Germany Bernburg 3 November 2024 I'm writing this brief note while on my way back from Bernburg, a quaint little town perched by the river Saale. I didn't have a chance to delve into its history this time, so I'll simply share my impressions from the visit. This isn't my first encounter with Bernburg; my first visit was on 24 February of this year, when I went to reunite with my friend Timofey after two long years apart. This time, I was exploring the town with him once again. I must mention that both of us are utterly charmed by the place, so much so that we plan to return again and again. In fact, we already have plans to revisit soon, with the intention of wandering through the neighbourhoods we haven't yet discovered. The town is notable for its tranquility during weekends; it almost always feels deserted. Today was no exception - I remember arriving at the station and stepping out into the square only to find it completely empty, except for Timofey, who turned up five minutes later. I'm particularly drawn to these small, often quiet towns; they remind me of a past life when I was just as fond of spontaneous trips to random places in Russia. Before I continue, I should mention how my day began: as I was making my way to the Jeßnitz railway platform near Wolfen-Nord, I found the entire town shrouded in a dense mist. It was truly magical. The last time we met, it wasn't at the Hauptbahnhof but at Bernburg- Roschwitz, the stop before the main station. This part of Bernburg is home to well-preserved apartment blocks from the DDR era, strikingly similar to those in Wolfen-Nord where I reside. My feelings about this area were mixed: on one hand, it was rather bleak and depressing; on the other, it felt familiar, comforting, almost like home. But that's probably all I want to say about Bernburg- Roschwitz. The old town, Altstadt, was unsurprisingly more charming, and it was a joy to learn that Bernburg wasn't heavily damaged during WWII, unlike nearby Magdeburg, for example. During today's meanderings, we didn't have a set itinerary and simply enjoyed the serendipitous discoveries that always delight us. For instance, we visited two Catholic churches; one was filled with an amazing silence and peace, while in the other, someone was rehearsing hymns in the background. We then made our way to the wonderfully preserved castle, which shares the town's name, and from its height, we spotted a solitary tower that we decided we must visit. It turned out to be the Keßlerturm observation tower, built relatively recently in 1913. On our way to the tower, we stumbled upon a local cemetery and decided to take a look. I had never visited a German cemetery before and was curious to see how it compared to those in Russia. Unlike the ones I knew, which were often cluttered with rusty fences and gates in disrepair, this cemetery was neat and well-maintained. I was impressed by the simplicity of some graves: just a plain stone with the deceased's name and dates carved neatly on it. No fences, just cleanliness and order, and the cemetery was essentially part of a park. Not far from the cemetery stood the observation tower, which we reached soon after a brief stop at a nearby café for some water. They charged us two euros for a bottle, which we drank before returning it. It's a bit frustrating that in Germany, especially in the east, it can be quite a challenge to find places open on weekends where you can buy water or use the loo. And that brings me to another point: public toilets are a real issue here. Despite the towns being well-kept and picturesque, finding such basic amenities can be a real challenge for travellers. With the clocks recently adjusted for wintertime, darkness descends an hour earlier in German towns, and anticipating this, we hurried back to the main station. On our way, we discovered Bernburg's narrow-gauge park railway, Parkeisenbahn Krumbholz, which has five stations including Tiergarten and Keßlerturm. We stumbled upon this discovery as we took a forest path and saw a tiny train chugging leisurely along. It was one of its last runs for the season, as the railway operates until four o'clock in the afternoon and its final day for the year was today, 3 November. After walking from the Tiergarten station to Rosenhag, we caught a glimpse of its last departure towards Paradies station, where it would head to the depot until March next year. Interestingly, this is one of the few trains in Germany that doesn't run late: when we got back to Bernburg's main station, I found my return train via Dessau was delayed by half an hour. So, Timofey and I decided to head to Calbe to catch a connection to Halle, and from there, I would make my way back to my station. Surprisingly, the train from Calbe was also late, and upon reaching Halle, I had to sprint to catch my transfer. But the walk was undeniably wonderful, and Bernburg still holds many more discoveries for Timofey and me. Copyright (c) 2024 contact@renecoignard.com Powered by Weblog v1.18.4