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August/September 2000
What city was established as a royal seat by Charlemagne, is the source of Germany’s shortest river, and has 200 underground springs? Paderborn
By Carl Kuntze
Paderborn nestles in the Munster foothills and crests toward the Egge mountain slopes. The city derives its name from the Pader, Germany’s shortest river, which surges for less than three miles
before joining the Lippe in Schloss Neuhaus. The plateau is based in limestone, which is porous, bordered by the marl of the lowlands, which is impermeable. Fissures in the earth absorb not only all
precipitation, but collect water from streams trickling down the western inclines of the Egge hills. These subterranean streams flow north until they are impeded by the layer of clay at the boundary of
Paderborn, building up a pressure so great, they erupt to the surface in the center of town, forming over 200 brooks. Between 5,000 and 6,000 liters per second pour out of the ground, water that never freezes,
even in the harshest winters, temperatures seldom dropping below 15 degrees centigrade, a factor that encouraged settlement. By adding “born” to the name of the river, the German word for source, the settlers
identified their nascent hamlet, which predated Roman times. Access to water stimulated Paderborn’s prosperity, and the spring water, which lacked the sulfurous odor normally associated with spas, made excellent
beer, the brew favored by the inhabitants. Today, a beautifully landscaped park graces the center of town, and has an ambience of peace that contradicts its early history. For it was here that the restive
Germanic warring tribes would germinate the seed that would become modern Germany.
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Summer in Sommerhausen
A Photo Essay
By Heide Castleman
Modern cities all over the world seem to look more and more alike. Hence, there is a special charm in exploring the countryside where life slows down and where relaxation and simple joys are to be
found. In Germany, each area has its own ambience— each area has its own cultural distinction. Each has an individual style of architecture, customs, dialect, festivities and folkloric appeal. One warm summer
evening traveling in Bavaria along a road which flows the contours of the river Main on one side and rolling vineyards hills on the other, I decided spontaneously that the name “Sommerhausen” sounded inviting
and crossed the bridge.
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Otto Schweisgut’s Legacy
Preserving the Austrian Haflinger,the Unsung Equine Hero of World War II
By Nan Bauroth
An hour south of Munich lies a sunny Alpine spot on the edge of Austria’s Zahmen Kaisermountain that since the time of the Celts has been known as Am Rossbach (by the Horse Stream). Hikers who
meander its trails soon discover that these hills are still alive with the sound of a thrilling music - the thundering hoofs of the Haflinger. For centuries stallions of this exemplary breed have freely roamed
the mountain meadows, gazing down upon a chocolate box of a village nestled beneath the Spitzstein mountain. Known as Ebbs, this picturesque hamlet is home of the Fohlenhof, the largest Haflinger stud farm in
Europe, and living legacy of the breed’s benefactor, Otto Schweisgut. Most people associate World War II with the Lipizzaner, the elegant white stallions rescued by General Patton. But the real equine war heroes
were the Haflingers, a little-known, intrepid Austrian breed that instead of being saved by man for its beauty, suffered and died so that humans might live. Of all the Haflingers in Austrian history, none is
more revered than one named
Heini. A legend in his time, this gelding performed superequine feats during the war, endearing him to the troops to which he was assigned. During three brutal years on the arctic front, Heini’s endurance and willingness to work so touched Schweisgut, his young Tyrolian charge, that Schweisgut devoted his life to protecting and preserving this unsung breed.
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A SHORT HISTORY OF LAGER BEER
It took a German brewer to wean 19th-century Americans off hard liquor!
By Greg Kitsock
“He’s a legendary figure, almost like Santa Claus. He’s everywhere, and he’s nowhere,” says Rich Wagner of his namesake19th-century brewer John Wagner
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