Christmas in Germany 1991

Travelogue #1

Christmas in Bad Hersfeld, 1991

In 1991, Bad Hersfeld, Germany was a small town nestled in the rolling hills of the Fulda Gap. The population was around 8,000. The town was home to the 3rd Squadron of the 11th ACR (Armored Cavalry Regiment) and what made it so important to the U.S. Armed Forces was its strategic position. It was ten kilometers (6 miles) from the East/West German border (and as of 3 Oct 1991, the old border since Germany was unified.)

It’s been fourteen years since I’ve been, but some things I still remember vividly. Autobahn four ran in an east/west direction past Bad Hersfeld’s eastern edge toward the border. (And back then, despite the recent Fall of the Wall, and opening of the borders, we still thought in the mindset of “borders”) There was a hairpin turn about two kilometers before the border where you could see old stone-like supports built to hold a suspended roadway. I was told that those supports were for the original autobahn Hitler was building in the 1940’s. In fact, to support his war efforts, he did a lot to build up the country’s infrastructure, but when he began to be bogged down in Russia, projects like this autobahn were left unfinished.

Like most German towns, Bad Hersfeld was circular in nature. In the center of town was a cobblestone square with a bonfire pit and next to it, a small paved parking lot. Small cobblestone walking paths led out to the bigger streets surrounding the middle of town. We called this a pedestrian area. If you wanted to visit some of the shops in this area you usually parked in the lot or on a driving street two or three times removed and walked up to the center.

Bad Hersfeld’s historic city hall, or Rathaus, was on one of these cobblestone walking paths. It was maybe three stories with a crooked façade framed in dark wooden squares and triangles. It was a slender building and could have easily been mistaken for something else. On the same pedestrian walk, were more modern stores, mostly clothing and knick-knack shops. Further east was a four story department store. That reminded me of some multi level stores in American malls, but it wasn’t as fancy. The building was a very plain color and the upper floors had a lot of windows.

The American facilities were in the eastern part of town next to Autobahn 4. The bulk of 3rd squadron was on a kaserne up the hill. I stayed on “sub-post”, down the hill. It housed the MP station and MP barracks (yes, I was an MP in the army) as well as liaisons for serving our fleet vehicles, housing, and other services needed to interact with the local Germans and economy.

There is much I could write since my stay in Bad Hersfeld ran from 1989 to 1992, but I’ll say a few more paragraphs to capture the feel of the times before moving on to Christmas in 1991.

I love Germany. From mouth watering Kase Brotchen to smooth Hefewiesen beer, to flavorful pork jagerschiztnels, to cultural volksmarches, I loved being completely immersed in the German culture. For me, it was history come alive. I can only imagine Germany is different now, fourteen years later, certainly more modern, and while I’m sure Bad Hersfeld still retains its quaint ambience, some things are probably no longer how I remember them.

I was very lonely my first year there. I was a single, 21 year old female, working undercover the first six months. Then they made a desk sergeant. A specialist, E-4, as a desk sergeant was unheard of, so they made me a corporal and sent me to a leadership school in Butzbach, Germany. (another travelogue story for sure!)

Just when I thought I was going to be lonely for the rest of my life, I met my husband at this school in Oct 1990. I truly think our lives were met to cross. The circumstances that brought us together were amazing (its also another story).

Brent and I married in Denmark in Nov 1991. December was right around the corner along with the Kris Kringle Markets.

Practically every German city has Kris Kringle Markets. You can find them in the center of town – wooden buildings, shops, tents, full of various items, ornaments, Gluhwine to keep warm, wreaths, trees, gloves, scarves, hats, mugs, and gingerbread cookie heart that say “Ich Liebe Dich” (I love you.)

Bad Hersfeld’s cobblestone downtown was transformed into a bustling center during Christmas time which started around 1 Dec. In fact, these markets were pretty packed with people. The best time to go were on weekday evenings. Depending on the town, they would stay open until eight at night, which was considered late for Germans. Brent and I would visit when we could. Gluhwine was like a plum wine and it was served heated to keep you warm while you ventured outside in the cold, going from shop to shop.

I must admit, he was a good sport, venturing out into the cold like that with me. He was from southern California where it never gets cold and I was from New Hampshire were in the heart winter, it was easy to get bogged down in a Nor’easter. We would laugh and giggle, holding hands, going from shop to shop, buying ornaments for our little tree and drinking Gluhwine. (we stayed in a small one-room apartment off post) Afterwards, if there were time, we would go to a nearby Italian restaurant that we enjoyed, “The Alt Room.”

We bought a “ Weihnachten Candle” there. It’s like a wooden pyramid. Ours has three levels, and each level depicts a scene from the naivety. On the top are wooden slats, which spin from the flames of the candles that are placed on the bottom level of the pyramid. We bought wreaths to decorate our little apartment. It was a simple Christmas, our gifts weren’t fancy, but what we enjoyed was shopping at the Kris Kringle markets, spending time together.

To this day, we still have our Weihnachten candle. It was definitely different from an American Christmas. We didn’t get a chance to go back to the States to see our families, so it was just us. Not that I minded. I was in love and celebrating my first Christmas with my husband. The Kris Kringle Markets helped to make that Christmas special and I'll never forget them.