Angers, France, is a scholar of both China and French and European religious and esoteric culture He has just published not less than five volumes devoted to French writer Ernest de Gengenbach (1903–1979) he may be of interest to historians of different fields He interacted for many years with André Breton and the Surrealist circles A former seminarian who sometimes proclaimed himself an apostate from the Catholic faith and a Satanist he repeatedly staged his return to Catholicism and was even taken seriously by the Vatican Gengenbach is of interest to scholars of Russian esotericist although specialists of Naglowska have so far missed her relationship with the French writer and the latter’s enormous manuscript on the Golden Mass Stener does not ignore the unpleasant features of Gengenbach’s personality and his inclination towards using fraud and blackmail to survive as he had a real influence on some French intellectual circles and is also a forgotten part of the history of Satanism Stener has published with Books on Demand (2022) two volumes on the life of Gengenbach A fifth volume reprints the book “Messes Noires” (Black Masses) which Gengenbach published in 1929 under the pseudonym Jehan Sylvius (all these books are available on Amazon) The following interview will hopefully give the readers a taste of Stener’s set of books (available in French only) Massimo Introvigne (MI): After a very comprehensive study of the antisemitic iconography of Judas Iscariot, you have just published several volumes about Ernest de Gengenbach, a forgotten Frenchwriter. Why resuscitating him ? Christophe STENER (CS): I reviewed his “Satan à Paris” book in my text about Judas you have been kind enough to refer to. Puzzled by the personage, I discovered that Surrealism academic research benignly neglected him as an epigone and someone who dared to damn André Breton and his group as Luciferian Marxist atheists, while Catholic research rejected his pious writings devoted to Virgin Mary as insincere and untrustworthy. MI: You blame Gengenbach as a “Tartuffe” when he proclaimed himself to be “a Judas,” why ? As a new Don Quixote, pretending to be able to convince the Algerian nationalist leader Ferhat Abbas to keep Algeria French, he managed to be commissioned both by General de Gaulle and by the Vatican. Posturing as the new Huysmans, he wrote clandestinely the very erotic and Satanist ritual of “La Messe d’Or,” inspired by his meetings with Maria de Naglowska… His life is worth a biopic. MI: Indeed, a picaresque life! But is Gengenbach still worth reading in 2022? One of the Losfeld reprints of Gengenbach’s Satanist works. The cover features a picture of Gengenbach as a “wandering bishop” reportedly consecrated in a Gnostic church.MI: What about his connection with Breton? CS: A love and hate relation. Gengenbach revered Breton as a sort of intellectual father, but as Judas who suffered from not being the preferred Apostle, he quitted the group, soon after Artaud, rejecting Breton’s Communist conversion. Notwithstanding his anti-Breton pamphlets “Christianisme et Surréalisme” and “Adieu à André Breton,” however, he continued to write letters to Breton where he professed his devotion to him until his death, pretending then to be the last living Surrealist. MI: Did Gengenbach personally participate in Black Masses? CS: Yes. He fantasized, all his life, to perform the Golden Mass (Messe d’Or), with Anita Eckberg or other movie stars as priestesses. As an old man, as a forgotten, ill, broke erotomane he could only organize some cheap erotic shows with prostitutes, reminiscent of the Marquis de Sade. However, I am quite sure that he took part and even organized in his youth Black Masses, very likely including one in a brothel catering to the clergy as clientele that drove a prostitute to suicide. Gengenbach’s letter proposing a pact to Virgin Mary, 1978.MI: But was Gengenbach a true believer in Satanism—or Catholicism? CS: This is the crucial question! Some months before dying, after his right leg had been amputated, bragging he was inspired by Rimbaud, he wrote a letter to the Virgin Mary. He tried to bargain with her that he will come back to Catholicism and destroy his Satanist and erotic works if, and only if, she would save him from his suffering… The Bavarian painter produced the most famous portraits of Masters Koot Hoomi and Morya—reportedly not through entirely natural means The artist devoted several years to “present the essence of Theosophy in a concise emphasizes the painter’s Theosophical connections and reveals a secret about her relationship with Blavatsky CESNURVia Confienza 1910121 TorinoItalyinfo@bitterwinter.org Copyright © 2025 · Bitter Winter · PRIVACY POLICY· COOKIE POLICY Thanks for visiting Thanks for visiting Thanks for visiting Game Recap: