Remagen

Well ladies and gentlemen, tragedy almost struck yesterday. As I was on the train to Remagen after my test, I tried to take a video on the train, and it wasnt functioning. Come to find out that I had forgotten to remove the SDMS card from my computer to put back into my camera, and my camera wont function without it. So after getting off of the train, I went to a little travel kiosk to ask where I might be able to buy a new one in Remagen. One thing that I should mention is that Germany doesnt function like America where you can go down to the local Kroger and buy everything you need to live, all of the stores are specialized. So the travel-guide-kiosk-man told me that they dont have a Foto store in Remagen, so he didnt know if I could find one, but he suggested searching a computer store. While I was walking, I spotted a small drug store, and inside there was a stand that developed cameras, so I thought maybe if I was lucky they may have one. Alas! There was one lone 8GB SDMS card for a good price and it claims to be HD (so tell me if you can tell a difference in picture quality). So I spent the day taking pictures, but then yesterday I tried to write this blog an upload the pictures, but my computer did not read the foreign SDMS card! Tragedy! But then I realized that it was anti-virus settings that were blocking it, so finally I figured it out. What I am saying with this intro is that these pictures are maybe worth 18,000 words, rather than 1,000 (aka, they are special).

 I guess for people who are friends or perhaps Grandma and Grandpa Mooney should be filled in on the background of Remagen for the Corcorans. My Grandpa on that side of the family fought in WWII, and what his Bataillon is especially known for is being engineers for the Bridge and Remagen, which was the first crossing point of the Allies across the Rhein. So this place where my Grandpa was now is the home of the Friedensmuseum (Peace/Freedom museum), which is where I visited yesterday.

"....then the revolution awakes" This saying was graffiti-ed all over Remagen. I also saw some swastikas. I got the feeling that Remagen may be a place where people in favor of peace, but also maybe a place where people on the opposite side visit. 

Here is a portion of the bridge that still remains.

Remagen was a place of heavy air raids during 44 and the beginning of 45, so it is weird to think a generation or two ago can remember all of the destruction.

All of the pictures above were taken outside of the bridge and museum, and the plaques were put up in the '90s. Most of the information is in German and in English, so if you zoom in you can probably read it.

Here is a video from the outside of the museum and next to the bridge. The sculpture that you see towards the end is meant to represent peace.

An artist made this as a present for one of the soldiers

"So was it really in Bridgehead Remagen" I guess there is a lot of controversy what happened in Remagen because of all of the media propganda on both sides. They said that even after a couple of days it was a story of myth. 

Above are a list of people along the wall that died. All of their equipment is buried within the walls to commemorate them, which are on the right side of the picture

Here is an aerial view that I took from the tower-thing. You can see the remaining towers also on the other side of the river.

Here is a view of Remagen, the bridge is south of the city, so this is the entire town basically, which I found to be quite small.

Deaths by civilians and soldiers in WWII. 

^I thought this was in direct correlation with the research that I am doing.

Hitler apparently disregarded the bridge at Remagen, since it was not in a major city, he assumed that the allies would not find it or use it. The German soldiers who guarded this bridge were poorly trained and their food supply was minimal. After the Americans did secure the bridge, Hitler assumed it was sabotage from within the German side, and sentenced 14 ranking officers to death for treason.

This picture above was in a small room of the museum which was a testimony from the mayor of Remagen during this time. The air raids were so bad during the winter of 44/45 that the women would take the kids and walk up into the mountains every day to seek safety. It was winter time and they had very minimal clothes since it was wartime. I know it is weird to say, but I honestly never even though about the fact that people were living in these war areas that have their own stories too.

Here is a stretcher that was used in Remagen to carry people out of the rubble from the destruction of the air-raids. The didnt report the death toll in Remagen because it was unknown.

Above these three pictures are a big motto for the Allies for the bridge Remagen, you can read the picture above to learn why. But the most peculiar thing, I think, is where the sign is now....^^

There was a bio on the photographer who took these photos, he went on to take photos in the Vietnam war as well.

Here is a painting from the Battle

This was a poem written by one of the German POW. More than 1800 POW died here because of lack of food and harsh conditions. It was said that they dug holes to crouch in to keep the cold out.

I thought this was one of the more amusing parts of the museum. The mayor of Remagen wanted desperately to erect a museum here, but he did not have the funds. So in '78 he started to sell pieces of the bridge (you can still buy a coin-sized rock and certificate of authenticity for 33 Euros), and by the 80s the museum was opened. They have on display several inquiries for rocks, one of the more hilarious ones for me read "I collect bridges, I even have a piece of the London Bridge with a plaque on it".... I guess people collect everything.

Here is the peace statue

I went to Remagen by myself, so I got to practice the timer setting on my camera

Here is a video, in English, on some of the history of the area, I literally had to take a video of a video so it may not be the best quality, but I thought at least Dad would like to see it.

Here is the city hall for Remagen, as you can see, it is a lot smaller than the other town halls I have been posting, Remagen is significantly smaller than any of the other towns I have visited.

"Soccer playing is forbidden"

I was waiting for the train to come back, but then I decided to go back to the Rhein and go to an Eis Cafe to enjoy this Waldfruechte Eisbecher with fresh, local berries. I ended up staying here for an hour and a half because it was so beautiful, 70 degree weather. I was noting some of the more hilarious boat names "Ms. Berlin" to name one off of  the top of my head. So this weekend is used to celebrate German unification day, so stay tuned for more exciting things....maybe even Angela Merkel....(she is coming to Bonn tomorrow!)