Pam Marlin - European History
European History
Many americans can trace their ancestry to someplace in Europe. My husband's family came from Sicily through Ellis Island in 1906. My own Family History, the Hawleys, Richardsons, and Clevelands, all came to America from England around 1600. Another branch of my family, through my great-grandfather, came from Germany. As far back as the 1600's, the new colonies offered many opportunities to those who wanted them. When those people came, they brought many ideals and customs of the home lands that had been given to them by their families, local cultures and traditions. Some are still celebrated in areas around America today. So much can be learned from history and we celebrate our American freedom today by remembering the past and looking to the future.
European History
Many americans can trace their ancestry to someplace in Europe. My husband's family came from Sicily through Ellis Island in 1906. My own Family History, the Hawleys, Richardsons, and Clevelands, all came to America from England around 1600. Another branch of my family, through my great-grandfather, came from Germany. As far back as the 1600's, the new colonies offered many opportunities to those who wanted them. When those people came, they brought many ideals and customs of the home lands that had been given to them by their families, local cultures and traditions. Some are still celebrated in areas around America today. So much can be learned from history and we celebrate our American freedom today by remembering the past and looking to the future.
Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle's Nest)Kehlsteinhaus or Eagle's Nest (English name) is a chalet near Berchtesgaden, Germany, that was built by Martin Bormann, a Nazi official and Adolf Hitler's private secretary. The chalet sits atop a mountain and boasts a beautiful view of the German Alps. It was meant to be a retreat for Hitler and a place for him to entertain visiting dignitaries, though it is said he did not visit it many times. When we visited the Eagle's Nest we took a bus around (and around) the mountain to get the top. There were hairpin turns so thankfully the bus driver was quite adept . There are several tunnels in the mountain, one of which goes to a heavily ornate elevator that rises several hundred feet to the chalet. It was quite cloudy when we were there so we did not see the view from the picture, but it was still an interesting visit. We also saw the one of the heavy metal entry tunnel doors at the bottom of the mountain. The chalet was taken over by the Allies in WWII and it was never bombed so it looks today as it did then. It is now a tourist attraction and restaurant. Some pictures of the Eagles Nest can be viewed at http://www.thirdreichruins.com/kehlsteinhaus.htm
Mont Saint-MichelMont Saint-Michel (large photo) is located off the coast of northern France near Normandy. As we drove up to it on a foggy, gray day, it loomed like a monstrous haunted house. Being built over hundreds of years, it's long history began in the sixth century. It officially became a monastery sometime in the 8th century and in 1067 the monastery gave its support to duke William of Normandy in his claim to the throne of England. By the start of the French Revolution in the 1780's the monks were gone and it became a prison. In 1874 it was declared a historical monument. It is a cool place to visit with a medieval like village surrounding the monastery (picture of village). Because it is so large and required a lot of walking to get to the top of the Mont (the monastery), we did not go up, but instead walked around the village.