Men's Hockey | 2/14/2025 10:38:00 PM | Jenna Stevenson; Dinos Communications Thanks for visiting Gengenbach's Advent Calendar That Covers the Town Hall her husband Don Chandler and her sister Mary Louise She is survived by her son Brent (Kelly) Gengenbach of Eustis NE; daughter Janine (Scott) Porter of Augusta KS; her beloved grandchildren Lauren (Tanner) Anderson; Courtney (Brant) Arends; Blake (Brooke) Gengenbach; Kylie Porter; adored great-grandchildren Rowan and Emerson Gengenbach; brother Robert (Cindy) Grabenstein; sister Ann (Paul) O’Hara and nieces and nephews Jane is also survived by her special friend Roger Kirst whom she had recently made her home with Jane and Roger had planned to continue an active retirement which included enjoying life In 1960 she married her high school sweetheart At that time she completed her BS degree at Kearney State College graduating Summa cum Laude and moved to Lincoln to enroll in the University of Nebraska College of Law She received her JD in 1982 at the age of 40 Jane will be sadly missed and always will hold a place in our hearts We would love to have you join us to honor her life on October 7th at 11am with a luncheon at the church to follow Memorials have been established with Friendship Home sign up for email or text message notifications We respect your privacy. The data gathered will only be used for official Roper & Sons correspondence. For more information see our privacy policy. We understand that grieving doesn’t end after the service. We offer Aftercare for grief support as you process and heal from your loss. So seriously that it counts down to the holiday with one of the biggest Advent calendars in the world The German town of Gengenbach takes Christmas very seriously the town of 11,000 people on the edge of the Black Forest set out to bring in more tourists during the holiday season Gengenbach began turning its town hall into a building-sized Advent calendar every night from November 30 to December 23 the windows of Gengenbach’s Baroque city hall light up with artistic creations inspired by a yearly theme the window shade pulls up to reveal the new window the windows are decorated according to a theme like children’s books or the work of famous artists like Marc Chagall all the Advent calendar windows are filled with illustrations by Andy Warhol According to Guinness World Records it’s not the absolute biggest Advent calendar in the world That record belongs to a roughly 233-foot-high 75-foot-wide calendar built in London’s St Pancras railway station in 2007 Gengenbach’s may be the biggest Advent calendar that comes back year after year it has become a huge success in the last 20 years The town currently gets upwards of 100,000 visitors every year during the holiday season © 2025 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved Her work has previously appeared in Fast Company She lives in Brooklyn and spends most of her free time taking photos of her cat Mental Floss may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.",{"type":"6l","value":"gf"},"AR_1",{"type":"6l","value":"gh"},"This article contains affiliate links to products selected by our editors as well as products provided to Mental Floss for review purposes d) {\n h = h[d] = h[d] || {\n q: [],\n onReady: function(c){ h.q.push(c) },\n };\n d = o.createElement(u);\n d.async = 1;\n d.src = n;\n n = o.getElementsByTagName(u)[0];\n n.parentNode.insertBefore(d \"https://www.datadoghq-browser-agent.com/us1/v5/datadog-rum.js\" Initialize Datadog RUM and then measure TTFB/FCP\n window.DD_RUM.onReady(function() {\n // 3a Initialize RUM\n window.DD_RUM.init({\n applicationId: 'f3f16add-4ebf-4aad-9bb4-adb13da4d17e',\n clientToken: 'pub53fad8ec1eea29e2f92980d95072da2f',\n site: \"datadoghq.com\",\n service: \"voltax-sites-www.mentalfloss.com\",\n env: \"prod\",\n sessionSampleRate: 100,\n sessionReplaySampleRate: 0,\n trackUserInteractions: true,\n trackResources: true,\n trackLongTasks: true,\n defaultPrivacyLevel: \"mask-user-input\",\n });\n\n // 3b Measure TTFB & FCP once the page fully loads\n window.addEventListener('load' {\n ttfb: ttfb,\n fcp: fcp,\n });\n\n // Optional: log them to console for debugging\n console.log('[Datadog RUM] TTFB:' Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall. Smithfield man returned to farm after earning Ph.D.by NTV News in reproductive physiology to life back on the farm He says he's been able to have the best of both of these worlds "My idea was to come back and help dad and then go and do something else," Gengenbach said Dennis Gengenbach spent his childhood growing up on his family farm But after high school decided to spread his wings in pursue of life on the other side "I had an opportunity to go to Cornell University and to work with them on a product called