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2/6/1957 - Stubborn City: First Impressions by David Binder

NOT FOR PUBLICATION INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS DB Plockstrasse Stubborn City Giessen Germany First Impressions Feb Mr Welter S Rogers Institute Current World Affairs Fifth Avenue New York New York Dear Rogers The first impression Germany makes wintertime visitor involves slight assault senses The crinkles odors smoke strong mustard breath The dilate through heavy chane ocean brightness The tingle whole orchestra bells whistles horns voices There uniforms green black dearly beloved cared Seven distinctive outfits being modeled customs Bremerhaven different uniform baggage handler customs inspector Immigatlon authority postal clerk policeman railroadman candystore clerk There neatness everywhere narrow fleld tilled right fences precise ranks trees marching Westerwald hills sidewalks backyards irrisation ditches alltidily arranged The handwriting meticulous From window express train looks thoush every stone trackbed place One passenger aIfrom Colorado It makes almost knock fence there There efficiency punctilio A dinin waiter passes through coAches handing tickets meals different hours If waiter yellow ticket short lecture minutes Everything coach number coach section compartment washroom The Bremerhaven Stuttart express stops durin6 seven Giessen every conductor The Giessen Prlnz Carl Hotel clean kitten It contains however Ironies efficiency The tw__o bowls enough laundry The closet contains coathangers The light fixtures fancy bulbs Nevertheless security prevails windows shutters outside curtains inside One Why neatness efficiency punctuality privacy Herr Beuchert stubby vested hotel manager This first series newsletters David Binder Giessen W S R We Germans sensitive things quiet orderly other My landlady Frau Seibt another She concluded minute lecture rules house rentin5 arrangement saying I telli understand other Then I One thinks clich Germany pressure cooker One looks winter which yards pressing The close stale One thinks other frontiers East Russians Poles West French South Austrians Swiss North Danes English Now always before country crowded rounded The German hemmed Every awhile something relieve feeling something violent Meanwhile inside Germany obliged accomodate himself close quarters pressure feeling other Hence rules regulations Everything place there Don Step I yours 5ence curtains shutters hence politenesses bittesehrs dankeschoens hence signs warning Main Street Giessen about yards It roughly parallel Lahn Rive which flows western towards Rhine The street curvir across heart Innenstadt inner This section destroyedIn awesome December The whole suffered damageo damage suffered cities Colo6ne Wuerzburg enough Among victims Giessen athaus Stadtkirche City Church Signs rubble sreet today years later But there among uniform storey buildings A storey buildin usually marks where larer building stood The bombs wrecked It would destroyed beautiful Even Giessen VeMveen chamber commerce brochure describes O rather beautiful The street actually combination three streets It starts Selterstor Selters Gate southwestern entrance through walls As Selterswe5 yards KreuzPla Cross Square where becomes M Mousecastle The uebur crosses Kirchenplatz Church Square Lindenplatz Linden Square where becomes heWalltorstrasse Wall Street It where north eastern Used t0beo The street narrow about except places where broadens Traffic terrific Cars motorcycles bicycles small trucks motorbikes miniature automobiles Willi Messerschmitt Heinkel street after Pedestrian traffic heavier At again hardly sidewalks crowds During least people throng street tenth total population There reasons traffic shops stores Amon6 these shoestores druggists clothing stores mostly women oculist ambrella store Most buildings street rebuilt The architec mixture socalled aiser Wilhelm style Gothic Baroque imitation Baroque Fachwerk timber Just plain German The drabness Giessens ntuated right omnipresent which rises Lahn tributary streams which troug The color Giessen predominently The touched there yellow somber brown sickly olive shade Giessen became Middle Ages At century Hessian grand dukes owned territory decided needed stronghold Lahn Theybuilt water castle where Giessen stands between fortified points Gleiberg Castle Schiffenberg Monastary south The Giessen brooks first document dated referri T certain Countess Slome Gyezen The around castle became about There earlier settlements Giessen including Germanic tribe called Catten Tacitus describes But settlement permanent until castle built By century Giessen complete towers In century enlightened noble Landgrave Ludwi V founded Giemen university In first seven centuries Giessen suffered growing pains European cities sieges decimating plague occupation foreign armies floods epidemics fires It expanded slowly Population During century University brought Giessen measur world enown Justus Liebig founders modern chemistry ioneering scientific studies Later Wilhelm K Roentgen physicist discovered X taught niversity Meanwhile developed important junction conectlng Upper Cologne Coblentz Fulda Frankfurt south assel north And prize possessions Hessian dukes natural Giessen become capital Upper Hesse province Giessen provincial there plenty serve entertainment seeker On typical night Giessener could films German French Mexican American Or could three public lectures including Anthro