Former U.S. Army Garrison in Heidelberg

Two weeks ago, we were invited to a friend’s birthday party in Heidelberg. As we drove around looking for the party location between Schwindstraße and Feuerbachstraße, I noticed a building with a four-digit number. Of course, this had to be a former U.S. building number left over from the army occupation.

German house numbers generally do not go over two digits.

This building was still standing as of 25 September 2022 (the day of our visit).

Snow on the Feldberg Taunus Mountain in March

Photo credits for this beautiful image go to Gregor Maier, who works at the Kultur und Geschichte des Hochtaunuskreises, and spends some of his free time exploring our local high lights for us couch potatoes.

The photo was taken on 14 March at the Feldberg Mountain.

Unfortunately, I had no chance to go up there myself at all this past winter, which was mostly due to blocked roads. Or some other excuse.

Film Setting For ‘Spencer’ at Schlosshotel Kronberg, Germany

The Schlosshotel Kronberg will provide the setting for an American production of ‘Spencer’, a drama featuring Lady Di’s life.

The Schlosshotel has been chosen to represent Lady Di’s real birthplace, the country estate of Sandringham in Norfolk, where she was born on 1 July 1961. Princess Di herself reputedly has never been to the Schlosshotel herself.

Some historical facts about the hotel:

German Empress Victoria (German title: Victoria Kaiserin Friedrich), a daughter of the English Queen Victoria, purchased the Villa Schönbusch from a business man named Jacques Reiss in 1888. This was also the year her husband, Emporer Friedrich III, died.

She then had Friedrichshof Castle built in its place, and she used it as her summer residence from 1894 until her death in 1901.

Schloss Friedrichshof in Cronberg i. Taunus

Note the spelling of Cronberg in the left-hand corner of the postcard. This was the official spelling before it became Kronberg in November 1929.

———————————————————

After her death, the castle went to her youngest daughter, Margaret of Prussia (German title: Prinzessin Margarethe von Preußen).

After WWII, the castle was confiscated by U.S. occupation forces, and used as Officers’ Club.

In 1954, the castle became a luxury hotel, convention center, and a special place to receive and host VIPs, such as the Dalai Lama in 2017.

—————————————————–

Princess Di is played by the actress Kristen Stewart. The Hessian Film Funding Group will support the movie making with €250,000.

The movie’s release is planned for early 2022.

Sledding on the Mountain Lodge Hill in Oberursel, Germany

The last time we saw children sledding on the Mountain Lodge Hill in Oberursel must have been ten years ago.

If you are new the area, and need directions: This hill is in the housing area called Camp King, behind the EDEKA supermarket on Hohemarkstrasse, and in fairly close proximity to Frankfurt International School (FIS).

Oberursel, Germany

Elvis Presley Left His Mark in Friedberg, Germany

Most people of my generation do remember that the rock, country, and gospel icon Elvis Presley was once stationed with the U.S. army in Germany. The town itself was Friedberg, and he lived at Ray Barracks. Later on, he would move to Bad Nauheim.

Gernot, a friend of mine, gave me his friendly permission to share this photo, which shows the Elvis Presley Square in Friedberg. From there, it is only 1.3km to Ray Barracks, and 4.2km to Bad Nauheim (his later residence).

Elvis-Presley-Platz in Friedberg, Hessen

For more details and photos of Friedberg, Nauheim and Elvis’s time in Germany, you might want to visit: German Way. Recommendable.

Diese Webseite verwendet Cookies. Wenn Sie auf der Seite weitersurfen, stimmen Sie der Cookie-Nutzung zu. Mehr Informationen

Diese Webseite verwendet so genannte Cookies. Sie dienen dazu, unser Angebot nutzerfreundlicher, effektiver und sicherer zu machen. Cookies sind kleine Textdateien, die auf Ihrem Rechner abgelegt werden und die Ihr Browser speichert. Die meisten der von uns verwendeten Cookies sind so genannte "Session-Cookies". Sie werden nach Ende Ihres Besuchs automatisch gelöscht. Cookies richten auf Ihrem Rechner keinen Schaden an und enthalten keine Viren. Weitere Informationen finden Sie auf der Seite “Datenschutzerklärung”.

Close