Lugwigslust is a relatively young town and has an interesting history. A Prince Ludwig built a hunting lodge near the small hamlet of Klenow, then established himself there and renamed the town "Ludwig's Joy". The hunting lodge developed into the schloss you see in the picture, surrounded by acres and acres of gardens, paths, bridges, fountains and all the elements of beauty that can be afforded by self-indulgent aristocrats living off the sweat of their peasants.
What we did not learn from our guidebooks or from tourist information about Ludwigslust is that it was the location of a small concentration camp called Wobbelin. The camp was only built in 1944 and it was originally intended to house U.S. prisoners of war. In 1945 the SS enlarged the camp as a destination for prisoners who were being transferred to prevent their liberation by the Allies as the war came to a close. On May 2 1945 American military units discovered the camp with the bodies of 1000 starved prisoners and 4000, still alive but in deplorable conditions. The Americans forced the citizens of Ludswiglust to tour the camp and assist in the burial of the dead. There is a local memorial that we were not told of and did not see.
On the grounds of Ludwigslust Schloss.
An Insect Hotel
This is one of the peculiarly German things that I had seen before but didn't photograph until I saw it again on the last day. Tidy gardens, lawns and lack of dead wood mean less habitat for bees, spiders and ladybugs and these structures are designed to provide a home for various beneficial insets and pollinators. While I say German, the internet tells me that they have spread across Europe and are now beginning to be created in the U.S. as well.
This was our our last lunch-- not a very picturesque location but the most vivacious waitress ever and as always good beer and good food.
Not long before we reached Schwerin we passed through the very nice village of Mirow. This was of particular interest because John's paternal grandmother was a Mirow and Mirows and Langhans had intermarried for many years in the villages around Rotzeburg. While I have never found a direct connection to a Mirow from Mirow, I know that place names predate surnames and it is reasonable to assume that the first Mirows may have come from this village.
Schwerin Schloss
Our first look at the Schwerin Schloss came from across the water as we rode on a busy lakeside trail toward the city. Very Cinderella's castle! We all took many pictures and looked forward to seeing more the next day. In the meantime, we pushed on to our last hotel, the Hotel am Hauptbahnhof.
The hotel was right across from the train station-- very convenient for our trip to Berlin the next day but very noisy as well. Train stations have associated bus and trolley lines as well as many people coming and going and our rooms were on the street but the bustle was not unpleasant. The hotel was not nearly as upscale as some we had stayed at and the owners were much enamored of a red and yellow color scheme that went far beyond the obvious. The dishes, napkins, flower pots, flowers, pitchers, bedspreads, lamp shades, etc. Everything was either red and yellow and to my eyes it was a bit lurid but someone must have loved it. Our window is the wide open one just to the left of the balcony.
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