pology Society presentation Are Birth And Death The eginning And End Of Human Existence could Stadttheater taeatre where Giessen repertory company performing Stah Wiener Blur Afterwards could cafes taverns dancehalls cabarets restaurants I operetta The packed least people small theatre The office Ausverkauft minute after I bought cents ticket forth gallery The production excellent simple imainativeo The audience At intermission crowd paraded solemnly lobby couples families Therfaces though scrubbed water brush They probably DBI I selected nightcap tavern Seltersweg called Trinkaus Drink Up Trinkhaus drinking house As entered Jukebox playing popular American record When Ah Mah Babes oleaginously Pat Boone At tables G I lolled drinks girls By chance I picked Giessen patronized American troops based Over corner couple uniform Bundeswehr German ederal Army nursin their beers A sleazily dressed woman stuck finer front G I boyfriend I trink I frank floor Give whisky The whisky Old Graindad As leave See later alligator I ordered 6lass mlnutes laterA taxishedancersaid table introduced herself I Mitzi Mitzi wears heavy makeup slacks tight sweater poundage around middle She years Trier Mosel Valley I asked shethoughtofGiessen Esistn Stadt sastubbornor narrowminded About three German soldiers stood donned reatcoats moved towards As neared table where American soldiers snapped tention saluted G I The americans simply stared until walked Jeezus American fterwards think supposed buddies somethin A little later Trinkaus livelier There hollerin thumping tavern A erman matador pants table reeled slightly pointed G I companion You S mohin The American leveled steady replied magnanimously Baby birds The headwaiter turned Jukebox It playing Badenweiler March military piece which known bring nostalgic nationalistic G erman You couldn heard three years Fed Republic In Trifkaus served drown further exchang G I Baby The cymbals peeled drums rolling keening I drank marched stubborn America represenZed tunes soldiers Giesser You pizza spaghetti meatballs restaurant Am erican ma6azines books several stores Coca Cola everywhere The barber arktstrasse erman youngsters asking haircuts femred arrival Hollywood Rock Rock Rock nearby theatre cause stampede halrcut Giessen American cities television conscious The aerials sprout nearly every Television Germany limited couple state owned stations Programs broadcast afternoon evenir The techinal quality excellent Some programs included American expedition Antarctic hockey between Germany Poland minute roundup sparkling production Jean Giraudoux The Trojan War Will Not Take Place psycho films The latter entitled Nothing Against Wild West Films conversation betwe anxious young mother psychologist The housewife started things Aren these films awful violent I worried about lettin Hans They excite The psychologist replied soothingly these American films intense Junior DB1 On contrary child always identify himself heroo The added always never commits mayhem without deepest provocation The psychologlst walked blackboard picked piece chalk Suppose X draws blackboard psychologist continued liquid voice X everythin brave reserved Over Y villain badmen knife a_rtists psycholist frowns In middle draws circle ordinary people helpless without leader Then lines squiggles other diagrams explained action western The young mother still doubtful He showed several westerns Finally after minutes convinced housewife westerns Sports popular Giessen SatUrday night Giessen Box Club called Offenbach Kickers A p0Ste9 adVer tiseu claimed Kickers their strongest The match place Volkshalle eople Sall north There turnout people Unfortunately Giessen sluggers shorter armed younger muscular their Kicker rivals It MudVille Nine Giesseners canvas their three round bouts Five fighters their bouts technical knockouts One Giessen light heavyweight threw towel after seconds first round The Offenbacher knocked around fermishall The announcer explained crowd Der Offenbacher stark Offenbacher strong The crowd gallery disap inted They yelled blood The announcer May I onlookers sportin please Next appearance light soccer between Giessen Lorsche Giessen contest three nothing Over people stood earthen terraces University Sports Field watch There seats The temperature about degrees nobody seemed At refreshment stand where bought qualities Schnapps crowd pleaser plenty misses fouls penalties charleyho driven The youngsters terraces shouted _Tem_pp TempoS aster Faster whenever looked offin That night there still another sports event The estival Sports Stadttheater Giessen sports heroes resent greetings mayor other City officials Some wishers Cheer Nobody boxing showed A Sunday afternoon around Giessen makes amount damage World War II bomblng Here shell burnt house There rubble round floor You still kitchen tiles However makes aware incredible degree recovery since Many buildings constructed bIcks eoncrete blocks taken ruins The mortar chipped bricks laboriously usable Some streets fashionable Lonystrasse Liebi6strasse escaped damage On these racious homes their turrets towers grills little walled ardens unscathed Elsewhere among Sunday afternoon other afternoons After stoped Caf nettler Selterstor It The Hettler several qualities which popular Giessen It quiet It reasonable prices And affords discreet complete everything going Giessen busiest intersection The Hettler boasts modernistic ceiling which mildly intriguing watch entered several coffeedrin gazing