Saxony Reborn From the Ashes of War

by Adriana Yampey, AFAR Ambassador

On Valentines Day 1945 British and American heavy bombers were dropping thousands of tons of high explosive bombs over Dresden, destroying 6.5 kilometers of the city center and killing an estimated 25,000 people.  It’s almost impossible to believe that such devastation took place. You would not know this when visiting the city today.

In early May I had the opportunity to travel to Saxony with Saxony Tourism and Avanti Destinations.

I admit I had preconceived ideas about Saxony. I knew much of the big cities, of Dresden and Leipzig, were destroyed in World War II followed by years behind the Iron Curtain, and imagined it undeveloped, grey and uninteresting.

But Saxony proved me wrong with its beauty, restored architecture, some in the same style they were before the war and a lot of them completely transformed in order to keep up with the times.

Seeing Dresden today makes it hard to believe such destruction ever happened.  The locals however do not want to forget; in many restaurants and pubs you will see haunting images of the past hanging on walls.

I arrived in Dresden, early morning and as soon as I reached the old center I fell in love. Spring is the perfect time to visit this city and Saxony in general. The fresh, and sweet smell of the lilac trees, and wisteria complement the city’s impressive architecture beautifully.

It’s so easy to loose yourself, and become a local, on the streets of Dresden. I walked for hours without knowing, and really not caring about time. Notable sights are the Church of Our Lady, the Dresden Cathedral, the The Fürstenzug or the Procession of Princes, made from 23.000 Meissen porcelain tiles, making it the largest porcelain artwork in the world. Apart from this was surprised to see just how visited Dresden is; large groups swarm all over the city led by knowledgeable guides.

Later I visited Görlitz and Meissen which are smaller towns in Saxony, untouched by the destruction of World War II.

I found Görlitz very charming, with narrow, cobblestone streets and stunning architecture. Most of the 3500 architectural monuments have been beautifully restored to look like in their glory days, making them a visual treat for visitors.

Meissen Porcelain

Meissen Porcelain

Meissen is the home of the oldest hard-paste porcelain factory in Europe. Again, the beauty of this little town mesmerized me. The visit to the porcelain factory was a real treat; there is incredible effort, love and dedication put into every porcelain piece that leaves the factory.

Vibrant Leipzig

Vibrant Leipzig

Leipzig was the last stop on the tour and quite possibly my favorite. A city that, much like Dresden, was heavily destroyed in World War II today is beaming with life. People everywhere, cafes with large open air terraces at every corner, full at all times, street performers, a buzzing nightlife and a flourishing art culture.

The adventurers out there will be impressed with Saxony for the large offer of outdoor activities. Rock climbing, kayaking, cycling, rides in hot air balloons, are only a few things on offer. The most impressive nature trip was to Bastei Bridge in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains of Germany.

Bastei has become the most popular day trip destination in Saxon Switzerland. From a height of 194m you can enjoy the picturesque panorama and view the miniature villages on the Elbe River.

Saxony showed me how wrong I was to have preconceived ideas on how a region should look like post war and Communism. It is a beautiful, vibrant and friendly part of Germany that must be explored.

 

Germany-based AFAR Magazine Ambassador Adriana Yampey, who has also lived in Romania, France, Italy, Belgium and the United States, dreams of seeing the world and documenting it through photos. 

Follow her travelers on Adriana’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. You can hear more about her journey to Saxony at AFAR.com.

 

Leipzig’s Art of the Future

by Kelley Ferro

Porsche? Nutcrackers? Harmonicas? Bach? I had no idea that Saxony, a free state in Germany, had so much going on! It wasn’t until my chat with Shireesh Sharma at the USTOA conference this past December that I realized the variety of types of art flourishing in a relatively small part of the world.

St Thomas Church, Leipzig

St Thomas Church, Leipzig

Saxony is a term often synonymous with Dresden, and after seeing this capital city, it makes total sense. Dresden, the home of a long line of royalty, hugs the Elbe River and boasts a majestic baroque skyline. However, Leipzig, the quieter sister of Dresden, captured me even more. Located on medieval trade routes in the time of the Roman Empire, Leipzig was a powerful city with renowned cultural importance back in the day. The home of Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, Martin Luther, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (and the list goes on), Leipzig is more than familiar with the arts. This city was built upon it. Bach composed in St. Thomas Church in the city center, Goethe’s Faust 1 was inspired by the city’s historic wine bar Auerbachs Keller, and Mendelssohn performed at the Leipzig Gewandhaus Concert Hall. And today, this city still pulsates with artistic energy. My independent tour with Avanti Destinations brought us to this city to experience the younger side of Saxony…and I’m sure glad that they did. Just walking the streets, I could feel and hear the buzz. Galleries, art schools, street performers…the past, present and future of art all blended together.

