Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Remember the Munchkins?

Those cute little insets on the back of St. Jacobi's church wall behind our apartment in Hannover...I found out what they are!

Uschi and Wolfgang, our landlady and lord, are on vacation now in Turkey but sent me an e-mail yesterday to say HI and to tell me about the Munchkins. She finally called the church minister to get the scoop.

In 1944 during WWII, a bomb hit the nearby church cemetery and destroyed all the gravestones. From the remaining debris, these 2 sets of figures (which I endearingly call the "Munchkins") were salvaged and set into the outer church wall. They originated from the end of the 18th century. Even though Uschi didn't say so, my guess is that they are a reminder of the war(s), just like this bigger-than-life statue on the side of the church commemorating both world wars:

1914 - 1918; 1939 - 1945

Remember the Munchkins. Remember the Victims of War!

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