Tag: Magdeburg
What’s so special about Magdeburg?
I went to Magdeburg to research my first book and not primarily to travel.
Most tourists don’t find much that is special about this city, which is why they decide to skip it during their trips to Germany. Truth be told, if you take an inter-city express train from Berlin and land in Magdeburg a couple of hours later, chances are that you will find it boring after the throbbing vibe of Berlin.
But there is way more to this sleepy city that meets the eye. Magdeburg, incidentally, celebrated its 1,200th anniversary in 2005.
Those into art, architecture and history will find enough in the city to keep you interested. Continue reading What’s so special about Magdeburg?
What really happened to this Van Gogh masterpiece?
A lot of people go to Germany for war tourism. I go because I love the food and the people there. But this time, I went to research my first novel. The historical fiction novel is called ON THE ROAD TO TARASCON.
The Internet had different and sometimes conflicting versions of the bit of history I was interested in. So, I decided to go to Magdeburg — a town one hour and 40 minutes by train from Berlin — and find out for myself the circumstances in which a Vincent Van Gogh masterpiece had gone missing on April 30, 1945.
If you have an idea about the World War 2 history of Magdeburg, you would know it was completely flattened by the British Royal Air Force bombings in 1945. As I got down from the intercity express and walked into the city to find a tram to take me to my hotel, I kept imagining how the place would have looked in the early months of 1945. Continue reading What really happened to this Van Gogh masterpiece?