Send help right to the people and causes you care about Your donation is protected by the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee 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 Fred Young standing in front of the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope The newly assembled Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope (FYST) was unveiled April 4 at an event in Xanten attended by numerous German municipal officials – as well as Fred Young “It is especially pleasing to participate in what is a celebration of the result of 20-some years of involvement in the creation of this significant astronomical instrument,” said Young ’64 who has been a major champion and benefactor of FYST since the project began.  “CCAT (Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope) was a vision conjured early in this century by several persons including the late Cornell professor Riccardo Giovanelli who recruited me to financially support the project during our several trips to Chile together,” Young said now called the ‘Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope,’ will stand as testimony to the quality of that vision.” vice president and director of engineering at CPI-Vertex explains the mechanical design of the mirror backup structure to Fred Young The FYST is a state-of-the-art telescope whose mirror diameter alone measures 6 meters Designed for operation in the submillimeter to millimeter wavelength range it will provide insights into the birth of the first stars after the Big Bang as well as the formation of newer stars and galaxies.  The telescope’s nearly completed look is only temporary as attendees at the event were told: The FYST will soon be disassembled into 12 large pieces and transported over land and sea to the Atacama Astronomical Park in the desert climate of the high Andes mountains of Chile.   There it will be trucked up to an elevation of 18,400 feet near the summit of Cerro Chajnantor where it will be the second-highest telescope in the world The highest telescope in the world is just 50 meters beyond it at the summit of the mountain.  Partners in the project are: Cornell; a German consortium consisting of the University of Cologne, the University of Bonn and the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching; and a Canadian consortium of several universities. The telescope was designed by CPI Vertex Antennentechnik in Duisburg and assembled in Xanten on the Wessel GmbH premises.  The transport will be orchestrated by Vertex and is expected to take four months or longer. “The logistics of moving such big parts are not at all simple; it’s a major, major movement,” said Jim Blair, FYST project manager (A&S).  In addition to previewing the massive undertaking of disassembly and transport, attendees at the April 4 unveiling heard lectures on the scientific and technical background of the telescope and its innovative design, as well as a movement demonstration and guided tours.  “The novel optical design will provide high-throughput imaging with a wide field of view, enabling rapid and efficient mapping of the entire Southern Hemisphere sky,” said Dominik Riechers from the Institute for Astrophysics at the University of Cologne, who hosted the event. “We are trying to do nothing less than better understand the creation and development of our universe since the Big Bang.”  Linda B. Glaser is news and media relations manager for the College of Arts and Sciences.  Get Cornell news delivered right to your inbox. While this may be Germany's largest open-air archeological museum, the Xanten Archaeological Park may also be the only park of its kind in the world. This fascinating and poignant museum chronicles every imaginable aspect of Spanish colonialism in the Americas. Three floors above a 2,000-year-old royal tomb is a rare collection of ancient porcelain pillows. Amazingly detailed marble cinerary urns that once held the cremains of Roman elite. One man's quest to fix his toilet unearthed over 5,000 artifacts spanning more than 2,000 years of history. Large collection from the 3rd millennium BCE. An expansive collection donated by an heirless nobleman formed this admission-free civic museum. Over 300 historical instruments from around the world can be found in the Royal Northern College of Music's basement. Once believed to be a sacred Roman legionary symbol, this bronze figure inspired the 1954 novel 'The Eagle of the Ninth.' The cathedral community of the German city of Xanten said it will return a seventeenth-century painting of a Dutch square attributed to Jan van den Heyden to the heirs of Gottlieb and Mathilde Kraus who fled Vienna in April 1938 to escape the Nazis prominent Jewish members of Viennese society left behind 160 artworks which were seized and sold to benefit the Nazi regime a tranquil scene showing a twin-towered Gothic church children playing on cobbles and a little dog watching an old woman at the gate of a gable-roofed house was among thousands of artworks recovered by Allied troops after the Second World War An investigation by the London-based Commission for Looted Art in Europe into how the painting entered the possession of the cathedral in Xanten a small town in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia the painting was sold to Heinrich Hoffmann Hoffmann’s collection was confiscated by Allied officers who entrusted the state of Bavaria with about 10,600 works in total on the understanding that looted art would be returned to the heirs of those who were robbed by the Nazis Dutch Square was among the works that entered the Bavarian State Paintings Collections the State Paintings Collections returned it “This led to the discovery that many paintings were secretly returned by Bavaria to families of high-ranking Nazis over a period of some 20 years after the war,” the Commission for Looted Art in Europe said in a press release Among those who benefited from these Bavarian returns were the families of men indicted at the Nuremberg trials—including Reich Youth Leader Baldur von Schirach and Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring Hoffmann von Schirach sold Dutch Square a few months after recovering it It was purchased by the Xanten cathedral community at Lempertz auction house in Cologne in 1963 The painting is only the seventh recovered by the Kraus heirs—the other six were returned by Austria in 2002 and 2004 “My family has been waiting for this moment for eighty years,” said