Outdoor Cinema at the Spinnerei

Outdoor Cinema at the Spinnerei

To me, nothing exemplifies Leipzig’s place in art more than the Spinnerei, officially named Leipziger Baumwollspinnerai. This 1884 cotton mill was one of the largest in Europe, producing five million kilograms of yarn in a single day. To accommodate that level of production, the mill had to be large, and I mean LARGE. It’s hard to comprehend the scale until you see it yourself but I can understand why it was dubbed a “city within a city.”

The factory compound spans several blocks complete with brick warehouses that previously housed spinning rooms, production halls, worker housing, and even a fire brigade. Now, these same buildings sport cracked windows, graffiti walls and ivy covered entrances. Eerily quiet on a Friday morning, from the outside, Spinnerei could be confused with a forgotten factory but inside, the darkened hallways told a very different story.

Hallways leading to LIA

Hallways leading to LIA

“Most of the artists are sleeping,” Michael from the Information Office chuckled, as he led us inside one of the buildings.

After the Wall fell, Leipzig lost some of its former glory as an industry hub and places like the Spinnerei shut their doors. However, in 1994, the Spinnerei was reinvented. Local artists saw these massive, unoccupied spaces as the perfect location to set up shop, literally.

Werkschau Gallery at the Spinnerei

Werkschau Gallery at the Spinnerei

More than 100 artists have since filtered in and set up studios in the past 20 years and now the buildings have a new purpose. They are home to working studios, indie cinemas, galleries, cafes, rental apartments and more. There’s a one-stop-shop art supply store so the artists have access to all the materials they need. Even an underground bar and weekend nightlife scene has sprung up through this new artist “city.”

Entrance to the Werkshau Gallery

Entrance to the Werkshau Gallery

With 11 galleries, artists are getting exposure and many are selling their works to the curious public. One gallery in particular, Werkshau, displayed just one piece of work contributed by every artist at the Spinnerei. One corner had a 20×20 foot oil painting, around the other bend was an alleyway with a projector screening a video montage that reminded me of The Ring (art is subjective right?). In the middle of the space, I found myself moved by three human figures with fox faces, carved out of wood. Still there were more portraits, photography and installations, some of which incorporated movement, sound and light. And all these were produced by current Spinnerei artists, who were likely creating somewhere in the Spinnerei at that very moment.

A Foxy Werkshau Exhibit

A Foxy Werkshau Exhibit

Michael took us up to LIA, an artist in residency program where young artists from all over the globe come to collaborate, learn and make art, all while living in their own studio. They sleep, create and exhibit all in the same place. Luckily, our interviewee was awake when we knocked on her studio/home.

Kylie Lefkowitz is a multi-media artist from New Jersey and she’d been living in this large one room studio for the past 4 months. Her bed was tucked off in the corner featuring a James Franco calendar, piles of clothes and scattered art supplies on the floor, not unlike a typical college dorm room.  The rest of the space was her exhibit…she was truly living her art. I liked how Kylie focused on words: messages, thoughts, musings and phrases that she expressed via all types of media. Each piece definitely made me think and feel.

Don’t’ feed the artists

Don’t’ feed the artists

We interviewed her as she swung on her hammock, telling us about living in Leipzig, being a part of LIA and calling this studio home – all with unbridled exuberance. We could have talked with her all day. Her candid stories were fascinating and it was through her that we realized just how impactful the Spinnerei really was and how it played a big role in Leipzig.

Some artists here use it as a workshop, a great studio space, she told us. The galleries draw large crowds, some of which are buyers. Other artists use the Spinnerei as a place to collaborate and be inspired. With so many artistic minds in one spot, it’s only natural for partnerships and co-working to take shape.

Walking out of her studio, down a hall that looked like it could be in a horror movie, I realized that so much of the charm of the Spinnerei was how it hasn’t been changed or commercialized. The rusty freight elevators creakily opened out onto dimly lit*, empty hallways. But behind the doors, around the corners, down the passageways were bright studios, natural light flooding in and art flooding out.

Not your average gallery

Not your average gallery

The Spinnerei hasn’t tried to cover or clean up it’s past. It embraces what it used to be; it preserves it and celebrates it. It allows art to spring up like weeds around the broken buildings, infusing them with new life. Yesterday’s artistic greats of Leipzig still hold the torch of some of the most monumental developments in the art and music world, but what is keeping Leipzig fresh, thought provoking and current, is what is happening at the Spinnerei.

