Living the Life
Werne
I work of art that is also a fountain in the summer time.
The view of the cathedral down one of the many alleyways
The square around the cathedral is quintessential Germany
A train passing by
This clock shows the names of all of Werne's sister cities and the year they became sisters.
- Bailleul, France, 1968
- Lythem St. Annes, Great Britain, 1984
- Kyritz, Germany, 1990- After the fall of the Berlin Wall, cities in western Germany were asked to adopt cities from eastern Germany
- Wałcz, Poland,1992
- Poggibonsi, Italy, 2000
The faces on this house are originals from the 1500s. It was said they would scare away evil spirits.
Stumble stones like these can be found in cities all over Germany. They show the names and information of the Jewish people who lived in the town before the Holocaust. Some say you should not walk on them, but in reality, it is encouraged. Walking on them keeps them shining bright. The students from Anne-Frank-Gymnasium go around once a year cleaning all of the stumble stones in town.
Mrs. Birgit Berendes was our guide around town. Here she explains the meaning of this fountain, which depicts various common metaphors, such as the girl who is clever as a fox.
This square perfectly encapsulates the spirit of old and new: this playground was only recently put in, but the building in the background, the library, is the oldest building in town.
The pictured map is of the Old Town. It can be found on the walls of the monastery, the building closest to the bottom in the picture.
St. Christopher's Cathedral
As Mrs. Berendes says, she has connections. Those connections got us an exclusive tour of St. Christopher's cathedral, including the bell tower! We were so lucky, and thankful, to have this opportunity!
We started and ended our journey to the bell tower by climbing a narrow set of stone steps. They were so steep, they didn't even have a railing- just a rope to hold onto!
Left and above: The same dome from above and below.
Views of the city from the windows of the bell tower
I got to touch the biggest bell in tower, St. Christoper. It has been in the church since before Columbus came to America.
All of the bells in the tower were named after different saints. The picture above is the view from the highest platform, from which we could see all the bells.
The weights and gears for the clock.
The shell is the symbol of the pilgrimage of St. Jacob. Houses with the shell offer free housing and hot meals for pilgrims on their journeys. Werne is one of the main routes through Germany.
Kapuzinerkloster
This gorgeous monastery and church offers private tours of their extensive, ancient library every first Saturday of the month. However, once again, Mrs. Berendes got us a private tour. We were allowed to go into the lectern (on the left wall in the first picture) and touch Bibles printed in the 1700s. It was an absolutely amazing place.
