The origins of the pretzel are as twisted as its signature knot. Sonja Hart, director of the Pretzel Museum in Erdmannhausen, Germany, described the conflicting creation stories that ignite debate over swaths of Europe during a recent tour. The more widely accepted explanation credits Italian monks during the Middle Ages for inventing the pretzel. That’s in line with its roots in the Latin word “brachium,” or arm, before its evolution into the German “brezel” and its English equivalent. The Alsace region of France also lays claim. And don’t forget the Bavarians as they, too, have their own origin story and would feel outraged to be overlooked, Hart warned. The Swabian legend involves the baker Frieder from the town of Bad Urach, which isn’t far from this museum northeast of Stuttgart. All I sought when I arrived was an ode to one of my favorite snacks. I ended up biting off more than I could chew, in a good way. My love of the pretzel began at a young age, and thankfully, Germany is pretzel paradise. At bakeries I find myself buying regular pretzels, rolls or rods more often than the many, many other bread options available. The Pretzel Museum is therefore a pilgrimage of sorts for me. It was difficult to see from the road, but a playground piece shaped like the pastry let me know I was in the right spot. The museum is housed inside Emil Huober’s original pretzel factory, which opened in 1950 as the first in the Wuerttemberg region and lasted four years before the company needed a larger space. The building was converted into a museum more than 60 years later during the village’s 1,200th anniversary in 2016. The exhibits explain how the pretzel became not just a pastry, but also a symbol of the baking profession. A picture of a pretzel on a sign is all that’s needed to indicate a bakery. Meanwhile, the debate on its form is equally as knotty as the claim on its creation. Explanations point to it resembling either the shape of monks praying or the pose Frieder’s wife made watching him trying to save his life by creating a new pastry for a duke. But even the shape commonly thought of as a pretzel varies greatly in Germany. The Baden and Swabian versions are cut on the belly to expose the inner layer, while the Bavarian crust is supposed to break in the oven. The Bavarians, meanwhile, make the dough evenly thick throughout so the arms are larger than their Baden and Swabian counterparts. Along with such discourse and history, the museum has rooms full of pretzel-themed artwork. On the second floor is a special exhibition by local ceramic artist Birgit Stengel, nicknamed the “Pretzel Queen.” The one thing I missed during my visit was a chance to bake pretzels. That isn’t an option during regular museum operating hours, which are on weekends, but for an additional fee weekday visitors can have that opportunity by making an appointment. Or people can show up every year on Jan. 6 and during the museum’s anniversary events in early July. Almost right after I left the museum, I was driving through the village of Steinheim an der Murr and saw the twisty telltale sign of a bakery. I stopped and went inside, yielding to my desire for a pretzel — or two. Address: Badstrasse 8, Erdmannhausen, Germany Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; tours, pretzel baking and children’s birthday parties are available during the week by appointment only. Prices: 5 euros for adults, 3 euros for reduced categories and 12 euros for a family ticket. Baking opportunities cost 50 euros per group; tours cost 30 euros plus the price admission. 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, a SQL command or malformed data. 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. 2024Chancellor Scholz urges fight against climate changeVisiting the flooded regions in southern Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned that "we can't neglect the task of stopping man-made climate change." Amid Germany floods, chancellor urges climate change actionTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 06/03/2024June 3, 2024Emergency evacuation ordered in Hamlar amid dam warningDue to the threat of another dam breaking in southern Germany, local officials in Asbach-Bäumenheim ordered the residents of Hamlar on the Donau River to leave their homes as quickly as possible. "As a result of continuing volumes of water and the softening of the dam, it is necessary to conduct an evacuation of the entire area of Hamlar," the municipality said in a press release. "The population is requested to leave the Hamlar area immediately, as there's reason to fear it will be surrounded by water." The statement called on residents to remain calm, pack essential items and paperwork into bags and to follow the advice of emergency services.  A reception point was being set up at an event venue in the larger nearby settlement of Asbach-Bäumenheim for "anyone who cannot organize private accommodation," the local authorities said. The area is roughly an hour's drive north of Munich. 2024Two bodies discovered in Baden-WürttembergRescue workers found two bodies in the basement of a building in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg The flooded basement was in the town of Schorndorf in the Rems-Murr district northeast of the state capital This raises the number of confirmed deaths from the latest flooding emergency in southern Germany to four the body of a 43-year-old woman was found in a cellar of a building in the town of Schrobenhausen in the southeastern state of Bavaria Over the weekend,a 42-year-old firefighter died after his rubber dinghy capsized in Bavaria's Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm. 06/03/2024June 3, 2024Germans need to adapt to flooding — Baden-Württemberg premierPeople in Germany need to adapt to increasingly frequent floods, the premier of the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, said. "We have to expect that we'll get something like this more often," he said, referring to a recent bout of flooding affecting southern Germany. He made the statement during a visit to the heavily flood-affected municipality of Meckenbeuren in the south of the state. Kretschmann said that the increased frequency of flooding seemed to be a consequence of climate change. He said that — in this instance — Baden-Württemberg had gotten off lightly compared to the neighboring state of Bavaria. At the same time, Baden-Württemberg's premier stressed that the situation in the north of the state was still "extremely precarious." 