prostaglandin," he said But as they say then life happened soon after receiving his Ph.D The economy turned and Genengach's father back on the farm turned ill So he along with his wife and two kids headed back where farming and livestock became his new normal once again "You know when I first came back I felt guilty because I was able to get that education," Gengenbach said Gengenbach was able to make both farming and education priorities in his life "I've been able to work with the university of Nebraska and do a lot of experiments and things that needed to be done And so I think there's a place for on the farm research." Outside of his own farming operation and UNL research Dennis has been extremely active in other areas in the agricultural community as well as president of the Nebraska Corn Growers Association for two years and member of the American Soybean Association Nebraska Cattleman and Farm Bureau just to name a few all while being a dotting grandfather as well "The grandkids come out and they help cut musk thistle they need money and all of that and it’s good for them to see what's going on." the key for his happiness on the farm instead of the city is balance "I found out that I could work with the university as well and have the best of both worlds It's been challenging but if it were easy then everyone would have done it." Critical digital culture and media arts · Since 1993 The Neural Archive is a repository of publications collected by us during the years. Browse our collection here. Sometimes the online world reveals unsuspected parallel dimensions. This is an unknown restyle of Neural independently (and secretly as we never knew about it) made by NY-based Motion and Graphic Designer perhaps only a bit glossier for the magazine’s line it testifies once more how even your most familiar outcomes can have another life somewhere else Isn’t ASCII Art a perfect form of “graffiti” in 2010s? The 8-bit aesthetics is among the strongest visual references connecting the analogue recent past with the omni-digital present, so why not adopt it to finally have some public art embedded in the present? In Varberg, Sweden, 2016, the GOTO80 crew (feat: Karin Andersson) did it choosing (not by accident) the Mo Soul Amiga-font YesNo by Timo Kahlen feels like “traditional” net art a well crafted stuck webpage for the user’s aural and clickable enjoyment The relationship between Andy Warhol and personal computers (becoming quite popular during his last years) has been only partially investigated beyond his Amiga works. In November 2015, Sotheby’s sold his “Apple (from Ads)” (acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas) for 910.000 USD and in catalogue’s notes Warhol tells about his meeting with Steve Jobs insisting to give him one and showing him how to draw (even if still in black and white): “we went into Sean [John Lennon’s son]’s bedroom–and there was a kid there setting up the Apple computer that Sean had gotten as a present I said that once some man had been calling me a lot wanting to give me one but that I’d never called him back or something I’m Steve Jobs.’ And he looked so young And he told me that he would still send me one now And then he gave me a lesson on drawing with it but they’ll make it soon in color…I felt so old and out of it with this young whiz guy right there who helped invent it.” Harsh Noise Wally is a sophisticated mashup mixing strips of Wally the lazy and cynic colleague of Dilbert with some epic noise music extreme attitudes Minority Report comes closer… Three huge screens at Birmingham New Street railway station are scanning passers-by and play advertisements accordingly http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/new-street-station-advertising-screens-9920400 GoPro ancestors in the 1960s and 1970s mainly sport and movie persons like F1 driver Jackie Stewart “un|sounding the self — a portrait” is a film portraying two composers The first person tale of their personal experiences is mixed here with extracts from live performances and natural/urban footage illustrating their approaches Both composers have adopted long silent walks as a strategy to contemplate and listen This practice leads to a series of outcomes in their respective compositions as it involves elements conditioning the classic triad of composing performing and listening: Performing long walks in selected parts of the city or in nature while remaining silent; letting one’s ears focus on their surroundings reaching a quite different awareness and mindset; and starting to consider also one’s own sounds and differences from the other people involved All of these combined outline a total aural system refer to John Cage’s theories and practices for dealing with the presence and absence of sounds the film is accompanied by a small book