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In the morning we accompany Maria to the MDF, the Mitteldeutsche Rundfunk, to an exhibition of her paintings. Afterwards we go together with Stefan to the Völkerschlachtdenkmal(monument of battle of the nations)
The first glance on this monster is rather gothic, shattering and fascinating at the same time . In its sheer monumentality it looks like a bunker of violent titans being at star wars, far away from here. Probably such an impression was intended by the principals in the nationalistic, imperialistic Prussia at that time. The monument was constructed and finalized in the year 1930 in remembrance of the Vielvölkerschlacht=(historical battle) near Leipzig.
In the year 1813 Napoleons army had been in war with the federalized armies of Prussia, Russia, Austria and Sweden. During 3 days, more than half a million soldiers massacred each other hand to hand. The result: 110 000 dead and a few 10 000 wounded, of which the bigger part died in the following days and weeks. An occurence in such a dimension had never happened before and resulted in Napoleons total defeat and the reorganisation of Europe at the Congress of Vienna. So the Intension to built a monument is more than comprehensible.
Even though the monument has got some aesthetical and architectural innovations, like the enormous ferroconcrete cupola or the art nouveau elements in form of reliefs and groups of figures, it still gives an overall impression of an nationalistic and imperialistic world view, that once was implemented in Prussia of Wilhelm II. During the changeful German History in the 20th century, time and again, this monument served as a symbol of dictatorial, violent regimes. The Nazis used it propagandistically as a unifying symbol of a closed, heroic national community and the SED regime did nearly the same, when interpreting it as an allegory for the identity of the socialist unitarian state and the Russian-German fighting spirit.
Today it ought to serve as a symbol of peace for the unifying force of all nations in the world. However, this will only be successful at the time, when the implicit power and violent-glorifying character will be discovered and the monument will be interpreted as a historical report of a long ago era.

Stefan is a jazz musician, leader of the 'Leipjazz Orkester' and also teacher at the Leipzig Conservatoire. He's the perfect companion to lead us through the music city Leipzig. We visit the House of Mendelsohn and the famous Thomas church, where Johann Sebastian Bach had performed his great musical works every sunday, for the worshippers and the praise of the lord. Here, the master of music, who'd been quite underrated during his lifetime, is buried.
Leipzig is definitely a vital city. Due to the traditional Leipzig Trade Fair, the city has got its typical character of a middle-class trading town, what extensively contributed, that citizens of Leipzig in relation to other cities, had more information and had always been more resistent to the GDR-regime. We visit the STASI-Museum 'Rundes Eck', the building, where the secret police was located. In December 1989 it was occupied without any violence by the citizens committee and this was the beginning of the end of dictatorship. Today here is a museum open to the public, which shows in all its horrible details the terrorist STASI controlling system. Here is also the archive of all STASI files and documents, that have been saved before being destroyed hastily by the regime.
In the evening we and the soup are invited at Christines home. For the day after next, we still haven't a cook. Admittedly, Frank from Neugönna and Jörg from Schöndorf have offered to ask their friends for cooking, if needed. But the resolut Christine grabs the phone reseiver to call her daughter in Wittenberg, tells her, sombody would like to cook a soup at her home and passes me the phone. Now I am in the situation to tell in 3 sentences all about the thing with the soup. Confusion! She thinks I am kidding. Now I start to talk with her husband Jan, who's willing to cook. We agree to bring the soup to Wittenberg the day after next around midday, add it to Jan's soup and take another half litre away with us. However, Christine again grabs the receiver to tell her daughter, that we will arrive the very next day and will stay overnight. 'No problem, they are only two persons' she says. So to our very surprise we stay for one night in the town of Martin Luther and the painter Cranach the Elder.

cook: jan
recipe: banana curry soup
gallery: extra spontane suppe
koordinaten: 51.867622, 12.651554

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