On 27th May
1832 around 30,000 people from all over Germany followed a call to take part in
a political rally at the Hambach Castle near Neustadt in the Palatinate. With
flags of black, red and gold were laid a commitment for peace and unity of
Germany and called for a federal German Republic. The picture on the card shows
the procession of this great assembly to the castle.
Hambach Castle near the urban
district Hambach of Neustadt an der Weinstraße in Rhineland- Palatinate, Germany,
is considered to be the symbol of the German democracy movement because of
the Hambacher Fest which occurred here in 1832.
In the context of the Hambacher Fest of 1832 the then ruined castle was the focal
point of the discontent of the Palatinate people over the repressive measures
of the Bavarian administration which had been in office since 1816. The
administration had retracted important rights which had been given to the
people by French Revolution troops (governing 1797/98-1815). Since the Hambacher Fest, Hambach Castle has been considered
a symbol of democracy.
Before
the 150th anniversary of the Hambacher Fest in 1982 the castle was completely restored for about 12 million DM
(about 6 million €). During a further renovation period 2006-07 before the
175th anniversary in 2007, the castle was closed to visitation for one year.
Today the national memorial is a museum and convention centre with about
200,000 visitors per year. During the whole year events and receptions of the
federal state Rhineland-Palatinate, the District Bad
Dürkheim and the city Neustadt an der Weinstraße take place
here. A VIP guest in May 1982
was US President Ronald Reagan with his speech "an die Jugend der
Welt" (to the youth of
the world). Also, Presidents of Germany mostly connect their
inaugural visit in Rhineland-Palatinate with a visit to this historic
site.
A
mention of the "Maxburg" evokes a sense of affinity among
students and academics: it is considered a stone symbol of freedom and
fraternity especially among members of students' fraternities.
Since
1969 the castle has been the property of the - then newly created
- District Bad Dürkheim. In 2002 it became part of a new charity: its
owners are now the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, the Bezirksverband
Pfalz, the District Bad Dürkheim and the city of Neustadt an
der Weinstraße. The charity is supported financially by the Federal Republic of
Germany.
Thank
you Merja for this wonderful maxi card, with the impressive 50 pfennig
stamp.
No comments:
Post a Comment