Arbeit Macht Frei - Work Shall Set You FreeWhen my parents and I traveled to Europe in the 1980's we visited Dachau Concentration Camp in Dachau, Germany. It was the first 'regular' concentration camp opened by Hitler and the Nazi's in 1933 and housed over 200,000 prisoners. It was the beginning of the Holocaust and the killing of nearly 6 million Jews. Upon entering the camp there is the slogan, Arbeit Macht Frei (Work Shall Set You Free), over the entryway. The slogan was described "as a kind of mystical declaration that self-sacrifice in the form of endless labour does in itself bring a kind of spiritual freedom". It was the title of an 1872 novel by a German and was ordered to be used by an SS general. In 1984 the camp barracks had long since been torn down, but the foundations were still there. There are several memorials and a museum. Words cannot describe visiting Dachau. As I walked around I hoped that just by visiting and remembering what had occurred at this camp that somehow the families of the people who died here so savegely would find peace. I have read many books about the holocaust, but nothing compares with actually being at the camp. The museum had photos of the prisoners with their starved, frail bodies and you wonder how such atrocities could have occurred with no one outside the camp realizing what was going on. It was one of the first camps liberated by allied forces and one of the first to expose the brutality of the Nazi's. |
Historical News from the Web
Fashions of the Russian Czars from Time Photos
Adolf Hitler's Rise to Power from Time Photos
Rewriting History in Great Britain
North of Paris, a Forest of History and Fantasy
Amber Room at Charlottenburg Palace -A Mystery
Tomb of Real 'Gladiator' Found in Rome
Henry VIII's Lost Chapel Discovered Under Parking Lot
Czar Nicholas II of RussiaThe story of Czar Nicholas II of Russia and his family's tragic life has always been one of my favorites. I began reading about the many mysteries surrounding the family during my high school years in the mid 1980's. At that time, the Czar's family remains had not been found so it was still shrouded in mystery. Over the last two decades, all the remains have been recovered with the assistance of Dr. William Maples, a reknowned forensic anthropologist here at the University of Florida (now deceased). Just recently, another UF professor helped identify remains of the last two missing children (Alexei and Anastasia) ( Article). The NY Times has a page dedicated to the Czar including commentary and archival articles published: Nicholas II, Czar of Russia. Nicholas II ruled Russia from 1894 to 1917 and abdicated during the Russian Revolution. He was the last reigning Monarch of Russia (his mother, Empress Maria Fedorovna, is written about below) and his wife, Alix of Hesse, was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England. The family had 4 daughters and 1 son, Alexei, who had Hemophilia, a blood clotting disorder that was passed from the mother (carrier) to the son. Since Hemophilia was fatal at the time, Alix fell under the influence of the evil Rasputin, who seemed to be able to heal the boy when he was not doing well. The family was imprisoned and brutally murdered by the Bolsheviks in July 1918. The location of their remains were kept secret by the Russian government for many years with facts about their deaths still being discovered today. Alexandra, Nicholas and three daughters were reinterred in the St.Catherine Chapel of the Peter and Paul Cathedral at the Fortress of St.Peter and St.Paul in St.Petersburg in 1998, with much ceremony, on the eightieth anniversary of the execution.Related books: The File on the Czar
Dead Men Do Tell Tales by Dr. Williams Maples
Empress Maria Fedorovna ReburiedMaria Fedorovna (Princess Dagmar of Denmark) was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1847. Her father was King Christian IX of Denmark who became known as Europe’s father-in-law. Two of her brothers became respectively, King Frederik VIII of Denmark, and King Georg I of Greece. One of her sisters became Queen Alexandra of England. She was married in 1866 to the Russian heir to the throne, Alexander, who reigned as Alexander III from 1881 until his death in 1894. Empress Maria Fedorovna spent more than 50 years in Russia. She survived the Russian revolution, which caused the deaths of several members of her family. One of her sons, Czar Nicholas II of Russia, his wife and 5 children, were killed by the Bolsheviks in 1917. She eventually moved to Denmark where she died and was buried in 1928. In September 2006 she was reburied next to her husband in the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia. Read more about her and view Photos at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark website.
Marie Antoinette, Queen of FranceI love to read about women in history and Marie Antoinette is one of my favorites. Royal families in Europe were all about using their children as political alliances, and Marie was no exception. She was born to the head of the House of Habsburg, Marie Theresa of Austria, in 1755. Being the 15th child in a royal household meant that Marie did not have much time with her mother, and was somewhat afraid of her. Her marriage to the future king of France, Louis XVI was arranged when Marie was 12 and she officially married him at age 14. She was well-received by France, but ultimately became unpopular as did the Monarchy. The French Revolution ensued and Marie and her husband, Louis XVI were beheaded. She was 37 years old. The young Dauphin, Louis XVII, also died in prison. Marie was accused of squandering money while the people of France were starving, and though to them the end of her life seemed justified, it is sad and tragic. We were in Paris in 1984 and visited the Palace in Versailles, where the Kings and Queens of France (Marie) lived. The Palace website can be visited at http://www.chateauversailles.fr/en/. Though it is a fictional account, the book, Queen's Confession, by Victoria Holt is one of the best I have read on Marie Antoinette. |