John Graykowski the great-grandson of Gottlieb and Marie Kraus “It is never too late to grant a measure of justice and compassion.” news25 January 2022Germany returns Nazi-looted, Dutch Golden Age painting to Jewish dealer's heir—but more than 800 works are still missingIce Skating by Adam van Breen was acquired by Hermann Göring and bequeathed to the city of Trier’s museum in 1987 the Rhine River was crossed in one of the biggest attacks launched in western-Europe The attack consisted of an Airborne assault (Varsity) and an Amphibious assault (Plunder) two Divisions of airborne soldiers and four infantry divisions were used in the initial assault it involved more than 16,000 paratroopers of the American 17th Airborne and the British 6th Airborne divisions They were flown in by several thousand aircraft it was the largest airborne operation in history that took place on a single day and in one location In Operation Plunder the British 2nd Army (The 51st Highland Division and the 15th Scottish Division) and the US Ninth Army (30th and 79th Division) crossed the River Rhine in an amphibious assault All of the units involved from both operations were part of the 21st Army Group commanded by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery These are some the pictures taken during the two operations Joris Nieuwint is a battlefield guide for the Operation Market Garden area His primary focus is on the Allied operations from September 17th Having lived in the Market Garden area for 25 years he has been studying the events for nearly as long He has a deep understanding of the history and a passion for sharing the stories of the men who are no longer with us @joris1944 facebook.com/joris.nieuwint Staatliche Museen zu Berlin Plundering and looting – archaeologists probably have such activities to thank for the unique finds which will be on display from 20 December on long-term private loan in the Neues Museum It would be hard to imagine a better home for this unique treasure than the Bacchusaal Centrally situated on the main floor of the museum its wall paintings are reminiscent of Roman villas Its sole occupant since 2009 has been the Xanten Boy a Roman bronze statue discovered in 1858 at the bottom of the Rhine near Xanten Now the Boy is to be joined by a wealth of other exhibits: iron tools and waggon parts bronze cauldrons and silverware … all brought to light between 1967 and 1997 during dredging of a branch of the Old Rhine The objects belong to the largest and most diverse hoard of metal objects ever discovered on German soil: over 1000 pieces weighing some 700 kilogrammes in total But why did the objects end up in the river in the first place the provinces of the Roman Empire came under great pressure: Germanic raiders repeatedly penetrated deep into Roman territory attacking undefended settlements and even towns One such raiding party failed in its attempt to struggle back through the river with heavily laden waggons and the rich booty sank beneath the waters of the Rhine The museum evokes the lofty Roman basilica, which served as a lobby for the baths. The 24-meter (79-foot) building was the height of a modern-day, eight-story apartment and had a gabled roof topped off with red Roman tiles. To help visitors understand the massive scale of the buildings, architects built steel-framed buildings the same size as the originals on the site of the old bathhouse and ancillary structures. Its height was calculated from the dimensions of its foundations. The new museum, part of the Archaeological Park at Xanten (APX), aims to offer the modern visitor a fresh perspective on Roman civilization. It's out-of-the-way location means that the museum does not fight for space with a bustling modern city like the many archaeological remains that can be found in German cities such as Trier, Mainz, Cologne and Bonn. Inside, visitors can see all the oddities that have been excavated from the site in the Rhine valley, ranging from the waste heap of a workshop that used to make clay lamps to the gravestones of important citizens and the remains of a Roman river barge hung in mid-air. The 22.5 million euro ($35 million) museum is set to open on Aug. 16, an APX spokesman told DPA news agency. The designers wanted visitors to understand the smells and sights of ancient Rome. There are boxes where visitors can feel the ruins' broken roof tiles or smell typical Roman spices. "Our museum is not there to show which archaeologists dug up the most," Hans-Joachim Schalles, director of the museum, told DPA. "It's there so ordinary people can see what a Roman town was like." Visitors can walk on a glass floor over a lane with the deep wheel-ruts of Roman carts in it and the footprints of children's bare feet and the hob-nailed boots of Roman soldiers, all preserved for nearly 20 centuries in the mud. The museum's 2,500 items show how an earlier Germanic village was converted into a rich city of the Roman Empire, decorated with murals in the style of Pompeii and with expensive glassware on the tables and was then conquered by Frankish tribes. The biggest item in the new museum building is a barge, the smallest the bones of a Roman lapdog. Next door are the remains of the baths, which are protected from rain and snow by sheds which allow the outside air to circulate. Experience has shown this is the best way to stop the remains from either completely drying out or becoming moldy from the dampness. Finds such as a German silver hairpin suggest that the Colonia was an ethnically mixed place, with Celts and Germans living among the Romans and praying to their own gods. The legions of Caesar Augustus brought this region under Roman control and a collection of their rough helmets is also in the museum. Concealed loudspeakers emit chatter in Latin and other ancient tongues, as might have been heard on the town marketplace. Around the year 100 of the Common Era, the Roman emperor Trajan funded its expansion into a city of about 10,000 bearing his name. Thereafter it was a major city of the northern empire. Most of the ruins slumber on undisturbed under the green grass of the APX. Archaeologists are likely to be burrowing and mapping the ancient town for many years to come. Local authorities hope to eventually expand the park to 73 hectares (180 acres) to embrace the entire site. 2019 9:52 AM [ET] | Originally published: March 21 2019 6:00 AM EDT;When an American man is reunited with a Dutch painting in a German town on Thursday