06/03/2024June 3, 2024Danube ship with 140 people on board evacuated A passenger ship on the Danube has been evacuated due to flooding, authorities in Germany's southeastern state of Bavaria said. A spokesperson for the council of the Deggendorf district said that 140 people were evacuated. The vessel could not travel any further due to the high water level, she said. None of the passengers were harmed in the incident. Also on Monday, district council head Bernd Sibler declared Deggendorf was facing a major emergency due to the flooding. 2024Scholz pledges 'solidarity' with flooded areasGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz has pledged federal support for those affected by flooding in southern Germany During a visit to the town of Reichertshofen in the southeastern state of Bavaria Scholz said solidarity is "what we as people most need." He was accompanied by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and Bavarian Premier Markus Söder to ensure that help can be provided more quickly," he said adding that the federal government will mobilize resources to that effect Scholz said that people in Germany must increasingly adapt to natural disasters He warned against neglecting the "task of stopping man-made climate change." "This is also a warning that must be taken away from this event and this disaster," he said. 06/03/2024June 3, 2024Shipping suspended in Upper RhineParts of Germany's Rhine River have been closed to ships due to heavy rainfall, authorities said. "Shipping is suspended along the Upper Rhine," a spokesperson of the German waterway authority told the Reuters news agency. "Critical water levels were exceeded here." The Middle Rhine, which runs between the western German cities of Bonn and Mainz, could also be closed on Wednesday. "However, according to the current prognosis this [closure] will not last very long," the spokesperson said. Murr rivers continue to see rising waterWater levels of the Rems and Murr rivers in southern Germany continue to rise despite subsiding rain "Even though it is currently not heavily raining, we are still expecting an increase in the waterline of the Rems and Murr," Dietmar Allgaier, who is the head of the Ludwigsburg district council in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, said. The Rems is yet to reach its highest point in the town of Remseck, he said. Meanwhile, residents of a nursing home in the town of Steinheim an der Murr, also in the district of Ludwigsburg, were evacuated from the premises on Monday due to flooding. 06/03/2024June 3, 2024Woman's body found in Bavarian cellarGerman emergency services have found the body of a 43-year-old woman who went missing on Sunday in the cellar of a flooded building in the town of Schrobenhausen in the southeastern state of Bavaria. This is the second reported death from the latest bout of flooding in Germany. On Sunday, a firefighter was found dead in the Bavarian town of Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm after his rubber dinghy capsized during rescue operations. 06/03/2024June 3, 2024Paar dam suffers three breachesA dam on the Paar River in the Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm district of Bavaria has suffered three breaches, local officials said. The district council told residents in the municipalities of Baar-Ebenhausen and Manching to leave the ground floor of their homes and to seek refuge in higher levels. Some 800 people were taken to safety in Baar-Ebenhausen and 250 people were sheltering at a school in the city of Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm. The council said that around 4,000 emergency workers and Bundeswehr soldiers were active in the district. 2024Rescue workers still searching for missing firefighter in BavariaRescue workers are still looking for a firefighter who went missing during an operation in flood-stricken southern Germany The firefighter had been on a rubber dinghy that capsized near the municipality of Offingen in the southeastern state of Bavaria. It lies around 100 kilometers (62 miles) northwest of the state capital, Munich. Four emergency workers managed to reach land unharmed after the dinghy was hit by a strong current and capsized. Police said authorities were using two helicopters in the search, which could not be deployed overnight due to extreme weather conditions. A woman in the town of Schrobenhausen north of Munich was also still missing on Monday. On Sunday, a firefighter was killed after his rubber dinghy capsized in the Bavarian town of Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm. 06/03/2024June 3, 2024Severe weather warning issued for TübingenThe German Weather Service (DWD) has issued a severe weather warning for the southwestern town of Tübingen, in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg.  The DWD said people could be affected by heavy rain, flooded roads and possible landslides, advising residents to avoid hard-hit areas and take preventative measures. Although the DWD had canceled all severe weather warnings, it said the situation worsened in some areas in Baden-Württemberg.  2024German Red Cross: 'Epochal shift' needed in civil protectionGerda Hasselfeldt the president of the German Red Cross (DRK) said Germany "has a lot of catching up to do" when it comes to civil protection.  "The recent floods underline the importance of strong civil protection in Germany," Hasselfeldt told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper. "We, therefore, need an epochal shift especially when it comes to the sustainable and future-oriented financing of civil protection." Hasselfeldt's remarks echoed the demands of several local authorities, with the Bavarian Association of Municipalities calling for "a new strategy" in light of the challenges posed by extreme weather events Germany floods: Amid disaster, cleanup efforts beginTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 06/03/2024June 3, 2024Bavaria state premier: Floods expected to last daysDays of rainfall have caused the levels of several rivers to rise sharplyImage: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa/picture allianceMarkus Söder said he expects flooding to continue until Wednesday or Thursday "It is is receding somewhat," Söder told Deutschlandfunk radio the water levels of the larger rivers would remain a threat.  