From the top of Württemberg hill in Stuttgart, this east view faces the village of Uhlbach in the city district of Obertürkheim. The hills are covered in vineyards; among them are white-wine grape varieties Burgunder, Herold, Kerner, Müller Thurgau, Riesling, and Trollinger.
I made the image above on 20 Jul 2024 with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime and the following settings: 1/500-sec, f/11, ISO1000, and 18.5mm focal length (28mm full-frame equivalent). This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-wyN.
I’m in Stuttgart for a few days, and I rediscover photographer Gerda Taro was born in the city. I’d already read some history of photography, including the Spanish Civil War and Gerda Taro as the first woman to photograph and publish images about open conflict. I’ve gone looking for some traces in the city of her birth, as a quick and spontaneous mini-project in the midst of 90 consecutive days in Europe.
Memorial, near Olgaeck
Near the bus and tram stop Olgaeck is Gerda Taro Plaza, in memory of the young woman photographer who was born “Gerta Pohorylle” in Stuttgart and who once lived with her family in the area. At the plaza is a 2014 memorial dedicated to Taro; the text on all nine panels is entirely in German.
Named for photographer Gerda Taro (1910-1937), the plaza was unveiled by the city in 2008, and redesigned in 2014 with the installation of the memorial.
“O”. Gerda Taro, a pioneer in war photography.
“R”. The 1920s: Jazz, Theater, and the Stuttgart Kickers.
“A”. Leipzig: distributing leaflets against Hitler.
“T”. Exile in Paris: meeting André Friedmann, and the creation of Gerda Taro and Robert Capa. There is no Capa without Taro.
“A”. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939.
“D”. Barricades, armed women, equitable distribution of land.
“R”. The camera as witness: misery and terror from bombs.
“E”. Getting up close, for the world at large.
“G”. The first woman war-photographer killed on location. Documenting Spain’s civil war with her camera, Gerda Taro was accidentally run over by a tank and died from her injuries in a hospital near Madrid on 26 July 1937. She was buried in a marked grave in Paris’ Cimetière du Père-Lachaise.
Republican militia women training on the beach outside Barcelona, Spain: photo by Gerda Taro, August 1936. Provided by Ur Cameras on Flickr via Creative Commons.
Family home
Not far from Gerda-Taro-Plaza, I found the Pohorylle family’s former home, based on this poignant essay. I didn’t see any Gedenktafel (memorial plaque) or any Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) in the pavement, at or in front of either building 170 or 170A. In 1929, when Gerta was 19 years old, the Pohorylle family moved from Stuttgart to Leipzig.
Obstructed view of the former Pohorylle family house (in light orange), as seen from passage off Cottastrasse.
Gate to path access for building address Alexanderstrasse 170A.
Former Pohorylle family house, at Alexanderstrasse 170A.
Taro, short bio
Born Gerta Pohorylle, 1910 in Stuttgart, Germany; died 1937 in El Escorial, Spain.
“… Studied in Leipzig starting in 1929. Emigrated to Paris in 1933. In 1935 began working with the photographer André Friedmann, later known as Robert Capa. In 1935-1936 worked for the Alliance Photo Agency. Shortly after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in the summer of 1936, she and Capa went to Spain; other photography assignments in Spain followed in early 1937. She was fatally wounded at the Brunete front in July 1937 and was the first female war correspondent killed in action.”
Source: “Women War Photographers: from Lee Miller to Anja Niedringhaus” (Munich: Prestel, 2019), p. 218.
I made all photos above with an iPhone15 on 22 Jul 2024. I received no support from an external organization. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
In 2021, UNESCO recognized the cultural and historical significance of the great popularity of spa culture and spa towns in Europe from the 18th-century to the early 20th-century. Today, we have The Great Spa Towns of Europe, as 11 towns across 7 nations were inscribed as a single transnational World Heritage Site. Baden-Baden is one of the 11 towns, and is only 30 minutes from Karlsruhe by train.
Baden-Baden is 1 of the 11 “Great Spa Towns of Europe”.
Steinbrunnen (stone fountain), 1871; in the Lichtentaler Allee green-space.
Staatliche Kunsthalle (State Art Gallery), completed in 1909. The present exhibition has the tagline: “What would the bottom of the ocean tell us tomorrow, if emptied of water today?”
