Rinkerode to Wernigerode.

I did not pick up on this point initially but glancing at a map before departing from my aunt's home, I did notice a lot of town names with the suffix "rode".  As many of you know there are lots of towns in Germany that have "berg" (mountain) or "burg" (castle) at the end of their names but what is a "rode"?  I asked my cousins and other members of their families and no one of them seemed to have a definitive answer.  This now became a question for Google Deutschland.   We quickly found out the word comes from the German verb "roden" meaning "to clear" therefore "rode" is a German noun for a "clearing".  That night, all in Rinkerode went to bed better informed than when we had awoke!

I was hoping that Kathleen and I would be able join Lina on her ride to school in Hamm but unfortunately for us she did not have any classes on that Friday. We had breakfast with my Aunt Marie, Bine and Lina before we headed to the station to catch our train. 

The ride to Hamm was going to be a short one, less than 20 minutes.  Lena uses this service to get to her school in Hamm.  The ride, equipment and atmosphere is very much like riding the O-Train here in Ottawa with all the students heading to and from Carleton University.  Funny how things do change over the years, back in 1986 the train would have been a DB engine hauling 3 or 4 commuter cars.  Today, there are over 80 passenger train companies serving the German population, this makes the railway scene very bright and colourful compared to a decade ago.

A Stadler ET 5 EMU built in 2008 will be our train to Hamm.  The tracks are owned by DB but the operator is Keolis S.A.

A 141 class locomotive hauled train passing through Rinkerode on its way to Münster back in April of 1986.

In Hamm we transferred to another platform where we waited for ICE 1645/1655.  I was quite excited as this would be my first time to ride one of the modern high speed German ICE trains.  

The reason for the two train numbers was that it was actually two trains combined into one. This also happens in Canada.  VIA calls them J-trains.  Just like in Canada, we had make sure we boarded the right section therefore finding the proper spot on the platform was essential.  

A view of our 1st Class car from the outside.  This is the latest domestic ICE train in Germany, a class 403 built in 2000.

The first part of the announcement let us know that our train was arriving on track 6, the second part of the announcement was to tell us that the train was going to be very crowded.  This shortage of seats was caused by some mechanical malfunction on one of two train sets, that trainset was set-off and not replaced.  Anyone travelling towards Hannover now had to fit into one trainset rather than two. Luckily our journey was only an hour and ten minutes and the situation was "made light of" with the other passengers who also had the floor as seats.  Adding to the craziness there was a woman, conducting a survey on behalf of the DB, she asked me and others, a bunch of questions...none of which had anything to do with passenger comfort, amenities or the lack of seats.  

1st Class on DB's ICE was not quite as luxurious as we had expected!

We did make it to Hannover and on time to boot.  I can't tell about the sights along the way as we couldn't see any from our seats on the floor.  Once again, we went looking for the platform from which our train to Goslar would be departing. This train belonged to yet another operator other than DB.  This time Erixx had the honour to transport us to Goslar on their relatively new Alstrom
"Coradia LINT 54".  Kathleen went to get something to eat while I stayed up on the platform watching the trains roll in.

Not our train but a nice looking DB 424 Class EMU-4.  Built in 2000 by Siemens/ADtranz/DWA for the DB Hannover S-Bahn services.

This would be our ride to Goslar, Erixx train 83703.  It was an almost new Class 622 LINT 54 DMU-2, built in 2014 by Alstom.

A happy passenger sitting in the first class section of HEX80235.  These DMUs were also built by Alstom but are 9 years older than the Erixx train we had just transferred from in Goslar. The interiors however were identical.

Something caught my eye in Goslar, I just had to make it back to this station.  Any guesses on what that might be?  Before reading the next installment, just add your answer in the "comment" section at the end of the post.

In the planning stages of this trip I had hoped that I might have the time to take a train from Wernigerode back to Vienenburg to see the station and visit the museum.  I took a wait and see attitude.  What I saw in Goslar, changed things, now I knew that I had to go back.  I just had to figure out how to run it by Kathleen.  I did see the station and the outside exhibits of the museum as we passed through Vienenburg and thought to myself, yes I must try and make it here on Sunday.   

Vienenburg and surroundings.  From my seat this place looked worth going back to. 

