Stuttgart, Germany

Lunch on the Rhine River

I knew a little about my immigrant forefather Gottlieb Enz. Things like when he was born (1838), where he came from (Bergenweiler, Wurttemberg, Germany), when he arrived in WI (1865). I had read he was a farmer, was married, lived in Glenmore, WI and went to Lark Evangelical Church just down the road from his farm. I'd been curious about Germany and my family heritage for a long time and this seemed like a good time to learn a little more.

Doug and I traveled to Stuttgart, Germany, the capital of Baden-Wurttemberg, which was about a 6 hour drive from Geneva. As I planned our travel for the weekend I learned of a few treasures that I hoped to be able to find along the way. We stopped in Basel, Switzerland on our way to Germany. We knew there was a spot where the three countries of Switzerland, France and Germany intersected and walked along the Rhine River to see what we could see (right, dad). The Rhine River begins in the Swiss Alps, flows along the borders of Liechtenstein, Austria, France, and then through Germany to the Netherlands until it ends in the North Sea. We walked for a long time looking for the infamous Three Countries Corner and saw lots of interesting things along our way including a large group of sailors apparently on a reunion of sorts taking the boat across the Rhine while playing their drums.
 We grabbed a market lunch and enjoyed it while sitting on the shore of the Rhine before we headed to Germany.

Farmland in Baden Wurttenberg, Germany

The border guard between Switzerland and Germany stopped us briefly, checked our passport and allowed us to enter. The first thing we noticed was the immediate change in topography. The mountains of Switzerland were behind us and the land before us was so flat. Small farms were scattered among the large fields. We saw workers covering raised planted beds with hooped white plastic tarps. We could see plants under the plastic and realized they were large greenhouses covering the entire field. Doug was driving on the autobahn and kept mostly in the slow lane since we were following the speed limit, unlike many others. There were times when a car would speed past us so fast it pulled our car too. I am thankful Doug is a great driver.

We traveled toward the Black Forest and the city of Pforzheim. While researching online, I had discovered there was an Enz River near Pforzheim. There were three rivers that joined together in the city and I wasn't sure how to find the Enz. Plus the city of Pforzheim was much larger than I thought it would be. I wanted to find the Enz River in this town with some kind of assurance I was in the right place. I was pleased with what we found. Of course I needed a photo with my sign. The Enz River is a clean river with areas of occasional rapids. Sometimes it is banked by areas of concrete and other times it has natural banks with green paths along the edge.

I reflected about how Gottlieb left everything that was familiar to him to go to a place with different customs, different foods, a different language, different ways to farm, but without the conveniences of technology to keep him connected to Germany. I am indeed blessed with today's technologies which help me stay connected with everyone even though I am many miles away.

The tolling of the bells

It was ten minutes before 6 pm and the bells began to toll at this church. We didn't understand why they were tolling but waited until 6 pm to see what would happen next. The church bells continued to ring and the sound reverberated off the buildings that surrounded it. It was not until we reached Stuttgart that we understood why. During WWII the city of Pforzheim was bombed so severely by the British Air Force that  90 percent of the city was flattened, and over 30 percent of the population died. World War II changed this city forever; bells toll in remembrance of the devastation.

We wanted to grab dinner before driving to our hotel for the night. We had seen a few restaurants while walking around the town. My German's even worse than my French, which means it is essentially non-existent. Thankfully, the waiters at the restaurant understood my pointing and nodding. It looked similar to falafel but with a German twist. It smelled good, looked good and tasted great.

Duke Eberhard in Altes Schloss (Old Castle)

Stuttgart was also heavily bombed during WWII but did not suffer the destruction of Pforzheim because of the deep valleys of the city and the shelters built in the hills. We went into the city on Sunday and sat inside an Evangelical Lutheran Church as services ended. It was good to be in a church alive with a congregation worshiping God and encouraging one another.

We walked the streets of old town, saw the New and Old Castles, fountains, the statue of Duke Eberhard I (1445-1496), listened to street musicians, and sat in the park called Schlossgarten. It was a perfect day in the park, about 65 degrees with clear blue skies and a gentle breeze. The park was serene with beautiful flower gardens, open areas of green grass and large trees, and the noise from the fountain was soothing to our ears. but alas it was time to say goodbye to Baden-Wurttenberg begin the drive back to Geneva.

We traveled back through the Black Forest of Germany toward the mountains of Switzerland. The Black Forest is filled with the dark, blue green leaves of fir trees dappled with the bright green of the new leaves on the deciduous trees. We spotted a few deer eating in the fields, small herds of cows and sheep near the barns, and goats climbing the hills.

When we got back home we could hardly believe we had only been gone one night. It was indeed a wonderful glimpse of my heritage.