edited by Bernd Herzogenrath Here we can find texts and notes by all contributors providing further details and methodological reflections Among its best quotes we find: “no time with silence is a wasted time” This weblog is licensed under a Creative Commons License Manufactura Independente Grant 1 Girls T-ball includes members (front Grant 2 Girls T-ball members include (front Members of the Grant Junior Girls Team are (front Grant 3 Girls T-ball members include (front Not pictured: Porter Jo Goff and Kayleen Jurado Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Eric Gengenbach of Grant was named Young Optometrist of the Year by the Nebraska Optometric Association (NOA) on Sept The award recognizes a member who’s been a licensed optometrist for 10 years or less The recipient must contribute their time and talent to the optometric profession and show remarkable leadership skills while serving their profession The NOA also recognizes their Optometrist of the Year Distinguished Service Award and Para of the Year Winners are selected by a nominating committee and I’m very grateful to the association,” Gengenbach said of the award He currently serves as vice-president of the NOA Next year he will be president-elect and will serve as president the following year are both optometrists at First Insight Eyecare The couple had their fourth daughter on Aug Tori insisted he go to the convention without her To finish this story, click here to purchase this week's e-edition for just 99 cents.  Michaela Sasse chatted with community members who stopped in the office Friday to meet Dr First Insight Eyecare has welcomed a new doctor to their practice with a meet and greet event at the Grant office Friday Sasse grew up on a farm in north central Kansas She complete her undergraduate studies at Fort Hayes State University and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology She obtained her doctorate from the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis Tennessee where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2020 and was named to the Beta Sigma Kappa Optometric honor society She was also selected as a member of the Gold Key International Honor Society a membership designation based upon leadership “I just really love the idea of practicing and becoming involved in a small community,” she said and I love optometry and the idea of growing here and being a member of the community.” Sasse added that she enjoys interacting with patients and getting to know them on a more personal level which is part of the reason she was drawn to a smaller town factors which contribute to her being an active member of the Nebraska Optometric Association the American Optometric Association and the College of Optometrists in Vision Development doctors must be advocates for their patients be service oriented and must seek out solutions for their patients but also the greater community as a whole,” Sasse said reflecting the core values of the Nebraska Optometric Association One of the things she values about her job is people knowing they are being heard and she strives to be the person who will take care of them To read the full story, subscribe by calling the Tribune at 308-352-4311 or sign up for an e-edition by clicking here – On the door frame of Petra Gengenbach’s 1960s-era supermarket Right Choice “Irma 2017” is scrawled next to a black line she pointed to the latest waterline left days earlier spent Friday clearing mud and ruined food from her store after Hurricane Ian's storm surge swept through the hardscrabble crab fishing community the last town before Florida’s southwest coast dissolves into the Everglades and mangrove islands Though Ian didn’t cause the catastrophic damage seen farther north the surge of seawater tore through the first floors of homes sparked a fire at a two-generation airboat business and sent neighbors scrambling to rescue one another in johnboats that sped atop a city turned into a lake THERE ARE 'NO EASY FIXES' IN FLORIDA: But could Hurricane Ian's havoc bring a call for better planning? Gengenbach and others said Everglades City hasn’t gotten a lot of attention – but that didn’t surprise many in this small but resilient community that has weathered everything from a decades-old reputation for smuggling to a history of devastating strikes by hurricanes “They never talk about Everglades,” Gengenbach said comparing the public and media focus after weather events with the attention given to the town's larger On Friday, after the water had receded from roads but with the power still out it was mostly friends and family helping one another clean mud and haul belongings to the curb in the stifling heat Many neighbors and families have known one another for generations who grew up in Everglades City and whose family