The heath in Kessel, Belgium is characterized by heather, swamps, drifting sand and ponds. Heath landscapes are a beautiful example of the interplay of culture and biodiversity. 6000 years ago 80 percent of Europe was still covered by forests. Heath areas naturally occurred only in very rare cases on coasts, in moorland areas and in the mountains. Then people started to use the forests for themselves. They required grazing land and thus not only changed the landscape, but also created new habitats for many different species. The extensive use of deforested and cleared areas resulted in increasingly nutrient-poor soils and grazing animals were bred that are particularly suitable for these areas. The upper layer of soil was regularly removed, mixed with animal manure and burned or applied to fields as fertilizer. The rain washed out the last nutrients and specially adapted plant species settled there, followed by rare animals.

These unique ecosystems survive only through active human intervention, which has been achieved through centuries of heath farming. However, this type of farming has become uneconomical, and a large part of the land has been converted into arable land by applying fertiliser. Other areas became forest again because keeping animals on nutrient-poor areas is associated with lower yields. With the loss of the heathland, numerous animal and plant species are threatened with extinction. And all the beauty that has always inspired painters and poets could simply disappear. It could hardly have been the biodiversity alone that led to active conservation efforts, but rather the cultural connection to this romanticized landscape form. We keep what we find beautiful and we can only find beautiful what we can see.

My great-grandfather
Dr. phil. Werner Hilpert
(17. January 1897 in Leipzig - 24. February 1957 in Oberursel)

Today is the 65th anniversary of his dead and I want to remember him.

1916:
Student of Economics, Legal Science and Philosophy

1916 -1918:
Fought in Romania and France (World War I)

1918 - 1920:
Continued studies and received doctorate in philosophy

1920:
Department secretary to the Statebank of Saxony

1920 - 1932:
Assistant/Syndicus to the Union of Leipzig Retailers

1922 - 1932:
CEO of the Linoleum Merchants Union

1927:
Member of the Leipzig city council

1932 - 1933:
President of the Centre Party in Saxony

1933:
Forced by the Nazis to give up all positions in politics and economy

1932 - 1937:
President of the Catholic Action in Saxony and open resistance against the Nazis

1932 - 1938:
Self-employed business consultant and syndicus, trying to provide Jewish business owners best working conditions

Authorized representative for Jewish citizens in "Aryanizations" in collaboration with Carl Goerdeler

1934:
Risk of being arrested in connection with the Röhm-Putsch

1938:
Office burnt down in Kristallnacht

1939:
Arrested by the Gestapo

1939 - 1945:
Political prisoner in Buchenwald concentration camp and member of the Buchenwald Resistance

1945:
Liberation by the Americans

One of five Germans on the Buchenwald International Camp Committee

Entrusted with certain tasks of the American military government

1945:
Taking part in founding the CDU party in Frankfurt am Main

1945 - 1952:
President of the CDU Hesse

1945 - 1951:
Deputy Prime Minister of Hesse

1946 - 1947:
Economics and Transport Minister of Hesse

1947 - 1951:
Minister of Finances of Hesse

1952 - death:
President and Finance Director of the Deutsche Bundesbahn

The Römerberg (Roman Mountain) in Frankfurt. A year ago today.

The Römerberg (Roman Mountain) in Frankfurt.
Numerous coronations of the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire took place on this square. Afterwards they met for the coronation meal in the town hall. The town hall, called Römer, built in the 15th century, was destroyed in the Second World War. You see a bit on the very right side. Since it was foreseeable that Frankfurt would be the target of bombs, much could be saved from the destruction beforehand and the building was documented as well as possible. So a very authentic reconstruction was possible.

The church is the medieval Lutheran Old St Nicholas Church. It was only slightly damaged by the bombing. Construction of the church began in the 13th century. It has had its current appearance since the 15th century. In the course of the Reformation, the church temporarily lost its function. It was leased for over 150 years and used as an archive of the municipal lay judge's court and at times as a warehouse during trade fairs. The lease was terminated in 1719 and the church was inaugurated again in 1721 after restoration.

In the building on the very left there is a small coffee and exchange office. There is a connection between the owner and me. His father was the American Ernest Biberfield from District Information Services Control Command. When my great-grandfather was still assigned administrative tasks in the Buchenwald concentration camp after the end of WW2, Bieberfield informed my family about the early takeover of Thuringia by the Soviet occupying powers and about my grandfather, who was missing in the West.
So my great-grandfather traveled to the American zone at the invitation of the American headquarters in Frankfurt.

Sloths are time travelers.


(2004)

The monument to my great-grandfather Werner Hilpert (1897-1957) in the Dr.-Werner-Hilpert-Siedlung (Dr. Werner Hilpert settlement), east of the former Camp King in Oberursel, Germany.

He was a politician who took his humanist ideals very seriously. That's why he's a very important example for me. If you ask me if I'm a better person because of my great-grandfather, then I can only affirm that. It's my responsibility to keep the memory alive.

In 1932 he became President of the Center Party in Saxony until the dissolution in 1933. He lost all functions. From 1932 to 1937 he was President of the Catholic Action in Saxony and was in open opposition to National Socialism.

In collaboration with Carl Goerdeler he was adviser and authorised representative of Jewish citizens in "Aryanization". The resisters saved the lives of many Jewish families.

He worked as a syndic in a Jewish business building, trying to keep working conditions as human as possible. His office also burnt down during Kristallnacht in 1938.

In September 1939, he was arrested by the Gestapo. He spent the next 5 1/2 years in Buchenwald concentration camp as a political prisoner.

He was member of the Buchenwald Resistance and the Buchenwald Popular Front Committee. They not only campaigned for the prisoners, but also considered how Germany should continue after National Socialism.

In 1945, after Germany was freed from the Nazis, he took part in founding the CDU party in Hesse and was elected President of the CDU Hesse.

The second picture shows an election poster for the state election of Hesse in 1946. [License by CDU, creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.de]

Sometime in a parallel universe. Such recordings succeed only sloths. If you move too fast, the universe is frightening.

A bicycle in the Zeppelin Museum near Frankfurt am Main. ✌

Brothers Grimm National Monument in Hanau, Hesse, Germany.

Jacob Grimm (left) and Wilhelm Grimm (right) were born in the town of Hanau, where in 1896 this monument was unveiled. Everyone knows at least a few of the many stories they collected and published.

What is your favourite Grimms' Fairy Tale?

I'm lucky to live in the historically interesting area around the Roman Limes. There are traces of the Romans everywhere. Especially in Frankfurt Northwest, where once was the capital of the Civitas Taunensium, the town of Nida. In the past, this area was even referred to as German Pompeji, because there are so many well-preserved remains here. Sadly, the city doesn't do enough to present the remains to public. For example, these quite important Roman pottery kilns stand inconspicuously in a small house in a totally overgrown corner. I think that's not ok.