May 20: The Return to Munich

Fighting off Pestilence

After our early train from Salzburg back to Munich, we checked in our luggage once again at the Wombat Hostel near the central train station in Munich and set off on the adventures planned for the last day in Munich. The group split into several groups. One visited the Munich City Museum, an eclectic exhibition that traced Munich's history from its earliest days up through the latter part of the twentieth century. Sections on art, beer, and the tumultuous twentieth century were found in the main building, with an interesting separate installation devoted to the Third Reich across the street (though the war years were once again given short shrift).

May 19: The Eagle's Nest

The Eagle's Nest

On Tuesday, we journeyed to Hitler’s Eagle's Nest (or the Kehlsteinhaus as it is known in German). We caught a bus at the Salzburg train station that took us to Berchtesgaden. There, we were picked up by the Eagle's Nest Tour and they took us up the Obersalzberg mountain. Martin Bormann, perhaps the most powerful member of the Nazi Party behind Hitler himself,  gave the Eagle's Nest to Adolf Hitler for his 50^th birthday in the summer of 1937. The Eagle's Nest cost the German state about 10 million dollars, but today it is worth about 150 million dollars. After it was built, Hitler only visited the facility 14 times, and only 6 times for personal visits. The Eagle's Nest ties into what we explored in our previous days in Germany and Austria, because the Eagle's Nest was where the Nazi leadership met and talked about the war and genocide that it perpetrated. This is ironic, because it was such an amazing and  beautiful place, but this was the place where the destruction that later drove German policies was discussed. 

May 18: Salzburg: The Old City and Festung

Getreidegasse

At the conclusion of our trip up the mountain to the Hohenwerfen fortress, we traveled back to Salzburg. The group split up and everyone had some free time to grab some dinner and explore the Old City. The most famous street in the Old City is Getreidegasse, a narrow street filled with stores, cafes, and restaurants, all of which have to use traditional metal signs to advertise their business. 

May 18: Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do-n't You Wish You Came with Us on this Sound of Music Tour?

WJU Alumni and the Sound of Music Tour

On Monday, our first full day in Salzburg, the majority of the group went gallivanting through a forest to find a fortress. But a few of us decided to stay behind to experience the original Sound of Music Tour, which was clearly the better option [ed.'s note: this is clearly open for debate].

The day began with us boarding a tour bus adorned in Sound of Music imagery – including a colossal picture of Queen Julie herself. Our enthusiastic guide began the tour in Salzburg, pointing out various locations throughout the city that were featured in the film. For example, we saw the Nonnburg Abbey, an active convent which was not only where a few scenes were filmed, but also where the real Maria Von Trapp lived. We also saw the river banks and the bridge where the children run before they sing “Do-Re-Mi.” Some other fascinating places we saw included the hotels where Julie, Christopher Plummer, and the children all stayed. Our guide shared with us stories about Christopher Plummer’s excessive partying, as well as all of the trouble the children got into when they were stuck in the hotel.

May 18: Hohenwerfen

Hohenwerfen Festung in the Mountains

After spending the night in our new hostel in Austria, we traveled by S-bahn to the Hohenwerfen fortresson the outskirts of Salzburg
which allowed us to take in amazing views of the Austrian Alps. On our hike up to the fortress, we stopped along the river to celebrate Maxi's birthday with a surprise cake and trick candles. Happy birthday Maxi! After what seemed like a 10 mile hike straight up, we finally made it to the top of the mountain where the fortress was built. The fortress, which was built in 1077 by the Salzburg Archbishop in order to protect the city, is surrounded by snow capped mountains making the hike well worth the effort.

May 17: From Nuremberg to Salzburg

The Main Train Station in Munich

In order to travel from Nuremberg to Salzburg, we had to switch trains in Munich. This, however, worked out as one of our group had left something behind in Munich and was able to recover the lost article, much to the relief of everyone. We then caught an Austrian train that took us to Salzburg.

May 17: The Nuremberg Castle

At the Nuremberg Castle

Today the group toured the Old Town and Imperial Castle that looms above the city. As we walked up the long and steep stone path leading up to the structure, it was quite evident why this castle was not only built but has lasted so long. The castle is made almost completely out of stone and situated on a high  hill where you can see for miles over the German countryside, making it perfect for defenders to spot and ward off attackers. Historically the Imperial Castle was considered to be one of the most formidable medieval sites found in Europe and although historians and archeologists don’t know when it's construction first began, many point to sometime between 1050 and 1105. The castle was renovated and added onto extensively throughout the medieval period since it served every emperor of the Holy Roman Empire when they passed through Nuremburg, such as Emperor Friedrich III.