Kurhaus (Spa House), completed in 1824.
Front entrance.
Trinkhalle (Pump House), side entrance.
Trinkhalle, colonnade.
Trinkhalle, 1842.
Stiftskirche Liebfrauen (Collegiate Church of Our Lady).
Left to right, respectively: Stiftskirche Liebfrauen (pink); Altes Dampfbad (Old Steam Baths, yellow); Friedrichsbad (Frederic’s Baths, beige-green).
Festquelle: water still flows through the tap from the hot springs. People used to collect water for home use; no longer encouraged because of high arsenic content (yikes).
At the far end of Rotenbachsee Park is a statue of Russian author Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, whose 1866 novel “The Gambler” is set in Baden-Baden. The 2004 statue is by artist Leonid Baranov.
Dostoevsky casts his gaze down towards Baden-Baden. He was not shy about gambling (and losing) in the city‘s casinos.
“The Great Spa Towns of Europe”, as a transnational serial nomination: 11 towns, 7 nations.
I made all photos above with an iPhone15 on 24 Jul 2024. I received no support from an external organization. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
In 1993, UNESCO recognized the cultural and historical significance of the 12th-century Maulbronn monastery complex with inscription as World Heritage Site.
Monastery church, first began c. 1147.
Late 14th-century Madonna made of oak.
Cross, secondary altar.
Back of the cross: “1473” (first row).
Main altar space.
Madonna, c. 1300 CE, by Kölner Werkstätte.
Choir, c. 1450.
Ceiling above the main altar.
Former dining hall for monks, c. 1225 CE.
Former dining hall for monks, c. 1225 CE.
Keystone/capstone (Schlußstein) from the cloister (Kreuzgang), northeast wing, c. 1300 CE. At centre is a 1-Euro coin for comparison.
Keystone/capstone (Schlußstein) from the cloister (Kreuzgang), east wing, c. 1300 CE. At centre is a 1-Euro coin for comparison.
In 1993, UNESCO inscribed the 12th-century Maulbronn monastery onto the list of World Heritage Sites.
From Karlsruhe or Stuttgart, it’s a little tricky to reach Maulbronn with public transport. With my base moved to Karlsruhe, it’s first an RE or S4 train to Bretten, before hopping onto VPE bus 700 to stop “Alte Post” in Maulbronn. Finally, there’s about 600 metres remaining on foot to the ticket office on the monastery grounds.
I made all photos above with an iPhone15 on 23 Jul 2024. I received no support from an external organization. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
I spent travel day 76 (Euro day 75), mostly in Stuttgart’s city centre. By early afternoon having relearned something I found out years ago, I began a new “mini-project” for the final visits of the day; that 1-off will appear at a later date.
What’s now Schillerplatz with the Schiller statue was once home to an original stud farm called Stuotgarten (c. 950 CE), giving the future city its name.
Towards the Rathaus (City Hall) with its modern clock tower.
1111am on 22 July; moon just past full and into waning gibbous phase.
Inside Stuttgart’s Rathaus: the famous “Paternoster” elevator in service for employees, residents, and visitors like me. Of course, I used it to go up and down.
Next to the Rathaus is this statue “STUTTGARDIA”; see below.
Outside the Markthalle (market hall).
Inside the Markthalle (market hall), with a great abundance of meats and cheese.
I arrived at Herr Kächele, hungry for Maultaschen. I got so much more …
… with their big “Schwabenteller” (Swabian plate combo), including from left to right: potato salad, meat patty with gravy, regional specialty Maultaschen, cheese Spätzle. Washed it all down with a black currant juice spritzer. All made locally with locally sourced ingredients.
The massive and ongoing “Stuttgart21” central train station redevelopment project.
Marienplatz, in Stuttgart Süd: the arrival of the “Zacke” city cogwheel railway.
City route 10 operates as the “Zacke” cogwheel railway between Marienplatz and Degerloch until 845pm, after which a substitute bus rolls out into service at 9pm. It’s a steep climb south which is why the cogwheel is effective.
The SSB is the city’s transport provider: Stuttgarter Strassenbahnen AG.
I made all photos above with an iPhone15 on 22 Jul 2024. I received no support from an external organization. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
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