runs a fishing boat people could boat down most every street in town “It was solid water,” she said Most of Everglades City’s crab boats survived secured by those who depend on them for their livelihoods We’re fishermen," said Yaneris Collins who cleaned the mud from her yard and lamented that she was still fighting for an insurance claim from Hurricane Irma in 2017 said the storm ultimately could be good for crabbing by stirring up the sea floor But it was a storm he didn’t expect to see so soon I told him that when Hurricane Donna came through so maybe it would be 70 more years before we had another one,” he said Donna hit Everglades City in 1960 with 150 mph winds causing devastation that helped move the Collier County seat from Everglades City to East Naples But that was just one of the challenges the city would face over the decades 'THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS WE'RE SAFE': Floridians escape Ian at casino on edge of Everglades. They found refuge – and slot machines. In the early 1980s, a series of drug raids dubbed Operation Everglades sent dozens of residents to prison and resulted in the seizure of half the town’s fishing fleet, according to the Naples Daily News a ban on catching mullet in large nets stymied the commercial fishing economy in the town Everglades City draws tourists for its proximity to the 10,000 Islands and waterside restaurants that serve local stone crab and grouper. Despite the appearance of more upscale homes in recent years Residents said Ian’s surge came higher and faster than expected Collins and his dog had to escape through the window his daughter-in-law, who lives upstairs It also surprised staff at a waterside restaurant where manager Donna Vanleeuwen and others were cleaning and throwing out food and equipment on Friday 'THIS IS OUR LIFE. THIS IS US.': How our Florida journalists are covering Ian while living it it took a week before they got people down here helping us,” Vanleeuwen said stood near the charred remains of a building He said the rising water and electricity somehow sparked a fire at the airboat company started by his father after he quit fishing. It also burned down a house he grew up in He said insurance claims and rebuilding probably would be a struggle “We know the routine,” he said Chris Kenning is a national news writer. Reach him at ckenning@usatoday.com and on Twitter @chris_kenning Thanks for visiting Carelton Place EMC / The market square in historic Gengenbach a town of 11,000 in the famous Black Forest Region of southwest Germany The Town Hall (circa 1784) is on the right while in the foreground (left) is the market fountain dating from the 17th Century Note the half-timbered buildings and the cobblestone streets and sidewalks In the distance is the Tower of the Upper Gate one of two watchtowers in the walled Old Town of Gengenbach The tower still sports a gate weighing two tons Carelton Place EMC / The Old Town section of Gengenbach Germany photographed from the top of the Niggel Tower one of the community’s many landmark structures Prominent in this photo are the Town Hall at the end of the street with the steeple of the Town Church of St In the far background is ‘Die Bergle’ (The Little Mountain) which sweeps up from Gengenbach and is covered with grape vines The wine industry is the most important business in the Black Forest Region of southwest Germany Carelton Place EMC / Picturesque ‘Die Engelgasse’ (Angel Alley) in Gengenbach Germany with its impressive half-timbered houses and beautiful floral display The Black Forest community is famous for its residential alley ways which are only wide enough for pedestrians and cyclists half-timbered façade of the houses is characterized by the overhang that allowed for a larger living space on the upper floor In 1955 the entire inner part of the town of 11,000 was placed under an historical preservation order and the information within may be out of date one of the community's many landmark structures In the far background is 'Die Bergle' (The Little Mountain) which sweeps up from Gengenbach and is covered with grape vines Carelton Place EMC / Picturesque 'Die Engelgasse' (Angel Alley) in Gengenbach EDITOR’S NOTE - This is the latest in an ongoing series of travel articles by EMC feature writer Jeff Maguire have traveled extensively in the United Kingdom Ireland and Continental Europe for 16 years including Ottawa Valley and Eastern Ontario day trips The Golden Retriever eagerly dove into the river and happily fetched a stick thrown by its owner Time and again the dog repeated the process as we stood and enjoyed the spectacle from a nearby bridge It was 7 o’clock on a hot and sultry late spring evening The river was the Kinzig and hours earlier Kathleen and I accompanied by Carleton Place friends Wendy