May 16: Nuremberg: Wandering through the City

Professor Tambasis and her typical daily Eis

Following our visits to the Nazi Party Rally Grounds and the Nuremberg Trials Memorial, the group needed some time to decompress. After a tasty meal at Bratwursthaeusle, the group was given free time to explore the beautiful city center of Nuremberg. After being nearly completely destroyed by Allied bombers during the Second World War, the city began the arduous process of rebuilding. This process of reconstruction attempted to remain true to the city's history and the end result is a city filled with beautiful churches, half-timbered houses, and, perhaps most importantly, numerous Eis cafes. What follows are several images of Nuremberg's city center.






 

May 16: Nuremberg and National Socialism, Part II

Inside the Courtroom

Immediately after the tour was over the group rushed to see the the Nuremberg Trial Memorial and Palace of Justice, a large court complex that was home to one of the most infamous court cases in history. Immediately following the conclusion of the war, 23 high ranking German officials and officers were tried by an international military tribunal for war crimes committed during World War II. Nuremberg’s court was chosen both because of its massive size which allowed enough offices and space for all of the representatives from various respective countries involved and because it had escaped total destruction from Allied bombs. 

May 16: Nuremberg and National Socialism, Part I

Former Congress Hall at the Rally Grounds

During our first full day in the city of Nuremberg, our group traveled to one of the most infamous areas of the German city, the large complex of the Nazi Rally Grounds.These rallies lasted for 5 years; beginning in 1933 this event lasted a total of 3 days, while by 1938 it had been extended to 5 days. We toured the many buildings with our tour guide Mathias, who was both personable and knowledgeable. He was able to explain the landmarks, events, and individuals involved in the rallies and their construction. We were told of the architect, Albert Speer, who constructed the many projects Hitler desired, and also the amount of money loaned from the German banks 
to aid the Nazi party's goal. 

May 15: Munich and National Socialism: Part II

Dachau

After a quick lunch at the Hamburg Fish Market in Munich (a collection of sea-food carts set up in a public square), we boarded the S-bahn and made our way to the suburb of Dachau, home to the first concentration camp opened by the Nazi state. Another way in which Germany and Munich have created a collective memory of the Third Reich is by transforming former concentration camps into memorials and museums so that all German citizens and foreign visitors can acknowledge the inhuman crimes that the Nazis committed and try to ensure that this does not happen again.

May 15: Munich and National Socialism: Part I

The NS Documentation Center in Munich

On Friday, our adventures took us to the National Socialist Documentation Center in Munich. Built on the site of the Nazi Party's old Munich headquarters -- the Brown House -- the center opened some two weeks before we visited. In some ways, this picked up where we left off yesterday in our journey through Germany's history. In other ways, however, it highlighted the jagged fractures in Germany's twentieth-century history. After visiting King Ludwig's castle nestled in the Bavarian Alps, we attempted to connect the Bavaria and Germany of his time to the Germany that murdered Jews and other "non-conforming" ethnic groups so that  
the Nazi state could create a racially pure empire. 

May 14: Bavaria's Fairytale Castles (or sir, please, can I have two minutes?)

Today the group traveled to the Bavarian Alps in order to experience and explore the castles of King Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, during the late 1800s. This bus ride journeyed through the beautiful scenery of the Alps and traditional villages before reaching our destination.

May 13: First Impressions of Munich

Marienplatz (Altes Rathaus and Frauenkirche)

After checking into our hostel and settling in, we then walked to the center of Munich at the Marienplatz. The Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) dominates the square. After being heavily damaged during the Second World War, it was reconstructed according to its original style. Walking from the train station to the Marienplatz, however, one is struck by the multitude of architectural forms used to rebuild the city. 

May 13: From Frankfurt to Munich: Arrival in Germany

Train Station at the Frankfurt Airport

After we touched down in Frankfurt, we collected our luggage and went to the airport's train station. The train station was a glass dome with many stores in it. I was blown away about how different our cultures are from just observing inside the train station. Although some of the stores were similar to ours in America, (Starbucks, McDonald's, Burger King, etc.) many were German bakeries. I had a croissant while I was there to get my first taste of Germany. 

WJU 2015: Bavaria and Austria

It is time again for the Wheeling Jesuit University History 
Department's annual May trip. 26 students, alumni, and faculty left May 12 for a nine day trip through Central Europe, with stops in Munich, Nuremberg, and Salzburg. As is our usual practice, the blog will be updated by history students describing their experiences and impressions of the trip. Our initial post for this year's trip follows after the jump.

WJU's Commencement 2015

The Wheeling Jesuit History Department would like to congratulate the following seniors who graduated today with history majors: Jared Baranowski, Steve Bridgeman, Tori Fluharty, Kara Gordon, Nick Malarbi, Marque Marry and Hunter Onderko. They were a good group of students and people who represent what we would like our students to be when they graduate from our university.

C-SPAN and the Wheeling Jesuit University History Department

As part of the C-SPAN's Cities Tour, two historians at Wheeling Jesuit University were interviewed about their research. The interviews were part of a larger project that looked at both the history and literary culture of Wheeling, West Virginia that aired over the past weekend on various C-SPAN channels.