Until the middle of the 19th century only sooty, flickering oil lanterns light up the streets of Hamburg. That changes when wealthy citizens take the initiative:175 years ago on October 4th, the city got its first gas lanterns. by Janine Kuehl Dirty, narrow alleys where you cant see what dirt your
The origins of a means of transport that has stood the test of time:a steam locomotive from the 19th century. Moving by means of any kind of steam engines should be forbidden in the interest of public health. The rapid movements cannot fail to cause mental unrest in passengers, called delirium furi
Royal headdress:George I of the House of Guelph wore this crown. A German on the British throne? Today unthinkable. But that was possible a good 300 years ago. Georg Ludwig, then Elector of Hanover, was crowned King of Great Britain on October 20, 1714. The ceremony for George I, as he now called h
The battle was re-enacted by amateurs in period costumes in the summer of 2012. These are dramatic scenes that take place on December 20th, 1712 in front of the gates of the Mecklenburg town of Gadebusch. Around 35,000 soldiers fight for every meter of terrain and for survival. When the gun smoke c
by Dirk Hempel, NDR.deAltona is a cosmopolitan city, as the open gate on the city coat of arms from 1664 shows. A miserable collection of farms, fishermens cottages and taverns with 2,500 inhabitants. This is what Altona - a village on the outskirts of Hamburg - looks like in the middle of the 17th
A statue near the castle commemorates the towns founder, Maria von Jever. Nobody can get past Miss Maria in Jever. Although she died more than 400 years ago - or, as they say in Jever, has not been seen since 1575 - Maria is omnipresent:a street, a monument, a high school and a church bell bear her
by Janine Kühl, NDR.de February 17, 1500:The northern German peasant republic of Dithmarschen seems defeated. But when the Danish King John I. was about to withdraw with his army, the people of Dithmarschen struck. In the Battle of Hemmingstedt, the kings troops, numbering around 12,000, perished w
In 1924, 500 body parts were recovered from the Leine in Hanover. The police suspect the criminal Fritz Haarmann as the perpetrator. Under pressure he confesses. He was executed on April 15, 1925. by Levke Heed, NDR.de A city holds its breath:in the spring of 1924, children in Hanover discover a h
Around 1920, Julius Adolf Petersen was Hamburgs most notorious burglar king. On April 20, 1922, the busy crook confessed to 49 cases. His life was filmed under the title Lord von Barmbeck. by Marc-Oliver Rehrmann, NDR.de In our family we always spoke well about the Lord von Barmbeck, says Astrid M
After the First World War, the state border between Germany and Denmark was defined, which is still valid today. After two votes, the result finally came out on March 14, 1920. In the spring of 1920, waves were raging in the land between the seas:the so-called Schleswig question mobilized large sec
In 1930, an ultra-modern high-rise grew on what was then Hamburgs largest construction site - todays Brahms Kontor. The client is a folkish anti-Semitic trade union. Offices are still located there today. by Dirk Hempel In the summer of 1930, Hamburgs largest construction site is in full swing. Vi
The population census in the German Reich on May 17, 1939 served the National Socialists to register all of their citizens - and to separate out the Jews. by Carina Werner There have always been censuses, whether in the Roman Empire or in ancient Egypt. Even the birth of Jesus Christ would have be
by Janine Kühl, NDR.deOn December 8, 1938, the Graf Zeppelin was launched in Kiel. But the aircraft carrier is never used. On December 8, 1938, the Nazi regime celebrated the launch of the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin with drums and trumpets. The German military leadership had high hopes for the
On October 10, 1937, NS propaganda minister Goebbels inaugurated a Nazi parade ground on the Kalkberg in Bad Segeberg. Today the open-air arena is known for the Karl May games. The Karl May Games in Bad Segeberg, who doesnt know them? Tens of thousands of visitors have made the pilgrimage to the K
by Florian Wöhrle, NDR.de Only a few hundred meters from the town hall people were tortured, abused and killed:the Hamburg town hall between Neuer Wall and Stadthausbrücke was the headquarters of the Hamburg police during the Nazi regime and at the same time a center of terror. New research shows t
Shortly before the end of the war, on May 3, 1945, the British sink the Cap Arcona and the Thielbek in the Bay of Lübeck. You suspect German troops on the ships - a mistake:there are 7,500 concentration camp prisoners on board. by Imke Andersen and Britta Probol One of the greatest ship disasters
On July 20, 1944, a bomb exploded at Hitlers headquarters in East Prussia. But the attempt to kill him fails. Nevertheless, the assassination is now considered a symbol of the German resistance. by Dirk Hempel It is 12:42 p.m. on Thursday, July 20, 1944, when the bomb intended to kill Hitler explo
Only 15 days after the end of the Second World War did the time of the Reich government in Dönitz come to an end. Soldiers arrest him and the other members of the government in Flensburg on May 23, 1945. The Second World War ended in Europe on May 8, 1945 with the unconditional surrender of the Ger
More than 40,000 people died in the Hamburg-Neuengamme concentration camp and its satellite camps during the Nazi era. When the British reached the camp on May 4, 1945, they found it empty. The sheer size of the site alone is striking:the concentration camp memorial in Neuengamme in Hamburgs Vierla
Shortly before the end of the war, on May 3, 1945, the British sink the Cap Arcona and the Thielbek in the Bay of Lübeck. You suspect German troops on the ships - a mistake:there are 7,500 concentration camp prisoners on board. by Imke Andersen and Britta Probol One of the greatest ship disasters
There are textbooks that do not include Hannibal or Scipio, but there are no high school world history textbooks that do not include Reform of the Gracchi Brothers. And even high school students who are very good at world history will hardly be able to explain the reform of the Gracchi brothers pr
The arrival of Otto and the powerful Bavarian military force that accompanied him did much to curb the riots, at least initially. From the outset, the minor king entrusted the governance of the country to a committee of Bavarian technocrats. This commission of the regency, apart from the mistakes it
In war zones soldiers develop a special relationship with the flag of their country, they give it a dimension above and beyond their own caliber, in most cases they do not hesitate to die holding it in their arms so that it does not fall into hands that will not respect her. In the premises of t
Elephants were domesticated by humans and used like horses as draft animals. But early on it was realized that the great physical strength of the elephant could also be used for war purposes. In India war elephants evolved into the main parts of the war machines of the rulers of the region, but also