the international meeting will come after eight years of work to establish the proper ownership of the painting — and eight decades after it was confiscated by the Gestapo But that’s not the only link between the painting and that brutal chapter of history grew up hearing about his great-grandparents Gottlieb and Mathilde Kraus who were part of Vienna’s Jewish elite Photographs show them traveling in a chauffeured black limo and their daughter Marie “Mitzi” Kraus meeting the current Queen Elizabeth II in the 1950s had also heard his great-grandparents collected art When the family fled Vienna in the run-up to the Holocaust Though his great-aunt told him the family had tried to track down some of the collection in the 1960s they’d given up after not hearing back from the German government But around 2002, “completely out of the blue,” Graykowski and his uncle Alex Heingartner were contacted by an organization helping the Austrian government. Its mission was to implement a 1998 Austrian law that led to the creation of a commission for investigating the provenance of artworks owned the state and acquired during World War II Six paintings that had been owned by Gottlieb and Mathilde Kraus had been recovered paintings that had been part of the ‘mythology’ of the family are alive and there’s hope There’s a chance,” Graykowski recalls feeling back then the family reached out in 2009 to a different organization the London-based Commission for Looted Art in Europe a seventh painting was confirmed: the “View of a Dutch Square.” But the search for that painting would raise even bigger questions that even as Graykowski takes ownership of the work of art one of which was “View of a Dutch Square.” They would ultimately end up in Washington the Gestapo inventoried their apartment in October of 1940 and the art was stored with a shipping company in Vienna before being officially confiscated the following June the Munich Central Collecting Point returned 463,000 paintings to the countries from which they had been taken,” according to the Commission for Looted Art in Europe military transferred custodianship of more than 2,500 works of art from the collections of various Nazi leaders and organizations to Bavaria by the early 1950s for the purpose of restitution and about 800 works were transferred to the Bavarian State Paintings Collection between 1953 and 1977 were among those transferred to the Bavarian State when the Commission for Looted Art in Europe identified “View of a Dutch Square” as a work that had belonged to Gottlieb and Mathilde Kraus they knew where to look for it: the Bavarian State Paintings Collection archives And yet the next thing known about its whereabouts is that the Xanten cathedral’s building association paid 16,100 German Deutsche Marks (about $9,300 today) for the painting at an auction in Cologne in 1963 This wasn’t a matter of just one painting the Commission for Looted Art in Europe discovered that Bavaria returned “many” paintings to the families of Nazi officials “At the very time that the Kraus family and many families who had survived the Holocaust were making claims for that property and being told that no one knew where their property was,” Anne Webber Founder and Co-Chair of the Commission for Looted Art in Europe “their art was being handed back to the families of these Nazi war criminals.” a little less than half of the 890 artworks transferred to Bavarian State Paintings had been researched a little more than half had been marked as “under suspicion of having been looted.” The German Lost Art Foundation says it has helped the von Schirach family trace Henriette von Schirach’s efforts to regain her father’s collection after the war and found that she got 118 objects back by presenting sales records for them “Most of the cultural objects she resold later in some cases with a large profit margin,” the organization told TIME in a Mar After an initial burst of returns around the time of the end of the war media attention faded as many survivors made an effort to put the war behind them author of The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe’s Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War With the Cold War shifting focus away from Germany toward Russia and few global governments willing to make a big fuss over privately-owned art An estimated 600,000 paintings are believed to have been stolen during the war and 100,000 remain missing, Stuart Eizenstat, an adviser to the U.S. Department of State on restitution issues, said recently. the collapse of the Soviet Union and the reunification of Germany led to the opening up of intelligence records that hadn’t been previously available for other restitution issues 44 nations agreed to the non-binding Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art (more commonly known as the Washington Principles) vowing to identify artworks that might be looted to publish lists so that families could recover them and to work toward “just and fair solutions.” A year later a British filmmaker who’d made a documentary about looted art founded the non-profit organization Commission for Looted Art in Europe as a clearinghouse for information on the topic and home to a team of investigators who could help families negotiate restitution settlements the organization has recovered more than 3,500 objects on behalf of families The Internet has also helped possible heirs find resources more easily and has created more opportunities for these connections to be made the genealogy website MyHeritage told TIME that last fall it notified eight families that they are descendants of original owners of works of art that appear on a Dutch Museum Associations list of about 170 artworks considered “likely to have been stolen confiscated or sold under duress between 1933 and 1945.” The families had no idea about the lists and some didn’t know they were even descendants of the owners of these works of art In the case of the painting of the Xanten cathedral combined with sales records for and photographs of the painting proved that the artwork belonged to Graykowski’s family But because the Washington Principles are not legally binding, the laws about claiming art varies by country the non-profit society for the Xanten cathedral’s preservation made that point in a joint press release published Thursday with the Commission for Looted Art noting his organization was returning the painting voluntarily: “I ask for your understanding that I have certain difficulties to speak of a ‘return’ of the painting This term may imply that the [cathedral society] may not have acquired the painting lawfully and may not have become the lawful owner I therefore prefer the term ‘surrender,’ which is done voluntarily in recognition of the Nazi injustice.” Graykowski would agree that the subject of Nazi-looted art is not really a matter of what’s legal “This was my family’s property,” he says He believes the process would go faster if governments paid private individuals or organizations for returning looted art in their possession A 2017 appraisal showed the painting of the Dutch square was worth about $5,000 but he says he’s been looking into bringing things full circle by donating it to the Jewish museum in Vienna And now it’s on to finding the other 160 paintings “you’ll have to continue this.” Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com the Catholic Church in Germany saw a significant drop in membership this past year According to the German Bishops' Conference the Catholic Church in the country declined by 216,078 members last year with 220,000 members leaving during that time period secretary of the German Bishops' Conference said the numbers show a need for the Church in Germany to be "more self-critical and constructive." There is nothing to gloss over about the numbers they confirm a trend that has shaped the Church in recent years," he said in a statement Adding that a loss of trust and credibility has caused great damage the priest went on to say that Church leaders must examine the question of how to make the Catholic Church a welcoming environment where people can find hope and feel at home Recent sex abuse scandals in the Catholic Church could be contributing to some of this drop according to surveys cited by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) Church membership in Germany has been declining for years a total of 122 diocesan priests were ordained in the country Some 53% of the country's population remains either Catholic or Protestant Both churches currently have more than 20 million members the University of Freiburg predicted that membership in both churches will be cut in half by 2060 dropping from a combined total of 45 million currently to below 23 million in the next 40 years German law collects an automatic income tax of up to 9% on the country's Church members which it distributes to Church organizations among them the Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church of Germany which constitutes the largest Protestant group in Germany Taxpayers have the option of opting out of tax payment by notifying state authorities that they have left the religious group in which they are enrolled the Church tax generated $13.5 billion for religious groups in the country The predicted decline in membership would lead to major budget shortfalls for the Catholic Church in Germany At least one bishop recently voiced support for a 'church strike' advocating women's ordination Last month, Pope Francis sent a 28-page letter to Catholics in Germany calling for a focus on evangelization in the face of the "erosion" and "decline of the faith" in the country In his letter, Pope Francis issued a warning about the "synodal path," a process announced the German bishops' conference in March The conference said issues of priestly celibacy and a reduction of clerical power would be subject to a process of "synodal progression" that could lead to a binding "Synodality presupposes and requires the action of the Holy Spirit," Francis said in the letter The pope warned that "despite all serious and inevitable reflection it is easy to fall into subtle temptations … therefore caution should be exercised hold us in preconceived schemes and mechanisms that end in alienation or limitation of our mission." The pope also reiterated concerns he raised with the German bishops during their ad limina visit in Rome in November 2015 in which he had already noted a grave lack of participation in the sacraments among Catholics in Germany He challenged bishops to "pastoral conversion" and warned of "excessive centralization." "To accept and endure the present situation … is an invitation to face what has died in us and in our congregations which requires evangelization and visitation by the Lord," Francis said because what we need is much more than structural Your monthly donation will help our team continue reporting the truth and fidelity to Jesus Christ and his Church CNA is a service of EWTN News, Inc. From 22 April to 31 July 2021, the lecture series "The End of Rome. A World in Transition" about Berlin’s collection of Classical Antiquities will be available online as digital lectures Academy lecture series and discussions offer a variety of opportunities for in-depth study of art The Roman Empire achieved its largest expanse under Emperor Trajan at the beginning of the 2nd century AD It did not expand any further after this period Rome had to turn increasing attention towards defending its realm The lecture series traces the consequences of these developments and describes the factors that led to what history views as “the fall of the Roman Empire” Historian Dr Frauke Sonnabend leads the series The four-part series can be booked online Academy Lecture Series as Video SeriesBooking of the Academy Lecture Series All images are copyrighted by their respective copyright holders and/or producers/distributors. Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker a 23-year-old Syrian refugee living in the west German town of Xanten came home from her language lessons one afternoon in October A frantic search revealed that her 2-year-old son’s stroller was missing A few hours later Aya received a telephone call from Syria “Go pack your bags,” her husband’s brother told her she would have to retrace the path she and her husband had taken more than three years ago Her time in the country had taught her that she had rights The police said her husband and son had taken a plane to Greece that morning Her brother-in-law filled in the rest: as soon as they arrived a smuggler took them across the border to Turkey a series of text messages jolted Aya out of her grief you have to come back to us,” her husband wrote from his hometown of Idlib where a unsteady truce held between the two sides in the war Mohammad laid out a central preoccupation for many Syrian refugees in Germany: how to embrace the freedoms of their new home while preserving the culture