Back in 2003 on my way home from Uganda I stopped over in Europe to visit my brother Rob, and do a quick tour through Germany. We had a little road trip from Freiburg where he was studying up to the Netherlands. Before heading north, we took a day to visit my fathers hometown of Rohrdorf. It was interesting to walk around the small village thinking this is where my dad had lived and grown up. He had even drawn us a map from memory, which was almost perfect except for the scale (everything was much smaller than he had remembered).
With my brother back in Germany for a short time before setting off for the US, we decided to meet in my mothers hometown of Gotha and explore her past. We were joined by our cousin Christian who lives in the area, and acted as our tour guide. We visited the town center, explored the castle, then visited the house my mother grew up in. We then drove around Thuringia and explored a bit of surrounding area.
It is in an interesting feeling to look back into your families past and explore the places your parents lived. It puts context to stories they tell you, and gives understanding to who they are. Here are some of my photos from the day.
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- Gotha Bahnhof
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- Gotha
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- Gotha
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- Gotha
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- Gotha
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- Gotha Tour
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- Gotha
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- Gotha
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- Gotha
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- Gotha
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- Rob in Stands at Gotha Racetrack
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- Gotha Racetrack Seats
Were there relics from the East German days for you to explore?
Not too many no. Gotha was hardly bombed during the war, which while it has kept things largely in tact has made it prime for gentrification. Even the old row houses are now all colourful with new paint jobs and actually look quite pleasant. The horse track was probably the most interesting relic we explored, and from what I hear is still in use.
Can’t be that much of a relic if the betting board is in euro! 😛
Hallo Stefan,
es ist nicht viel zu sehen von der Geburtsstadt Deiner Mutter!!
Wo ist ihr Geburtshaus, ihre Schule usw. ….???