Söder called on residents to follow evacuation instructions very quickly and [it] is simply dangerous," he warned in remarks to public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk "The most important thing is to protect life," he said adding that the situation was "serious and critical" in many places.  With "enormous financial damage" expected the Bavarian leader called for help from the federal government.  but the damage is long-lasting and enormous," he said Söder also said insurance for property owners against natural disasters should be compulsory adding that he would bring up the topic at the next state premiers' meeting.   "Because we can't always simply cover these damages by the state," he said.  very united on this," but the federal government "is stalling." More rain expected in southern GermanyTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 2024Regensburg declares emergency as Danube risesThe Bavarian city of Regensburg has declared a state of emergency after the water level in the Danube River reached 5.8 meters (19 feet) According to the Bavarian Flood Information Service, the river was continuing to rise reaching 5.9 meters at Regensburg by 7 a.m the average level there was around 2.7 meters.  is the latest of several cities in Bavaria to declare a state of emergency following days of unrelenting rain Authorities said water levels in many of the Danube's tributaries had already peaked and were starting to drop but that has led to more flooding in the Danube itself The German Weather Service has forecast more showers south of the Danube with thunderstorms expected later on Monday.  Lucas Schnaidt 1890 pay tribute to great designers’ and architects’ work from the past (Above) Attention to detail: each copy of the Haldenstein Chair by Peter Zumthor is numbered with embossing and certified by Lucas Schnaidt 1890 The following applies to all creative disciplines: truly unique high-quality works of design are almost always the result of certain favorable constellations This is just as true for directors and musicians as it is for architects and designers Because great creative ideas can often only be realized in a team violinist and composer Chiara Dubey released an album entitled ‘Constellations’ A starry sky adorns the cover – so here it’s about a special interaction that is under a good star do we get from album covers to a company that makes furniture The Haldenstein Chair by the Swiss Pritzker Prize winner has a very distinctive form – and was originally designed by Zumthor to furnish his own eat-in kitchen The company has made the year of its founding On the simply designed homepage of its website presenting calm visuals and close-ups of a carefully curated selection of furniture from the manufactory The dark one shown here is called “Haldenstein Ebony” The close-ups in particular make the precision craftsmanship of seams The careful recordings are accompanied by Chiara Dubey’s musical composition ‘Age’ which can be found on the aforementioned album ‘Constellations’ connections and references – in the concrete as well as the figurative sense simple typography on the homepage: Peter Zumthor Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Simon Husslein Among the four named are two Pritzker Prize winners An impressive quartet that can also be interpreted in other ways – for here an arc is drawn from the 19th century (Schinkel) to the present (Husslein) The institutions and buildings in which objects from the furniture manufacturer can be found are also renowned Bellevue Palace as the seat of the Federal President Villa Hammerschmidt and the Chancellor’s Bungalow in Bonn as well as the Kunsthaus Bregenz in Austria and the Bundeshaus Bern in Switzerland The “ONN” table by designer Simon Husslein has a solid table top and turned leg ends made of light natural solid oak The German company’s good relations with Switzerland are no coincidence and can be traced back to the managing director and owner, Markus Landolt. The Swiss worked for many years in the same position for the oldest Swiss furniture manufacturer Horgenglarus, successfully restructured the company and sold it in 2012. Four years later, he acquired Lucas Schnaidt 1890 Landolt’s good contacts with Peter Zumthor also stem from his time at Horgenglarus The architect certainly needs no further introduction here the design for the Kolumba Museum in Cologne and his extension for the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen near Basel are all masterful examples of well-thought-out characterful architecture which point to a keen feeling for space The story of Zumthor’s ‘Haldenstein Chair’ is interesting in many ways – and at the same time a typical one for the furniture manufacturer. The design, in fact, was not intended to go into series production. Zumthor designed it for his own home in Haldenstein – hence the name of the chair – and more precisely The “Table Chair” from the Lucas Schnaidt range: the famous architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel designed it in 1823 Landolt continues with the story: ‘I practically begged Peter Zumthor to let me produce this chair What perhaps convinced him was our approach to really rethinking this seating sculpture in terms of the workmanship and the materials chosen – to raise its production quality to a level that really does it justice.’ a light one and a dark variation called ‘Haldenstein Ebony’ Both are distinctive in that they are upholstered in hand-sewn vegetable-tanned young bull leather from southern Germany and the upholstery is made of natural rubber and natural coconut Further comfort is provided by a Nosag under-springing on the seat and back The turned chair legs are made of solid German pear wood that has been vegetable waxed Each piece is numbered and certified with embossing its seat height is 45.5 cm and it weighs 9 kg the chair’s true quality is felt in the sitting – or even better Guest feature by Gerrit Terstiege / Architonic AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style × Schließen