and traditions of the one they left behind It has been three years since the first big wave of Syrian refugees arrived in Germany Now that they are over the initial shock of dislocation their focus is on building their lives anew Some have managed to take the best from both worlds But if they don’t adopt some German ways they risk isolation from the jobs and activities that can help them flourish “Traditions and community are good for psychological health But if you are stuck too much in the home culture it can make it difficult to integrate here,” says Mona Bünnemann a clinical psychologist who works with refugees in the city of Bielefeld German culture emphasizes individual freedoms that are often at odds with societies that cherish extended family ties and the responsibilities that come with them Unlike previous waves of immigrants who came in search of jobs and were better prepared to adapt to their host country the recent cohort of Syrian refugees had little choice about leaving home or even where they ended up the requirement to learn German and embrace German values can feel like an imposition rather than an opportunity especially when those values come into conflict with Syrian customs Recently she has started to see an increase in marital tensions Now that they are not merely surviving anymore They get to know German families and want to have the same freedoms.” Some are so determined to assert their new rights that if they don’t get them When Aya and Mohammad arrived in Germany in September 2015 and Mohammad often took out his frustrations on his wife “People heard me screaming,” says Aya who asked that she and her husband be identified only by their first names in order to protect her son “But no one said anything because in our society it’s not anyone’s business that a man beats his wife.” The beatings stopped when Mohammad and Aya enrolled in mandatory German-language and integration courses Aya learned about women’s rights in Germany and Mohammad learned that beating his wife was illegal but Mohammad struggled and soon grew jealous of his wife’s progress and that was a problem for him,” says Anna Pieper a volunteer for the Caritas aid organization who helped the couple settle in Soon Aya was handling all the German paperwork for the family and Mohammad felt that undermined his role as man of the house The more Aya made friends with fellow students and German mothers in her son’s playgroup the more Mohammad retreated into the traditional Syrian community centered at a nearby mosque where he found men who shared his anger and his struggle to find work Mohammad resented Aya’s demands that he help out with the household chores while she continued her German studies “He wanted to live in the Syrian way but I wanted a new life here in Germany.” She switches from Arabic to nearly accent-free German to continue: “I love it here Aya did something she never would have done in Syria “I felt like I had rights as a woman and I didn’t care about what Syrian culture and society said,” she says of the shame that divorce carries back home It was two weeks later that Mohammad returned to Syria would be if she tore up her asylum papers in front of him arrived with her family from Aleppo in 2016 Despite her husband’s encouraging her to remove her headscarf—in addition to learning German and finding a job to contribute to the household income—she says she is not ready comparing it to going out in public naked.Nanna Heitmann for TIMEIntegration was at the cornerstone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to accept nearly 1 million refugees in 2015 and 2016 The newcomers–about half of them Syrians–were expected to learn German and eventually find jobs this was to ease German voters’ fears that they would be a drain on the economy as well as to avoid the ghettoization suffered by earlier waves of migrants from Turkey and the Balkans But cultural integration was never so clearly defined everyone was so enthusiastic,” says Pieper who helped settle some of the hundreds of Syrian families who arrived in Xanten in 2015 “But now Germans are coming to terms with what integration means and it’s a lot more complicated.” As the initial support cooled the far-right AfD party has tapped into anti-immigrant sentiment entering parliament for the first time in 2017 Merkel announced in October that she wouldn’t stand for another term the word integration is tied to the loss of a deeply cherished sense of cultural identity “Becoming German means losing my Syrian values and traditions,” says Rasha who arrived with her family from Aleppo in 2016 Despite her husband’s encouraging her to remove her headscarf she says she is not ready–comparing it to going out in public naked Rasha’s husband Ghassan says things would be different in Syria where extended families provide a safety net He wants her to learn German and find a job to contribute to the household income “Why should my wife not be strong and independent who married Ghassan when she was 14 and now has five children knows nothing about working outside the home is asking me to change anything,” she says Our values are what keep us linked to our society and culture not only to refugees but also to any first-generation immigrants The Syrian gossip network is rife with criticism of refugee parents who allow their teenage daughters to spend time with boys or divorcées and widows who start dating men–especially German men “The day people found out I was seeing a German I lost all my Syrian friends,” says Oula Shaoud but she has also lost her final tie to her homeland–her community “I feel so isolated now,” she says says that dilemma frequently comes up in her work Having a social support network is vital for refugees’ emotional stability but the challenge arises when personal needs–to leave an abusive relationship to date–conflict with cultural norms “I do get why someone would not want to offend the only network he or she has.” a 35-year-old single mother of four children Germany.Nanna Heitmann for TIMEThe German justice system has laid kidnapping charges against Mohammad and if he ever returns to the European Union the government considers him a citizen of Syria If Aya returns to Syria to search for her son she will forfeit her right to asylum in Germany Pieper says the only hope is that Mohammad will realize his child will have more opportunities in Germany and let him come back He is afraid Joud will grow up German.” That presents Aya with an agonizing choice