Fotoeins Fotografie

location bifurcation, place vs. home

Posts tagged ‘Deutschland’

My Berlin: Shalekhet (Fallen Leaves), Jewish Museum

Above: Photo, 23 Jun 2025 (X70).

The Jüdisches Museum (Jewish Museum) in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district is one of the most visited museums in the German capital. Millions from around the world have visited the museum since its opening in late-2001. With the unique architectural vision and building design by Daniel Libeskind, the museum does not set aside the history of the Jewish community within Germany as being separate from the history of the country as a whole. Instead, there is conscious effort by Libeskind and the Museum to have visitors consider how the historical, cultural, art, literature, music, intellectual, scientific, and economic contributions from the Jewish community are tied inextricably with the history of Germany over the span of two millennia. These very issues and questions are now also driving discussions about the present state and evolution of the Turkish and other expatriate communities within Germany.

One sculpture in the museum is both poignant and disturbing.

( Click here for images and more )

Zollverein Colliery, Essen, Ruhrgebiet, Germany, Deutschland, Welterbe Weltkulturerbe, UNESCO, World Heritage, fotoeins.com

Essen UNESCO WHS: Zollverein and Coal-Mining History

A desolate former coal-mining industrial region isn’t a usual candidate for a place to visit. However, the Zollverein coal mine in Essen, Germany provided the impetus to seek out aspects of industrial photography. There’s something special about the way light strikes metal which brings out various aspects of shape, form, and texture.

I’m beginning to understand the historical significance of coal-mining to the people and to the economy in the Ruhrgebiet (Ruhr river region). Over decades, a cloud of “grey” hung over the region, as air- and water-pollution took its toll, and the economic influence of coal began to diminish.

To mark its importance to the modern industrial development and history of the region, the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. The entire refurbished complex now houses space for art, design, and cultural exhibitions, and is also home to the Ruhr Museum, shedding light on the industrial history of the Ruhrgebiet, providing historical accounts of the economic importance of coal mining and its consequent decline, as well as descriptions of existing and future economic redevelopment plans for the Ruhr region.

Essen was designated as one of three European Capital Cities of Culture for 2010; a number of projects, sites, and monuments throughout the Ruhrgebiet were on display, including the Zollverein.

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The Crier, Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany, fotoeins.com

The Crier: from Berlin to Perth

In this post, I wrote about how I discovered the statue called “Der Rufer” (The Crier) in Berlin’s Tiergarten:

The statue in the foreground is called “Der Rufer” (The Caller or The Crier). Created by Gerhard Marcks in 1966, a cast of the bronze statue was purchased and erected here in place in the former West Berlin in May 1989. The statue was placed deliberately so that the “caller” faced East Berlin. At the sculpture’s base is a quote by Italian poet Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374): “Ich gehe durch die Welt, und rufe ‘Friede Friede Friede'” | “I wander through the world, and cry ‘Peace, Peace, Peace.'”

On 12 September 2012, some 18 months after making the above photo, I discovered the same statue by accident at the Cultural Centre in Northbridge, Perth, Australia.

The Crier, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia, fotoeins.com

The Crier (Perth)

Sculptor Gerhard Marcks (1889-1981) did not intend to convey a specific message or meaning to his piece of work. However, the version of the sculpture in Berlin was dedicated to a call for peace, whereas the casting in Perth was dedicated to the victims of torture.

I made the photos shown above with a Canon EOS450D: the first (Berlin shot) with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS kit-lens, and the second (Perth shot) with the 50mm f/1.4 prime-lens. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com as http://wp.me/p1BIdT-2og.