Monday, January 15, 2007

for a walk in Dietramszell #2



Thannkirchen is close to Dietramszell. Now this was first
 mentioned in the year of 882. This does not mean that it is
ONLY  1120 years old.
It is probably several thousand years old.
The Celts had villages all over the place here. And the locals are
descendants of the Celts.
Anyway, see the church which was founded in 1662.
And then the memento which makes me think how good we have it today:

"In the year 1945 on the fist of May the German retreat was almost over.
Part of the fleeing German army found this a place to settle. Eight tanks of the
enemy, well equipped fired at them. Thannkirchen did not exactly profit from this.
A heap of ashes and some walls were left over from this hut of the farmer. The farm 
of Ziotz who lived across from here also burned down to the ground. A stable and
the whole house of theWimbauer burnedcompletely.  The inhabitants have tried to
stop the fire while the tanks were still shooting. They hit the church four times, the
parishhouse had no roof and devastation was everywhere. 
It is hard to explain in short words. The Americans still shot into the village for an
hour and more. Thanks god nobody was wounded, they were in the shelter. And
they have rebuild this place because they did not want to go under"

Imagine: on the same evening the war was declared over in Bavaria and only four
days later the German Reich gave up officially.
This really hits me every time I read this memento. How come people do this. I don't
mean the American tanks, mind you. How times have changed. Thanks God.

No comments: