The Owl's Nest: Schloss Kapfenburg + Nördlingen

The same day I posted about past bad experiences in my life, I happened to have another very pleasant one. Enjoying a whole week off duty from work, in order to use up the remainder of my vacation from 2011, I hopped on my car and drove to a town called Nördlingen, following the friendly advice of a friend of mine (Jörg, the husband of Nina). Knowing only that Nördlingen is a picturesque town, I was still pleasantly surprised how true this actually is.

On the road from Oberkochen to Nördlingen, which is a total drive of 30+ min, I also encountered a castle by the name of Kapfenburg. - A "castle", being a "castellum" in the Latin original, would denote a type of fortified structure, like the German "Burg"; however, the German "Schloss", while being related to the German verb "schließen" (to close, to lock), nowadays refers to a rather unfortified palace-like home of great splendor. Nevertheless, apparently owing to the etymology of Schloss, the two meanings are not fully separated, and hence Kapfenburg is actually Schloss Kapfenburg. Despite several attacks on the compound, it is in an excellent state till the present day and thus open for (free) visits, and also the home of a musical academy (I could hear them practice), plus the location of a restaurant that is specialized on weddings. In light of the breathtaking view from the hilltop, I can definitely see how that would be a good choice, even without having tried their menu.

Schloss Kapfenburg

Schloss Kapfenburg - gate details

Schloss Kapfenburg - a citadel-type building within

Schloss Kapfenburg - the interior side of the gate

Nördlingen itself also made it through history without significant damage. Centuries ago it was styled a Freie und Reichsstadt (contracted to Freie Reichsstadt, or Free City of the Empire, in the vernacular). The empire, or Reich, in question, was the Holy Roman Empire (later: Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation), a succession state of the Carolingian Empire of Charlemagne (Charles the Great). It was Charlemagne who adopted the title of emperor from the waning (western) Roman Empire (waning in particular because it had been split in west and east; the eastern part being the Byzanine Empire). (Note that in these times each part of the empire had a prime ruler, the Imperator, and a second in command, the Caesar, the Latin original of Cesar. Ironically, the German word for emperor, which is obviously derived from imperator, is Kaiser, which itself is derived from Caesar.) - The sons of Charlemagne soon engaged in a succesion war, which ultimately resulted in a division of the former western Roman empire in a western Franconian realm and an eastern Franconian realm. The latter then became the Holy Roman Empire under the regnum of the Ottonians (at first), and was to last until the 19th century, when Napoléon Bonaparte from the former western part of the Franconian realm, now known as France, challenged the east (or what was left of it after such notable conflicts as the Thirty Years' War between Protestants and Catholics) for the throne and the imperial crown. Being a highly capable military commander, he defeated most everyone in Europe and declared himself Emperor of France, thus extinguishing the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. The latter, however, maintained a successor from its own ranks in the house of Habsburg, which continued to rule over Austria. Ever since this "schism" (of the imperial style between France and Austria) modern-day Austria and Germany have been separate countries (if we disregard a short period of reunification in the darkest of times in the 20th century). Napoléon, also a very cunning man, promoted many members of the German nobility, and especially the elevation from Duke to King (e.g. in Bavaria) gave some of them a feeling of independence that competed with the idea of belonging to a greater entity. When the Bonaparte dynasty faded (still within the 19th century), and Germany was reunited under the lead of Prussia, the German Empire was formed/restored. Austria, however, remained separate, and continued to uphold its own imperial style. Thus, in 1914, there were five great powers in Europe who clashed over their (colonial) expansionism: Russia, France, England, Germany, and Austria. Eventually, in 1918, the Austro-German alliance was defeated, and the German Emperor was forced to abdicate, giving way for the first Republican government on German soil. Unfortunately, World War I had wrecked the German economy, had empoverished much of the German population, and some people wanted revenge on the French for the defeat. Therefore, Hitler was able to assume absolute power and establish his reign of terror, which took an estimated death toll of 60 - 70 million, but fortunately ended long before the proclaimed 1,000 years it was supposed to last.

I apologize for deviating from the original topic of Freie Reichsstadt by this much. But I intended to point out that although in the anglophonic community the word Reich may be primarily associated with the unholy Third Reich, it is not per se the term under which Hitler's evildoing is best subsumed. In fact, the idea of a Reich is associated with a monarchy, and Hitler was not a monarch, rather than a dictator. (Likewise, a monarchy is not neccessarily the opposite of a democracy, as it is easily exemplified by the UK. The opposite of a monarchy is a republic; i.e., a nation whose head of state is elected and not crowned.) Nevertheless, Hitler saw his ruling as Reich #3, where #1 was the Holy Roman Empire (962-1806), and #2 was the rather short-lived German Empire (1871-1918). - By the way, I remember once reading about Germany in the CIA factbook that it had achieved its "independence" in 1871. That is a rather crude misrepresentation of the historical accounts: in light of the historical roots the concept of gaining Independence does not apply to Germany, but then again, it is an American source, and in American history forming a nation required gaining independence. It is true though that the moment of forming the nation of Germany is usually attributed to the creation of the German Empire.

There is another reason why I layed out the history of Germany by this extent. Previously I have told you about the three most difficult times in my life. They appear to have occurred in ascending order: #3 civilian service, #2 a bad breakup, #1 recent unemployment. Likewise, the three German Reiche (the plural of Reich) appear to have an increased moral corruption, in my personal, naïve perception: #1 was an entity struggling for power with its neighbors and rivals from within, but neccessarily (to the best of my knowledge) an example for cruely and barbaric behavior that goes beyond its contemporaries. #2 was looking for a fight with its neighbors, but at the end of the day the neighbors were eager themselves to slug it out for the lead in Europe. It was the cruelty of ensuing World War I (chemical weapons, trench warfare, introduction of the battle tank etc.) that leaves the German Empire in a bad light. Yet #3, as much as it ashames me, is now for all times the textbook example of a rogue state and an enemy to humanity.

Therefore, let's enjoy the scenic sight of Nördlingen, and for the moment forget about the Nazi horror.