Ed Ward at Berlin Bites has a moving description of Austin as it used to be (for you Texan readers) as well as a post about Rosenthaler Platz, near my apartment, which centuries ago (at the time of the old Berlin wall) was the site of the only city gate Jews were allowed to enter. For some reason I learned this tidbit almost as soon as I moved to Berlin -- I think it's the reason this neighborhood was traditionally Jewish -- but Ed's right; you'd have no way of knowing it from the public signage. Berlin has a glowing chance to post a sign that says, "Moses Mendelssohn entered Berlin here in 1743 and changed the course of European thought." But all the memorials are negative, shameful, and dark.
posted by Michael Scott Moore |
8:08 PM
