A stateside reader and former military family member left a comment on a previous post about the Mountain Lodge, situated on Camp King’s hillside. This served as a reminder to check into its progress.

In February, I had reported about the city’s plans to turn the Mountain Lodge into a culture center by year end. This was to include giving the Camp King archives a final home on its former grounds. As of now, the archives are still being housed in a damp basement of some café in our neighborhood, just outside of Camp King.

Boarded-up Mountain Lodge Camp King Oberursel

Earlier today, I took a stroll  to take a closer look at the building. Yes, it is still boarded up and knowing German bureaucracy, I see no way of having this project even started by year end. Could be due to a lack of funds as well, since the city is getting into high gear for the Hessentag 2011 event.

Mountain Lodge stairway

Another speculation is the Mountain Lodge’s neighborhood. Early on in the building process, there had been talk of turning the building into a fancy restaurant. But the German neighbors did not agree to it. When building a new house or changing the existing function of a building, there has to be a common consent or the project dies right then and there.

Then there was talk of turning the building into a hotel, and again this proposal was rejected as well. After that private investors shied away from the building, and now this might only leave the city of Oberursel to pour some finances and purpose into it.

Hearsay has it that most of Camp King residents are part of the Erbengeneration. This Erbengeneration (generation of heirs) inherited money from parents/grandparents who worked hard in the early post war years and left substantial sums to this new generation of settlers. The reputation of these well-heeled folks is not too grand around here.

Today, I have sent an inquiry in regards to the Mountain Lodge and its future to the Oberursel Municipal Administration. I wonder if I get a response… My most recent inquiry to the city archives of Oberursel, mailed 24 March and a friendly reminder on 30 April, have not been answered yet.

A friend, an avid postcard collector, shared this card with me. It shows the Fuchstanz Restaurant in its original state as this card dates from around 1940. The stamped postal date was 26 July 1940, but the card had been in circulation as early as 1935.

I have been told that the Fuchstanz had been a popular spot, not only to local Germans, but also to American  Government Issues (G.I.s) and their families. These families were stationed at Camp King, Oberursel and  some of them enjoyed going up to the Fuchstanz for a family outing.

Zum Fuchstanz - postcard stamped 1940

The inscription reads:

Alljährlich am Ersten des Maien, wenn neu die Natur ist erwacht

Wenn alle Menschen sich freuen der herrlichen Frühlingspracht,

Dann spielen hier Elfen die Geigen, Waldvögelchen singen ihr Lied

Da tanzen die Füchse den Reigen, jedoch nur wenn niemand es sieht

Fuchstanz I. Taunus.

Back then, the Fuchstanz Restaurant was owned by Hofmann & Herr. On the postcard, note the telephone number did not even include an area code. Königstein I. Taunus (im Taunus) was also listed without a zip code.

The address today is as following:

Waldgaststätte und Waldcafé Fuchstanz, D-61462 Königstein / Taunus, Tillmannsweg 1
Tel. 06174 / 21 28 1, Fax 06174 / 74 69

Zum Fuchstanz, its current website and archives (with old postcards)

This is the second part of the photos Ambassador Dolibois has so generously shared with me. The previous post contained photos taken at the local Camp King motor pool in 1945.

The end of WW II - Ambassador Dolibois at the Berghof in 1945

American Forces at the Berghof in 1945

To learn more about the Berghof, Hitler’s residence on the Obersalzberg, visit scrapbookpages.

The Eagle's Nest, Hitler's holiday retreat

The Kehlsteinhaus, a.k.a. Eagle’s Nest, was constructed for Hitler’s 50th birthday.

This holiday retreat was situated near his usual residence, Berghof.

For more information about the historical significance and its current state, you may also want to visit cityscouter.

A stateside reader inquired about a local guest house he used to frequent with his army buddies, while stationed at Camp King in Oberursel in the early 1960s. The name of the guest house was Zum Weißen Roß.

I tried three different ways of locating this guest house – the internet, Oberursel city hall, and an oral source.

This quest for a guest house, closed down more than 20 years ago, was an interesting challenge. The internet had only one source listing the name of the man, who had married the proprietor’s daughter of the guest house Zum Weißen Roß. Fortunately, this very long excerpt from a church archive also listed the guest house’s address.

The second source, the city archives of Oberursel, I have sent sent an inquiry to by e-mail. Considering German bureaucracy (You want something from me! You need to wait!), I would consider myself lucky to get a response at all.

The most reliable source was our neighbor who has been around town for many years. He is in his early 70s, but yet was not familiar with Oberursel’s downtown bars. He consulted another friend of his, who confirmed that the address I had tracked down on the internet was correct and that the guest house had closed its doors more than 20 years ago. He also mentioned that this bar/guest house was one of the so-called Ami Kneipen in Oberursel.

Here are some pictures, for old-time-sake, but I doubt any former patrons of this guest house would remember the outside after a hefty intake of beer, Schnaps, Jägermeister, and Korn.

Taken in broad day light, probably with a new coat of paint, it might look mighty different compared to the time of day when the guys stumbled home after a night of partying.

This old German writing reads: Alte Häuser, junge Weiber, sind die besten Zeitvertreiber.

Translation: Old houses, young women, are the best way to spend your time.

This post is dedicated to Fred S. – he is the one who inquired about the former guest house Zum Weissen Ross.

Edit: The city archives finally responded on 12 May. There was also an apology for the delayed response due to staffing problems.I received a file in German detailing the history of the guest house. If anyone is interested, I will be happy to mail it to you.

Through my continued interest in the history of Camp King, which began with the podcast Graham and I recorded in 2007, I’ve been able to gather more and more information. Through learning more about this part of our German history, my circle of like-minded correspondents has also widened.

My special gratitude goes to Ambassador Dolibois, who gave permission to share 12 special photos. In 1945,  Ambassador Dolibois was stationed at Camp King with the U.S. Army Intelligence. After the war, he was transferred from Oberursel to Luxembourg, and then served as Goering’s interrogator before and during the Nuremberg trials.

For today’s post, I have chosen a few photos taken around the area of Camp King and the adjacent Motorwerke.

Unidentified officer at Camp King in 1945

For more on Ambassador Dolibois’s role as an American interrogator at Mondorf Palace, Luxembourg, listen to his interview on youtube.

Motorenwerke Rolls Royce 1945

The Motorenfabrik Oberursel was occupied by U.S. troops at the end of WW II.

M.I.S. Center Motor Pool at the Motorenwerke in Oberursel 1945

At the Motor Pool in Oberursel 1945

Motor Pool, Oberursel 1945

The Ambassador has also published Pattern of Circles: An Ambassador’s Story.

Special credit also goes to Hanns-Claudius Scharff, who was instrumental in obtaining these photos from Ambassador Dolibois. His father published  The Interrogator: The Story of Hanns Joachim Scharff: Master Interrogator of the Luftwaffe (Schiffer Military History).