This is a microcosm of what has happened in Saxony.  It is a rebirth, a new beginning.

Leipzig might be most famous for its artists of the past but it is the artists of today that are taking Leipzig’s art scene into the future.

Kylie in her studio (and awesome tank top)

Kylie in her studio (and awesome tank top)

Author’s Note: I later learned the “dimness” was because the Spinnerei is a GREEN facility.

Kelley Ferro is a travel expert & video journalist living in NYC. She films her show, Get Lost, around the world–hopping on a plane at least twice a month She is also the executive producer for Tripfilms.com. For more on her travels, follow Kelley’s Facebook page.

 

 

 

 

 

Eating My Way Through Saxony

by Adriana Yampey, AFAR Ambassador

On my recent trip to Saxony, with Saxony Tourism and Avanti Destinations I was able to taste carefully prepared traditional German dishes with a Saxon twist. But beyond the great food, I loved the way many of the restaurants depict the region’s past and hold interesting stories, if you are willing to listen.

My first experience with Saxon food was the 1900 restaurant in Dresden. Decorated in 1930s memorabilia (to include a real size tramcar inside the restaurant) it offers delicious, and very sizable pork dishes and Saxon dumplings. Here I had the opportunity to sample quarkkäulchen, a type of potato and quark dumpling served with grated apples and cinnamon, an interesting and very delicious dessert.

Dining at Pulverturm

Dining at Pulverturm

Another must-try in Dresden is the restaurant Pulverturm. The former gunpowder tower has been restored and decorated in a way that takes you back to medieval times. With an open kitchen, you can see the suckling pig, roasting on a spit, as soon as you enter. Another sumptuous desert I sampled was eierschecke, a confectionary specialty of Saxony. One thing to not miss out on is the famous funnel drinking, called “Dresdner Trichtertrinken”. It’s a green liqueur called “Cosel tear” which people drink after the meal. Cosel was the mistress of Augustus the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony. The drink is supposed to represent her tears upon Augustus’ death.

Eating at Schiller Garten

Eating at Schiller Garten

No trip to Dresden is complete without a visit to Schiller Garten, dating from the end of the 17th century, and situated at the foot of the King Albert Bridge, on the shores of the Elbe River. For a few euros you can choose half a chicken with fries and a freshly baked pretzel, or a pork knuckle as big as your head, and wash it down with refreshing beer. Unfiltered and unpasteurized, it feels like each sip is a meal on the tongue. It is probably the most local thing you can do in Dresden.

St. Jonathan

St. Jonathan

While visiting Görlitz a great place to eat is St. Jonathan. The interior is cozy and romantic, with high ceilings and gothic arches. The managing director of the restaurant had a very small part, as the Chef, in the Oscar nominated movie “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, filmed on the streets of Görlitz. It was interesting to hear him speak about his experience although he and the rest of the town are used to big movies being filmed in Görlitz. Here I tried, for the first time, red beet soup and delicious steak tartar. Who knew I would ever enjoy raw beef?

Panorama Tower

Panorama Tower

I loved Leipzig for the relaxed atmosphere and diverse food scene. Panorama restaurant at the top of Panorama Tower was a special treat. It’s a fine dining restaurant that takes Saxon food to a new level of sophistication in a romantic setting, on top of the city.

Auerbachs Kellar

Auerbachs Kellar

A very interesting (and the second oldest restaurant) in Leipzig, is Auerbachs Keller, dating to at least the first half of the 15th century.

Saxon Potato Soup

Saxon Potato Soup

We had lunch in the Goethe Keller, probably the most famous guestroom in Germany, decorated with semicircular paintings depicting images from Faust. Painted by Andreas Bretschneide in 1625, they are among the most important urban and cultural history exhibits in Leipzig. Beside Goethe, Johann Sebastian Bach and Richard Wagner dined here. Be prepared to have huge meals of traditional Saxon food.  As a final Saxon treat try the potato soup with sausages served at many cafes in the center of Leipzig.

Lunch at Auerbachs Kellar

Lunch at Auerbachs Kellar

Reflecting on my trip, having made my taste buds happy with the many Saxon dishes, I will have to come back with family in tow.

Germany-based AFAR Magazine Ambassador Adriana Yampey, who has also lived in Romania, France, Italy, Belgium and the United States, dreams of seeing the world and documenting it through photos. 

Follow her travelers on Adriana’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. You can hear more about her journey to Saxony at AFAR.com.