She misses Joud desperately and spends most of her days in his bedroom obsessively folding his clothes and holding his pajamas to her nose He wore them the night before he disappeared who lives in the same family compound as Mohammad in Idlib sends clandestine updates on Joud’s condition she helps Aya and Joud talk via video messenger but he is too young to understand what is happening tensions in Syria are rising again as the U.S News coverage of a looming battle near Idlib is giving Aya nightmares “I left Syria because I didn’t want to have a kid in that situation and now my son is there without me.” Aya is considering giving in to Mohammad’s demands and returning home I’d lose everything I learned in Germany,” she says scrolling through photos of her life in exile on her phone Even if she got divorced and managed to keep Joud it would be impossible to continue her architecture studies as a single mother Everything.” She pauses on a photo of her son at his second birthday party “Joud is more important than any of this.” Contact us at letters@time.com Germany’s largest open-air archaeological museum Xanten explores North Rhine’s Roman history bringing it back to vivid life with reconstructions of baths Not only are the re-creations located in the exact same places as the original buildings built with authentic materials and impressive attention to detail In addition to showing how ancient Xanten once looked the museum offers interactive stations where visitors can learn about what life was like for the town’s 10,000 inhabitants examines Roman history and ancient life in the Lower Rhine more generally while other exhibition spaces explain excavation methods and how archaeological research is evaluated Also open to visitors is a guesthouse with a restaurant serving Roman-era dishes and Games” festival and themed weekend workshops that cover everything from cooking and baking to jewelry making Information on this page, including website, location, and opening hours, is subject to have changed since this page was last published. If you would like to report anything that’s inaccurate, let us know at notification@afar.com. AFAR participates in affiliate marketing programs which means we may earn a commission if you purchase an item featured on our site.© 2025 AFAR LLC the North Lake and South Lake are just a few hundred meters west of the Rhine and very close to the town Visitors to the Lower Rhine might have to rethink their orientation: In Xanten Nordsee (North Lake) and Südsee (South Lake) are just a few hundred meters west of the Rhine and also very close to the town The bodies of water are two former quarry lakes that now form the core of a leisure center are each 110 hectares in size and up to 15 meters deep The more passive activities are also extremely popular for example lying lazily on the 1000 meter long sandy beach and simply doing nothing The photo shows the natural swimming pool at Südsee with the cathedral in the background on the right and the Rhine in the background on the left The Xanten leisure center (FZX) is run by the local authorities and boosts the overall attractiveness of the town lots of variety: you could spend a longer vacation in Xanten "It's enough for a week and more,'" says Anne Stenmans of the tourist information office reporting that there are visitors who book their next stay right away because they are so enthusiastic about the place People hike through protected floodplain forests cycle beautiful flat routes and follow in the footsteps of the Romans in the spectacular Archaeological Park In front of the neat brick building stands - a piggy bank Tel. (02801) 71 56 56; www. f-z-x.de You don't have to jump into every pool of water even a ride on the water can bring a refreshing effect The Lahn is a people-friendly river in this respect: 160 of its 245 kilometers are navigable People like to call permanent paddling in this context "water hiking," and the Lahn is recommended as a river transfer trail that begins at the entry point south of Marburg and ends in Lahnstein on the Rhine One should take several days for the journey There are interesting towns and buildings to see along the way Info: Tel. (06441) 30 99 80; www.daslahntal.de there have been designated trekking sites almost nationwide where you can spend the night in the middle of nature "The Bike Trekking Park Sauerland is the only one of its kind in Germany," says spokeswoman Susanne Schulten while sporty riders use the stations when traveling along long-distance bike trails." The trekking sites are equipped with a wooden platform bench and table plus composting toilet nearby Info:www.trekkingpark.de; www.biketrekkingpark.de The Cologne Zoo is "beastly" happy about offspring the zoo has also supported a conservation project for the preservation of the Przewalski's horse "with animals for reintroduction money or biological know-how," according to a statement The photo shows Viola with her parents Luna and Vandan The Swabian-Hallian sow Uschi gave birth to nine piglets in May black storks and California sea lions have also given birth Info: Tel. (0221) 567 99 100; www.koelnerzoo.de I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Beard resolved this by first detailing the sensational gossip at generous length. There's that oft-repeated allegation of an incestuous relationship with his sisters. And did you hear the one about Caligula's mentor Emperor Tiberius? Fond of the palace pool, he trained a troupe of small boys called his "little fishes" to swim around his thighs and nibble at his genitals whenever he went for a dip. Depraved, entertaining and entirely unsubstantiated by contemporary records. The only Caligulan excess that was supported by the artefacts was his Liberace-shaming taste in interiors. Courtyard walls studded with fist-sized rubies and emeralds! Not one luxury floating villa, but two! And – a personal favourite – a cheeky marble sculpture of a sleeping hermaphrodite. There's a lot to be said for an understated calling card like Sammy's War. One drawback, however, is that it provides irresistibly inviting conditions for any scene stealers in the vicinity. The culprit here is young Jessica Barden as Sammy's friend Ruby. She doesn't have many lines, but the ones she does have are delivered with a natural charisma that renders everything else about Sammy's War that little bit more forgettable. I'd watch out for her. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies BBC2","description":"Coming Up: Sammy's War Comedian Atze Schröder tritt wieder in Xanten auf dieses Mal mit seinem Programm „Der Erlöser“ (jte) Das Freizeitzentrum Xanten (FZX) präsentiert zwei weitere Highlights in seiner Veranstaltungsreihe „Sommer Open Airs 2024“: Am Samstag, 29. Juni, gastiert das kölsche Pop-Quitnett „Kasalla“ im Naturbad Xantener Südsee und am Samstag, 24. August, tritt Comedian Atze Schröder als „Erlöser“ auf Die Tickets können an allen bekannten Vorverkaufsstellen sowie online auf f-z-x.de und eventim.de erworben werden Kasalla Dieser Name dürfte vielen Menschen etwas sagen, denn das kölsche Pop-Quintett hat sich nicht nur in der Kölner Musikszene über die Jahre einen Namen gemacht, sondern sich auch im restlichen Bundesgebiet als wahrer Zuschauermagnet bewiesen. Ihre Touren im Herbst 2017 und Frühjahr 2019 führten die fünf Jungs neben bereits erspieltem Gebiet auch erstmals in die Schweiz und nach Österreich Kasalla spricht die Menschen an und holt sie ab was die Gefühlslage vieler Menschen auf den Punkt trifft: Menschen sind nicht fürs alleine sein gemacht denn dieser zieht sich wie ein roter Faden Atze Schröder Auch Atze Schröder holt die Menschen ab oder doch eher „raus“ Im Zuge seiner Tournee kommt der gebürtige Nordrhein-Westfale als „Der Erlöser“ nach Xanten Ganz einfach: Der Comedian hat in seinem Bett den brennenden Busch gesehen und wusste sofort Erlösen will er das Publikum aus dem Trott des Alltags der Last des Zeitgeistes und dem permanenten Gefühl der Ohnmacht zwei Stunden der wohltuenden Erkenntnis: Ja Weitere Künstler Neben „Kasalla“ und Atze Schröder treten noch weitere Künstler im Sommer in Xanten auf: Der Sänger und Songwriter Michael Schulte ist am Freitag, 30. August, im Naturbad, die Schweizer Schlagersängerin Beatrice Egli am Samstag Pam Pengco und Marcel Mann im Open-air-Kabarett „NightWash“ auf: und zwar am Sonntag Michael Schulte wurde durch seine Teilnahme an der ersten Staffel von „The Voice of Germany“ bekannt Er belegte damals den dritten Platz und legte so den Grundstein für eine erfolgreiche Karriere Sängerin Beatrice Egli feierte ihren Karrieredurchbruch ebenfalls in einem deutschen TV-Format Sie gewann 2013 die deutsche Castingshow „Deutschland sucht den Superstar“   Members of the Island Council during their meeting with State Secretary van Huffelen on Tuesday affordable housing and the need to increase the free allowance were some of the major topics the Island Council brought forward in a meeting with Dutch State Secretary of Kingdom Relations and Digitisation Alexandra van Huffelen on Tuesday   “We want to improve the quality of life for all on the island in the end we are trying to make life a little more comfortable for everyone,” said Councilman Hemmie van Xanten Members of the Island Council and State Secretary van Huffelen What would help many people is a rent subsidy which so far hasn’t happened on any of the islands We have people here too that want to own their own home I would like to especially help the young people to get their own house this is now almost impossible,” said Councilman Eviton Heyliger   Councilman Carl Buncamper addressed the banking services we see a lot of problems with the only bank on Saba which doesn’t provide the services that the people deserve we should not have to deal with a situation like that,” he said   “The banking issue here seems like a St The banks don’t have a reason to change that They are the only banks and without some sort of top-down pressure they will not improve their service,” said Councilman Vito Charles   Van Xanten said that the lacking banking services hampered Saba’s economic development Interest rates are also very high: about six to seven per cent banks require a 20-30 per cent down payment building or buying a home is out of reach for the vast majority of Sabans   The problem of not having a permanent notary on the island was amply discussed as well “We have cases where people’s money has been in escrow for several years because the notary didn’t have the time and we have not seen the drive to reach a solution,” said Buncamper.    Charles explained that it was expensive to build we had proposed a voucher system for the rent instead of the complex housing and rent market law The voucher system would actually help to reduce poverty instead of the complex housing law,” he said   He asked Van Huffelen to share her view on poverty She acknowledged that poverty is a very big issue that must be addressed She confirmed that poverty alleviation would be a large item in the division of the 30-million-euro Caribbean Netherlands Envelope to be paid from the 30-million-euro budget is the increase of the free allowance which the Island Council enquired about as well   “It seems you have a good grasp already Addressing poverty is important from a family perspective Poverty has a big impact on children and it creates stress in families The social system does not take the full local context into consideration People are desperate – they cannot pay their bills adding that he was happy to hear Van Huffelen say that she would be addressing this matter   Heyliger voiced his concerns about the cost associated with the plastics ban He pointed out that the products to replace plastics cost 50-75 per cent more “One business owner asked me what can be done about this   The conversation then moved to the issue of high transportation cost and the double taxation on products that come through St Van Xanten noted that all these high costs are passed to the consumer who is already struggling to make ends meet It creates a lot of stress,” said Buncamper   Van Xanten remarked that the COVID-19 pandemic added to the hardship as the economy was badly affected with a lot fewer tourists and medical students   Charles said the crisis had shown that it was important to show Saba’s self-sufficiency   Charles mentioned the high cost of electricity and telecommunications Buncamper said that in this sense it was important to offer support in times of crisis and high fossil fuel prices We need to create a transition until we can realise 100 per cent renewable energy,” said Buncamper   Van Xanten remarked that Saba receives a lot of incidental funding for projects but not sufficient structural funding to cover the operational and maintenance cost Copyright © 2020 All copyrights on articles and/or content of The Caribbean Herald N.V. dba The Daily Herald are reserved Without permission of The Daily Herald no copyrighted content may