The other happy traveller, on his way to the Harz Mountain town of Wernigerode but why?  It must be to visit this quaint German town located in a very bucolic region of the country or because of the beautiful Schloss located there.

Another company providing passenger rail service over DB trackage, this time the carrier is called HEX.  They were using a VT 800 Class LINT 41 DMU-2, an older model of the DMU that took us to Goslar.

After our train dropped us off in Wernigerode, we had about a 15 minute walk to our apartment.  This was to be our "home" for the next 3 days. 

Our apartment in Wernigerode, just a walk through the passageway on the right and we were home. 

Welcome to our house!  (for the next 4 days and 3 nights)

A Gem Called Wernigerode Part 1

We arrived in Wernigerode shortly after noon on Friday September 12th.  The 15 minute walk from the station to the apartment would not have normally been too bad but Kathleen found the cobble-stone roads made it very difficult to pull her suitcase.  We took a little break, then I became the pack-horse and hauled all the luggage the rest of the distance.  I would be rewarded handsomely by Kathleen later in the weekend.    

The apartment was in a renovated block of houses.  Once we passed through the passageway we entered into a courtyard.  This is where the car/motorcycle/bike parking was.  This design also made our stay a very quiet one despite having the windows cracked open.

The view of our apartment from the entrance, the coat rack is on the left  and the kitchen was on the right.

Our kitchen, everything but the cook was provided for.

Our living room.

Our bedroom.

Our bathroom.

Our home away from home.

We simply were amazed at the completeness of the apartment and knew our stay here would be a good one.  We quickly settled in and then set off to explore the town, this included buying food to stock the fridge for our weekend stay.  We had some vacuum packed meat that Bina so kindly gave us but we still needed fresh bread, milk and other foods. 

The time was approaching 2 PM so we wanted to find a bakery in a hurry. The custom in Germany is to buy one's fresh breads, rolls and other baked items at the un-godly hour of 6 or 7 AM.  At 2 PM one would be lucky to find something left and if they did, one would certainly have a very limited choice.

To aid my readers I have included a map of Wernigerode.  What impressed me the most was how compact the town was and how great the location of the apartment was.

The first mention of Wernigerode dates back to 1121, then again when town rights were granted in 1229.  By 1595 there were 2500 inhabitants, today it's roughly 35,000.  We were located in the "neustadt" which dates back to the 13th century.  Farming, mining and some manufacturing have and still are the primary industries in this area.

Walking out from our apartment put us on Hirtenstraß where we were confronted by this unusual fountain.  At first glance the looked like plain rooster and hen but on closer examination they were much more.  

 The well and the rooster and hen fountain on Hirtenstr.

Read this and you will learn about...

..these fellows...

...and why they do this!

An old building in the process of being restored.

It was nice to see the so much "old" all over the place however looks can be deceiving.  This old building was completely gutted on the inside but will be completely modernized when completed.  

Inside of the building was totally gutted and will be upgraded to today's standards inside while retaining its original look outside.

I do hope they get the sundial working again!  

On another street two blocks away shows the end results of this type of renovation and restoration. 

The rebuilding of old commercial properties was handled in the same manner.  The old facade was retained but modernized with new doors and windows.  The signage was small and discreet. This was the case with the ALDI supermarket we found.  The old building had a simple meter square sign on its front wall to identify it as a retail store.

 Karl & Theo Albrecht founded the chain in 1946 after taking over their father's store in Essen that had opened in 1913.  In 1962 the name of the chain was changed from Albrecht Diskont to ALDI and has since become one of the world's largest privately held companies.

In the case of a building being "too far gone" for restoration it would have been torn down and a new structure put in its place. One place we passed had an underground mall with a parking garage included while the above ground portion was constructed in such a way that it would blend in with its immediate neighbours.

Funny enough, this was a LiDL grocery store we came across after doing our food shopping moments before at their competitor, ALDI. 

View down Grüne Straße with a florist on the left, down the street on the right (behind the building in green) is a newer building with underground parking and another grocery store by the name of LiDL.  One can just make out the small sign on the post in front of the building naming the tenant inside. 

The Schwarz family started this chain in 1930 under the name of Schwarz Lebensmittel-Sortimentsgroßhunglung.  In 1973 they wanted to shorten the company's name like their competitor ALDI did.  The first choice was Schwarz Markt but was quickly dropped because it sounds exactly like "Schwarzmarkt" which means "black market"  LiDL comes from the surname of a retired school teacher and former partner of Josef Schwarz's, Herr Ludwig Lidl.  

