The 75th Infantry Division went to an assembly area near Westerholt Germany after clearing Die Haard Forest. They might not have been in the city center but I decided I should explore regardless. Westerholt was impacted by World War II because of its industrial importance, the presence of key military figures, and its experience as part of occupied Germany after the war. Though much of the city experienced significant damage from Allied bombing, somehow the Altes Dorf (Old City) managed to be spared. By sketching here I felt I was seeing what the city looked like before World War II. My German Great HGreat Great grandfather left Arolsen Germany in 1830 which was a city that looks very similar to theWesterholt old city.
Westerholt, Germany, fell during the final months of World War II as Allied forces pushed into Germany, likely around in late March or early April of 1945, with American forces capturing areas near the Rhine River and puching south to the Ruhr River, leading to mass surrenders of German soldiers and the end of fighting in the region by May 1945, coinciding with Germany’s overall surrender on May 8th.
I was seated on my artist stool in front of an artist gallery. There was a bench in front of the gallery and I had considered sitting there but the bench faced straight a ross the street. I wanted a view down the old city street. The gallery owner noticed me at work and started taking to be in German. I have been studying German on Duolingo which gave me enough vocabulary to order food and check in to hotels but fast conversation always would leave me like a dear staring at headlights.
I always assume people who approach are scolding me for creating art in public. In Winter Park Florida it is illegal to create art in public. Through our broken conversation I figured out that she was offering her bench for me to sit on. I was already adding color to my sketch, so changing location wasn’t an option. After my sketch was done, I looked at the display on the gallery window. The artist’s work was bold and abstract. She offers printing workshops in the downstairs gallery. What a beautiful way to make a living.
The tiny building across the street was new but it was being build using the old beam and stucco techniques. It used to be a storage shed but it was being rebuilt to blend in better with the whole neighborhood. The whole time I was sketching the neighborhood were chatting in German on the street or walking their dogs. I felt at peace. If only I could find such a beautiful historic place to set down roots.