be used by anyone Foreign News ReporterPublished: Invalid Date AN incredible nuclear bunker has been listed for sale with its price slashed by more than half The Cold War fortification, buried in the woods of Xanten, Germany, offers the ultimate protection as fears of WW3 spiral The bomb shelter's thick doors are hidden away by overgrown woods in the North Rhine-Westphalia there is a self-contained bunker with working lavatories electricity and a filtered air ventilation system The "bomb-proof investment" was first put on the market in 2022 for £1.4 million But the asking price has since been reduced to £700,000 The Bundeswehr - German Armed Forces - continued utilising the bunker for various military operations until 2001. Relics of that time such as control panels, communications system and machinery could still be found inside the bunker. Estate agent Magnus Losch said: "The facility was built in 1967 by the Bundeswehr as a 'hub in the telecommunications network' and is still surprisingly well preserved today." The 10ft thick walls ensure protection amid growing fears of World War Three as Russia sends a chilling warning to the West. the bomb shelter is still struggling to find a new owner The estate agent told DailyMail: "The technical facilities and atmosphere of the bunker will take you straight back to an earlier time that few can speak of." Perhaps the gloomy past of the fortification make it unattractive to prospective buyers But the seller adds that with the right permit and a fresh coat of paint the site can be transformed into a "paintball facility" or for a commercial use They said:"The bunker is generally in good condition but needs to be cleared out due to items left by previous tenants "Many of the systems would need to be overhauled and checked as the electrical connections were also severed "This facility is therefore considered to be in need of renovation." The fortified bunker was last occupied by a group of Dutch nationals for three years as they used it to stash a huge cannabis plantation It comes as the prospects of World War 3 continue to grow with ongoing conflict around the world The Middle East has become a powder keg unsettled by Israel's ongoing war against Hamas, Iran-backed Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea, and recent clashes and strikes between Iran and Pakistan In the past few months, Nato announced its biggest call-up in decades as 90,000 troops begun World War 3 drills Among that number are 20,000 British troops as the alliance plans to test allies on their ability to engage in conflict with an adversary as capable as Russia It is feared that Putin's invasion of Ukraine could see Russian troops going beyond Ukrainian borders to launch attacks on Europe More than 10,000 civilians have been killed and 20,000 injured since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 NATO is mobilising some 90,000 troops for war games aimed at sending a message to Russia not to consider attacking any member countries Steadfast Defender will run into late May and involves units from all 31 NATO member countries plus candidate-member Sweden Previously, a leaked military report revealed what could be Vladimir Putin's step-by-step plan to bring the West to the brink of World War 3 The secret docs detail the despot's possible "path to conflict" which reaches its climax in the summer of 2025 on "Day X" when half a million Nato and Russian soldiers will face each other. Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/ Saba Fishermen Association opened the new Saba Fish Market on Sunday SABA--Saba Fishermen Association (SFA) opened the new Saba Fish Market during the 45th Saba Day celebrations on Sunday   The market joins the already-existing local vegetable market of Saba Reach the many local animal and vegetable farmers and the local egg production   When SFA was established more than a year ago one of its main objectives was and still is to sell local fish to locals With the little profit SFA hopes to make it wants to create a financial buffer to assist registered fishermen when needed   With the support of the public entity Saba and its membership SFA was able to purchase the necessary equipment and have the market ready for Saba   “With having the sea all around us and having the Saba Bank as our main fishing grounds we are able to catch fish like in the old days when local fish was a common good and part of daily life Either fishing from land with a line or further out by boat young and old know how to bring their fish home We are glad that we can be part of this tradition and expand this to a new level,” said SFA president Hemmie van Xanten purchasing locally caught fish and seafood ensures that the product is sustainably harvested and in compliance with fishing regulations Buying local fish benefits Saba’s economy in creating and maintaining jobs for fishermen   Locally caught seafood has a low carbon footprint when compared to imported seafood and results in a fresher and better-tasting product Consuming seafood at least twice a week also contributes to a healthier diet   Van Xanten thanked all volunteers and board members for their constructive input and made special mention of treasurer Cassandra “Cassy” Holm “in her never-ending drive to make this market a reality in such a short period.”   The Saba Fish Market is open 9:00-11:00am on Tuesday and Thursday Der Vorfall ereignete sich im Freibad Xantener Südsee Sechs junge Männer beleidigten Badegäste massiv haben die Personalien der Männer aufgenommen und sie vor die Tür gesetzt Erst am Folgetag machte eine Badbesucherin darauf aufmerksam dass die Männer auch an anderen Stellen auffällig geworden waren Zwei von ihnen seien im FKK-Bereich an Land geschwommen Gemeinsam mit den anderen vier hätten sie dort die Badegäste mit gröbsten Ausdrücken auf Deutsch beschimpft und auch bedroht "Garniert" worden seien die Kraftausdrücke mit eindeutig islamischen Ausrufen Anschließend entfernten sich die Täter aus dem FKK-Bereich Dabei habe es sich allerdings eindeutig um einen anderen Täterkreis gehandelt Die Polizei sucht nun Zeugen des Vorfalls beziehungsweise Badegäste die Angaben zu diesen und ähnlichen Vorfällen machen können sollten verdächtige Wahrnehmungen und Straftaten immer über den kostenlosen Notruf 110 gemeldet werden damit die Polizei Ermittlungen aufnehmen könne Das gelte auch und gerade in diesen "sensiblen Zeiten" Hinweise nimmt die Polizei auch unter der Telefonnummer 02801 71420 entgegen.