I would have thought that an owner of a German car manufacturer would top the list of the richest people in Germany however it is not so, it's the owners of the large food chains that have the honour.  Albrecht family holds the top spot as well as the second spot followed by the Schwarz family in third.

In Canada we deliver hot BBQ chicken cars with funny hats, in Germany they have the PillenTAXI! 

A Gem Called Wernigerode Part 2

We completed all our grocery shopping, managed to pick-up a dozen fresh rolls at the bakery and as well as having the time for coffee and apple cake loaded with freshly whipped cream.  With my caffeine and sugar levels topped up it was time to head back to the apartment.  I noticed that we could take a shortcut home so we decided to take it.  As it turned out, the shortcut cost us more time than taking our original route because we came upon this very old church.  This building was very different than the churches that we had seen earlier in Amsterdam or Münster.  St Johannis Church (15 on the map) was constructed out of  wood and stone. Its rounded arches above the doors and windows showed signs of being constructed in the Romanesque period.  There also was a beautiful sounding organ playing as we were passing, enticing us to stop and peer in.

Part of an old wall around the church, the entrance begging us to peer inside. 

Once inside this very lovely stone nave and tower greeted us. The square tower with its rounded windows are in the Romanesque style.  It and the transept were built in 1279.  By 1497 the nave was reconstructed into a three-aisled hall. The final major change was completed by 1885 when a restoration of the church in a neo-Gothic style took place. 

The reconstruction in 1885 did not remove all the Romanesque features of St Johannis.

The exterior and much of the interior were updated to a neo-Gothic style in 1885 but many elements remained reflecting many time periods of this church.  The pews are from the Baroque period, the  gothic altar dates back to 1415, the statue on the right from 1500, the baptismal font from 1569, the beautifully carved pulpit is from the early 1600s and finally the statute and the two plagues on the far left, are from 

1986.

It was hard to take photos inside the church as there was a function in progress when we dropped in. We had planned to return later in the weekend but it was not to be.  Just inside the side entrance pictured in the second photo was a small cenotaph.  It was very simple yet powerful, I was not able to take a photo but the image of it will always be etched in my mind.

We did finally made it back to the apartment and put all the food away. We were too tired or maybe just plain lazy to cook diner. We thought that it would be better idea to sight-see some more and then find a nice place to dine.

The east end of our street intersected with Breite Straße (wide street). which was the main business section of the historical part of town. (starts at 14 to 18 on the map) The central part of town was closed to all motorized traffic from mid-morning until late into the evening.  Lots of interesting shops, restaurants and sites all along the way, with the Rathaus being the highlight. 

Looking back at an entrance to Breite Straße, early from late night to mid-morning the posts sink into the ground so deliveries and service vehicles can gain access to the street.     

Breite Straße

Marktplatz is surrounded by great cafés; which one to choose is the really difficult part.  

The entrance to Breite Straße from the west end was through the Western Gate or the Westerntorturm.  It was one of 4 square gates and 30 other half-round towers that at one time encircled this medieval town. The wall is gone from this part of the town however portions still can be seen in the eastern section of the city. 

This is Hinterstraße in the Heide Quarter on the city.  Formerly this was the working class section of town.  The original well and the home date back to 1546.

"I may not know how to speak the language but I can find a sale anywhere!" said Kathleen.

Good thing this store was closed or else Kathleen and I may have come out of it looking like Hansel and Gretel.

Sadly this store had just closed for the day also.  It is a bookstore with many rare prints, engravings and of course books.  The business is over 100 years old but I would have liked to know if the Jüttner family still owns it.  Their son Bruno who was born in 1880 did not stay with the family business but went on to became a popular landscape painter.

The Harz countryside painting by Bruno Jüttner.

The day came to an end, the shopping was done, the wine bought so now it was time to eat.  We ate at a nice Italian restaurant, as we figured there would be more than enough opportunities to eat German food.  After a short walk we were home. We had seen so much and we knew that there was much more to see so we retired early, looking forward to what tomorrow would bring. 

Marktplatz is a great place for a wedding.

The Rathaus was once a playhouse and reconstructed as the new town hall after the first burnt in the fire of 1528.