Tuesday, 12 July 2011
A good night’s sleep made all the difference. I got up early feeling bright and cheerful, and my hamingja seemed recharged too, for everything on this new day came easily and any incipient setbacks were brushed aside without effort.
A good night’s sleep made all the difference. I got up early feeling bright and cheerful, and my hamingja seemed recharged too, for everything on this new day came easily and any incipient setbacks were brushed aside without effort.
After collecting the indispensable book as arranged, I found somewhere to park the car all day for just € 8 and then took a stroll around the old town. Very near to my hotel, the 16th-century Old Bridge led across the River Saar. I have not been able to find many details of the fight for Saarbruecken (I was here to find them), but this bridge almost certainly saw some fighting on 2 August 1870. If you look back to my previous entry, you will see a contemporary print of French troops marching over it. I crossed it and climbed a fairly steep hill to enter the original town on the west bank of the Saar.
The bridge is dominated by the castle, which traces its origins to 999 CE. This has undergone many changes in the past millennium and the main building on the site now is the 18th-century palace, built in the baroque style. Nevertheless, some of the ancient fortifications survive and more have been excavated, as one can see in the basement of the museum. The castle was clearly built to cover any approach across the river from the east – and probably to control and tax river traffic – for it is itself dominated in turn by higher ground to the west and south. On the day of the French invasion, it would easily have been fired upon by the artillery of Frossard’s corps.
In the museum I found a section dedicated to the brief occupation of Saarbruecken by the French army, including a reference to Unteroffizier (Sergeant) Roemer of the 8th Field Artillery Regiment. He died in the course of an artillery exchange between his single battery and five French batteries, and a sizeable monument was erected to his memory. As well as Roemer’s artillery battery, the town was defended by two regiments (about 6,000 men) of infantry. They withdrew after suffering over 80 dead (to which one can add probably twice the number of wounded) and inflicting an equal number of casualties on the French attackers. Not exactly a fight to the death, but then Saarbruecken was of no great strategic value and it suited the purposes of the Prussian high command to show that France was the aggressor and – hopefully – suck the French forces deeper into Germany where they could be encircled. I would certainly like to know more about this battle and hope to research it better in the future.
As I walked among the displays taking photographs, a museum attendant approached and informed me that the taking of photographs was forbidden. I was furious at this piece of petty bureaucracy and regulation. I pointed out that I was not using flash and that I had travelled hundreds of miles with the specific intention of studying this battle. He replied that if I had contacted ‘Der Chef’ in advance some dispensation could have been arranged. I responded that I would certainly have done so if I had realised that such ludicrous regulations were in force. He walked away, but clearly had some sympathy for he returned a few moments to say that I could take photos if I were discreet and especially as long as der chef (the boss) was not around. He must have informed his colleagues, because one of them came by and with a wink said: “Ich bin nicht der Chef!” (I’m not the boss!)
Eventually I encountered ‘Der Chef’, a tall, neurotic-looking man in a red coat. I asked him whether the French had occupied only the town on the west bank of the river in 1870 or whether they had pushed across the Saar into the east bank. He did not answer directly, simply spewing forth the sum of his limited knowledge; it was soon clear that I already knew more about the occupation than he did, so I thanked him and moved on.
Eventually I encountered ‘Der Chef’, a tall, neurotic-looking man in a red coat. I asked him whether the French had occupied only the town on the west bank of the river in 1870 or whether they had pushed across the Saar into the east bank. He did not answer directly, simply spewing forth the sum of his limited knowledge; it was soon clear that I already knew more about the occupation than he did, so I thanked him and moved on.
A selection of photos taken inside the museum. Der Chef kann mich am Arsch lecken.
While I was perusing other sections, including those on the First World War (which included a poster rather fantastically emphasising the danger of British troops pouring forth through a non-existent channel tunnel to cross Belgium and bombard the Saar region), I received a text message informing me that a translation job was available. I had seen all that I needed to see, and so I headed back into town to find an internet connection. Once again, I was nearly defeated by the paucity of free internet in Germany, but the people at Motel One were very kind and allowed me to use their facilities because I had stayed there the previous night. In between working on the translation, I decided to spend one more night at Motel One and contacted Loa so that we could spend a few more hours together in the evening. We met at 7 pm and had a pleasant time speaking about our respective lives and ambitions until she had to depart at about ten o’ clock. On my own again, outside a café as the light faded, I reflected with satisfaction on the day and made plans for my further travels.
Finally, a few more shots of the lovely centre of the ancient city of Saarbruecken and the Saar River.