fascinated Most customers H ettler drinking eating talking At table thirties spoke Excuse thank It trenchcoat minute button buckle The I looked surprised pointed where would Russland Russia Auf wiederschauen In Hettler I closer fmces The women little pinched least The littl It difficult little conscious iessen People stare stare other I stared What staring erhaps G srmans themselves peculiarly conscious The other thin6 notices quickly Giessen plethora signs There everything Put bicycles Littering forbidden City Turn handle handle favorite soccer field Vrsicht iiger Hund Beware bitln Giessen daily newspapers mornin papers The Giessener A_nze ige__r Giessener Advertiser Giessener Freie Presse GerFree Press circulation about IgOOOach I haven difference between Their local articles contain almost wordino The makeup similar The features about Last Thursday could local items papers Glessen stations going night service Th Traffic Commission recommended parkin Walltorstrasse The class Count Ludwi Gymnasium athered their mater yesterday times their final exams their former classroom seats Gullty guilty County Court Director Scheld lecture night careful these confl The Giessen Women Club O00 parcels Soviet Zone Germany years A sentenced months Jail district Judge charges tortured horse A witness found horse hungry eating Ahe standing kneedeep manure crying A group doctor advised group industrial managers Manager Disease heart attacks doctors recommende eight hours sleep night before retiring homework weekend hobby plenty exercise Both papers cultivating local audience Each column called Wit gratulleren We congratulate which greets Giesseners their birthdays A short biography lucky printed along column picture The Freie Presse Anzeiger carry considerable amounts national international They service features On weekends Freie Presse after young readers section children It called Mach In features drawings stories poems byGiessen children On section cartoon strip Peter Wolf The Anmeiger weekend edition carries special section farmers gardeners called Die Scholle The Sod Articles Die Scholle weekend included The Maahdrian Adonis Rose Delphinia Russian abblts An I nfraredl Box For Baby Pigs Putting Dun6 On Our Frult Trees The Anze editorials So Freie Presse The Anzelger sined political rials start front continue second They about O00 words apiece Every other member Anzeier staff writes short light editorial One subject another brlefcase alarmclocks another backyard 6ardenin They funny The Freie resse matches these light peces occasional Hessian dialect The political orientation Anzelger independent leanlngs toward Dr Andenauer Cristian emocrat policies Last there often bitter debate foreign policy Parliament Bonn The debate ostensibly clear Administration opposition party towards reunification East ermany The debate broadcast radio television It first West Germans chance Government action manner event brought interesting comment Anzeiger editor Dr F W Lange His editorial reminiscent American reaction Army McCarthy hearing broadcasts Followins Dr Lance remarks The great foreign policy debate Parliament leaves behind stale taste tongue This generously offered chance behind scenes stripped arliament mystical One should mighty careful about using microphone television camera perhaps serve purpose keeping parliamentary discussion point Lange added debate brought forth nothing either party could He agreed deputy discussion little sense concluded saying lesson Polish Hungarian rebellions ought enough teach Germar alloted power strengthen unity West DB1 The foreign policy debate opened Frei6n inister Heinrich Brentano defended Adeneuer policies support NATO cautious approach Soviet Block subject reunification Speaking opposition Erich Ollenhauer leader Social Democratic Party Outlined establishing European security system which would presumably third force between West blocks Such system Ollenhaer would eunification easier It seems debate important enoueh warrant further uotatiou German newspaper commentators Writing Die The World national daily independent circulation Klaus Harpprecht concluded acrid editorial denouncing parties these words The soberin6 arrived happy occurred before elections DisillUsion always hurts least A Germans Soviet Zone They istered their doubts about oaths Let leave reunification It withln grasp Above leave election He really doesn about every impatient would passion For impatience Aremlin secret weapon thereby wonde weapon aainst reunification Baumgarten influential editor Frankfurter All6emeine national daily independent circulation wrote ernest comment debteo dmlts spokewlth blletbox summer national election added their privilege Baumgarten debate least cleared The question risks should security lines peaceful approach towards East block View thngs stand Can reunlflctlon quickly The other I friends headwaiter Prinz Hotel Horst slender blond A native Koenis sbers ussia controlled Russians slipped East ermny years working otels since Two asked Join Caf nettler coffee I asked thought foreign policy debate We switched Horst loose bitter torrent words Adenauer doesn reunification There Germany dytheoienauerlikeitthlShenuessen reunifl They pointed street across square If united tomorrow stores would close Afifth people In Giesen would East where I would With everyone pcked tgether makes businees West ermany With reunification million would their homes I Social emocratso They eally reunification Sincerely David Binder eceived York