It came as a shock to me that huge State owned orchards had been destroyed.  Cherry-, apple- and pear trees, also fruit bushes had been pulled out by the roots all over the former East Germany.  In the province of Havelland alone one million trees had been uprooted.  Former owners, who had fled tho the West, had now claimed their own estates back and created golf grounds.

Some people worked still on borrowed time, as West Germans invested and brought their own specialised work force with them.  But a lot of effort had already been made to train people.  About 60 percent of East German unemployed were women.

Leipzig is now the Center of German Telekom.  Kristina works there and told us about the newest equipment installed.  While I was there, a paper war was going on between Telekom and the farmers.  Telekom wanted to buy bits of land for their telephone cells, but the farmers refused to co-operate.  Old plans had to be strapped and new ones made.

Leipzig has one of the largest Stations in Europe with 26 platforms.  At the time a lot of work was being done.  The glass panes on the roof had laid criss-cross over the window frames.

I thought very dangerous, as they could have fallen down on to the passengers.  They were now being put in place.  Glossy tiles were laid, even on the platforms.

There are two famous churches.  The Thomas church is well known for its boys choir and the Nicholai church was the oldest built in the elevenst century.  In both churches Martin Luther preached and Beethoven and Bach played in them.  Beethoven created the Beethoven school from which many a famous musician made his way in the world. Richard Wagner was born in 1813 in Leipzig just in the year of the Napoleon war.

The poets Goethe and Schiller had at one time been living in Leipzig.  Schiller's house, now one of the oldest houses in Leipzig, stands near the Zoo.

Many streets have been named after many composers.  This part of the town was called the musical quarter.  There was of course a large Concerthall.  It had been bombed and has now been erected more central.

In this area was also the Reichsgericht, where trials for the burning of the Reichstag were held.  It is now an Art Gallery, but during the Communists regime it was the "Dimitroff Museum."  Dimitroff, a Bulgarian, had been called to the trial and was accused of being involved setting the fire.  Great slinging matches between Goering and Dimitroff had been recorded and could be heard at that time in the Museum.  Luckely Dimitroff had been released for lack of evidence.  The whole performance was a sham, as the Nazis set the fire to the Reichstag themselves to have an excuse to arrest all their opponants.

 

To be continued.