and Frank LeBlanc an historic and picturesque town in the Black Forest Region of southwest Germany After flying overnight to Frankfurt from Ottawa we journeyed by train to Offenburg where we picked up our rental car But a couple of hours in bed at our hotel followed by a shower and change of clothes and we were ready to begin what I call “the second day.” It’s a process we have repeated many times on our travels to Europe But never have we embarked on an overseas visit in a community as strikingly beautiful as Gengenbach I will use the word “magical” to describe the experience “You’re going to love the place,” Frank said confidently I have to tell you he wasn’t being over confident “Love” is definitely the right word We very quickly embraced the place and we’d return in a heartbeat Gengenbach was our headquarters for an 11-day visit to the Black Forest and the nearby Alsace Region of France The historic town of 11,000 has become a second home for the LeBlancs They lived in nearby Offenburg during Frank’s career in the Canadian Army Gengenbach is just 12 kilometres away and they were captivated by the charming community during their first visit They make frequent trips to Germany and Gengenbach remains the focal point of their excursions This year Frank and Wendy were anxious to show us an area of Europe they have enjoyed exploring many times We saw so many wonderful places during our numerous day trips we agreed Gengenbach is in a class of its own The “Old Town” is especially interesting Our hotel was located a stone’s throw from the historic centre which comes complete with watch towers Like countless European communities Gengenbach was originally constructed to protect its inhabitants We saw a very good scale model of the town in a local museum which is contained in one of two carefully preserved watch towers The remaining sections of the protective wall have largely been incorporated into the current town centre The “modern” town of Gengenbach is anything but new in appearance Of course that’s a huge factor in its appeal half-timbered houses (many buildings feature structural timbers which are exposed) appear to be “original equipment” On inspection you quickly realize that time including fires and wear and tear have resulted in the structures being rebuilt But in line with rules and regulations first established in 1905 the historic character of the homes and the townscape remains The entire inner part of the town was placed under a historical preservation order in 1955 A closer look reveals many of the homes have been subdivided Electronic entry (buzzers) has been discreetly added The old town is a wonderful place with cobblestone streets and sidewalks among many impressive features There is a main street lined with interesting shops and complete with such modern touches as electronic banking idyllic streets in the historic centre mean vehicles travel slowly The warren of alleyways which run through the residential part of the town centre are too narrow for anything other than bicycles and are meant for walkers The unique character of the community is perhaps best displayed in ‘Die Engelgasse’ (Angel Alley) with its wonderful half-timbered houses and beautiful floral displays Germans are very proud of their properties and that’s especially evident in historic Gengenbach The town is relatively compact meaning you don’t have to walk long distances to view the highlights We were in Gengenbach in late May and early June But at Christmas the municipal headquarters is the main focal point Its uniform windows are turned into an Advent Calendar which is brightly lit at night The historic marketplace is right in front of the Town Hall Every Wednesday and Saturday morning a farmers’ market is the main destination for residents and visitors alike The European growing season is well ahead of ours and when we were there the market abounded with fresh fruit and vegetables including “ground berries” (strawberries) newly ripened cherries and most prominent of all at the time “Spargel” (asparagus) fruit flavored liquor produced by local farmers Flowers feature on public and private land in the community and the main park is also a delight featuring a “mini-zoo” complete with ostrich and a labyrinth cut into the grass The Gengenbach of today has been shaped by history The region was settled by the Celts in pre-Christian times The name of the river ‘Kinzig’ (it’s a tributary of the Rhine by the way) is a reminder of Celtic times Germanic tribes followed the Celts and they in turn were pushed out by the Romans It was the Romans who constructed the first settlement (73 AD to 260 AD) Visitors to Gengenbach will find many remnants of the Roman times including a brick oven which was opened to public viewing as recently as 1974 France (which we also visited) to Rottweil (home of the Rottweiler breed of dog) The town’s history is long and complex The Thirty Years War (1618-1648) left its mark A major chapter of note occurred in 1689 when the troops of French King Louis XIV (the Sun King) burned Gengenbach to the ground Despite that setback the town soon blossomed however spurred by the oldest market rights granted to any community in central Baden Craftsmen’s guilds helped the community grow and prosper On our return my father asked me what the main industries in the area are Certainly the fact Gengenbach is in the Black Forest points to one major employer the lumber industry which remains very much in vogue The entire region and the nearby Alsace in northeast France are filled with vineyards The local wine is wonderful too as we discovered There’s much more than Black Tower (a white wine familiar here) although it too is excellent I enjoyed the Rotwein (red wine) with the locally produced Gengenbacher ‘Spätburgunder’ (Pinot noir) my personal favourite Among the town’s highlights are its museums including the one I mentioned that’s located in the Kinzig Gate Tower There is also the so-called ‘Fools Museum’ in the Niggelturm (Niggel Tower) The multi-storey facility in the old town relates to the fall Carnival season in southern Germany Pagan customs blend with Christian festivities Parades are held with participants wearing elaborate masks and colourful costumes many of which are displayed in this very interesting museum The “Fool” is a mischievous figure you will see carved in stone that is the symbol of Gengenbach’s carnival The views from the top of the Niggel Tower are wonderful for photographers like me An absolute must stop is the Town Church of St Its baroque tower is visible from all directions The church was destroyed in the pillaging and burning by the French in 1689 It was rebuilt by well-known baroque master builder Franz Beer but has undergone several renovations since The incredible works of art painted inside this spectacular parish church are awe inspiring Early on a sun splashed Sunday morning we made the long walk to the top of ‘Die Bergle’ (The Little Mountain) which overlooks Gengenbach Covered with grape vines the slopes are a sight to behold It is topped by the other major religious site in the area the ‘Jakobskapelle’ (Chapel of St It is being renovated and was covered in plastic so the photos I took outside are diminished It stands on the site of a Roman place of worship and the interior is beautiful Seven donated paintings ‘The Blessing from the Sermon on the Mount’ are a must-see feature totally clear morning Frank pointed out the steeple of world famous Strasbourg Cathedral nearly 30 kilometres away across the Rhine in France Below us the vineyards stretched to the horizon and the River Kinzig snaked through the impressive valley We could see all of Gengenbach with its many impressive highlights stretched out below The buildings looked as if you could reach down and pick them up The tranquil place with no traffic sounds and such impressive historic structures bore mute testimony to Frank and Wendy’s well stated feeling that “this too is home.” HOW TO GET THERE - Air Canada has a daily direct flight from Ottawa to Frankfurt There are good rail connections with Deutsche Bahn as well as regional services all of which converge on two separate stations at Frankfurt airport You can travel anywhere in Europe by train Talk to your travel agent about transportation options WHERE TO STAY - The area is well serviced by hotels and Gasthauses (German inns including a restaurant and with rooms for rent) We stayed at the Pfeffermühle Stadt Hotel in Gengenbach operated by the Armbruster family and were well satisfied It is definitely a cut above chain establishments The family also operates two excellent restaurants including one by the same name in the old town WHERE TO EAT - Food options are plentiful and quite reasonable by the standards of the day A Gasthaus is always a good bet and there are also numerous Brauhauses (brew pubs) which feature good menus Our favourite in Gengenbach was the Mercyscher Hof which featured a very impressive outdoor beer garden (yes excellent food and serving staff who were friendly and did their best in English Fortunately for us we were with two people (the LeBlanc’s) who speak excellent German Knowing a little of the language is a huge plus by the way There’s not much English spoken in the Black Forest Don’t expect a lot of “hamburger joints” here either Gengenbach was pleasantly devoid of fast food establishments the schnitzel (pork or veal) and the fish (especially trout) If you have any comments or questions for Jeff Maguire he can be reached by e-mail at: jeffrey.maguire@rogers.com Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account