By Kate Lewis and James Brockenborough

In the Tiergarten of Berlin is the Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted under Nazism.  Across the street from the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a concrete cuboid is seen with a small window. In the window, a film of two men kissing is played on repeat. The feminist magazine EMMA protested that the monument should also represent persecuted lesbian women. As a result of this protest, the video now changes to two women kissing every two years. The erection was approved of the monument was approved by the Bundestag in December 12, 2003. A competition was held to decide who would design the project. Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset both won the competition and subsequently designed the memorial. The project was completed on May 27, 2008. During the first year of its dedication, the memorial was frequently vandalized. Near the monument is a plaque that discusses the law that outlawed homosexuality. Paragraph 175, or Section 175, was a provision from 1871-1994 of the German Criminal Code that made homosexual acts between males illegal.

In February 1933, the Nazi party began to outlaw sex publications, purge homosexual clubs, and ban organized gay groups. Homosexuals within the Nazi party were murdered. In 1934, a special division of the Gestapo created a list of gay individuals that targeted 1,000,000 men. It is estimated that between 5,000-15,000 gay men were sent to concentration camps The rules were so strict, that a kiss was enough of a reason to prosecute someone. Offenders were castrated or sent to concentration camps. They died of disease, starvation, and abuse. While female homosexuality was not prosecuted, other than in annexed Austria, lesbians who came in contact with the regime were also subject to repressive measures. In 2002, the German government apologized to the gay community and the crimes committed against them.

By Sean Schofield and James Brockenborough

Bistro Sinbad is located on Zschochersche Straße in Plagwitz, Leipzig. Next to the Karl-Heine Kanal, it is, in our opinion, the best place to find döner. It is easily noticeable with its yellow and red sign outside. Walking in, you are immediately hit with the aroma of veal and chicken being slow cooked on a rack. A counter full of lettuce, cabbage, onions, and other vegetables greet you. A smiling face says hello and a menu across the ceiling shows all of the food to choose from. There are no wrong choices, but it is best to choose all of the sauces when asked.

As all great origin stories go, there are multiple perspectives on who or what came first, and the inception of the döner kebab is no different. The döner kebab and all of its variants: The Greek gyros, Arab shawarma, and Mexican al pastor are all adaptations that can be credited back to medieval cuisine in which a, preferably male, servant (spit-boy) would hand crank a wedge of meat on a rotisserie. The rotation of the meat cooks it evenly in its own juices. It wasn’t until the early 19th century Ottoman Empire that the advent of vertical rotisseries would impact the way meat is prepared and served. Vertical rotisserie applies heat directly to the side and is less important to balance the load. This is useful as the meat is shaved off on the side.

The location credited to where this vertical rotisserie was invented is split into two camps of thought. The more popularized understanding is that in the year 1850 a child, Ikender Efendi of Bursa, in what is modern-day Turkey, had the idea to cook the lamb upright in his father’s restaurant. This fact is often post faced with; however, his creation may have been predated as early as 1830 by Hamdi Usta of Kastamonu. It wasn’t until 1945 that modern day döner kebabs were introduced in Istanbul, later spreading to London in 1966 and Berlin in 1970.

Where there may be ambiguity in its origin, there is an untenable statistical certainty that the current adaptation of döner kebabs are a titan in the German food industry producing €3.5 billion annually. During my time in Germany through various exchange partnerships, travel, and study abroad semesters I have contributed more than I’d like to admit to the booming industry. There is a certain charm to the hospitable nature of these corner-shops where one may be greeted in a unique fusion of languages, and silly banter is often promoted.

By Adrianna Northrop and James Brockenborough

The Grassi-Instrumenten museum is a hidden gem in Leipzig that complements the rich musical culture that is abundant all around the city. Located just a short walk away from the Oper Leipzig and the Gewandhaud, the Grassi-Instrumentenmuseum is just one in a complex of three museums. Although we only went into the Musical Instrument Museum, the complex also includes the Ethnography Museum and the Applied Arts Museum.

Located in Johannisplatz, the Museum of Musical Instruments belongs to the University of Leipzig. It has a collection of about 10,000 objects including instruments from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Bach’s period in Leipzig. The oldest objects date back to the 16th century. The museum was first created in 1886, but the collection was then sold to a merchant in 1905. Eventually, the collection was bought by the University of Leipzig in 1926 and was opened in the New Grassi Museum three years later. While some of the collection was protected during WW2, a large amount was destroyed during a bomb raid in 1943. This included the library, Ibach pianos, and the archive. The museum was rebuilt and reopened to the public in the 1950s and has since expanded. The museum is divided into 13 sections and is chronologically ordered.

We were extremely impressed by the sheer amount of fascinating instruments in the Instrumentenmuseum. Even the title of this museum could not prepare you for the variation of interesting instruments there. Among these instruments were a porcelain violin, various intricately painted organs, and horn instruments that wrapped around to resemble a serpent. The only issue with this museum was it’s lack of English translations. While reading some of the German descriptions was possible, it was generally difficult to get full information on each instrument. This museum is definitely geared towards Leipzigers, but was still enjoyable nonetheless. As music-lovers, seeing this museum was well-worth our time. Seeing creative and unusual versions of instruments we play ourselves was likely the most interesting part. This museum certainly earned our stamp of approval and hope others find it just as amazing as we did.

by Lizzie Wysession and James Brockenborough

Dresden’s Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister is an art museum featuring pieces all the way back from the early 15th century. The museum in Dresden contains 750 paintings from the 15th to the 18th century. This includes major Italian Renaissance works as well as Duth and Flemish works. Walking around the museum, it was easy to see the influence that religion had on the art created in the 15th and 16th centuries. Almost the entire first floor was filled with paintings of the virgin Mary, newborn Jesus, and the nativity scene. It was also interesting to see the Greek and Roman influences. We walked through a room that was filled entirely of mythological sculptures.

A bust of Friedrich III, elector of saxony, protector of Martin Luther, and founder of the University of Wittenberg is shown in the 15th century art section. It is made from brass and was built by Adriano Fiorentino, one of the earliest and most important Italian portrait sculptures north of the Alps. The ”Tower of Babel” is dated back to 1595, by Marten Van Valckenborch. Most of Valckenborch’s works involved landscapes with religious themes as well as scenes of agriculture or mining. Marten would later develop towards a late Renaissance style, which is characterized by dramatic clouds and large mountains. An example of this is the “Tower of Babel”. The “Dresden Triptych” is dated back to 1437 and is a work divided into three sections called a “Triptych”. This work possibly intended for private devotion was created by Netherlandish painter Jan van Eyck. The work consists of an inner panel and two double-sided wings. The Museum only showed the triptych opened so that only three sections were able to be seen. When opened, the center panel shows Mary seated holding the Christ Child on her lap. The left panel shows Archangel Michael presenting a kneeling donor. The donor has yet to be identified, but there have been numerous suggestions such as a Genoese merchant. St. Catherine is shown on the right reading a prayer book. A wheel and sword is presented with her to signify who she is.

Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to see the entire collection, but the works of art that we did see were beautiful scenes from the Bible and landscapes around Europe. It is no surprise that over 500,000 people visit every year.