North German Impressions: Kellinghusen

Kellinghusen is a tiny town, only a few kilometers away from where I live. I like it  because the old streets and buildings, even on a cold day in early spring seem cozy and idyllic to me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By coincidentI ended  up at the old cemetry and found this old gravestone. he inscription says, that Jürgen Hansen who became known as the trumpeter of Eckernförde fought in the battle of Eckernförde on the 5th of April 1848 where, wounded himself he played the Schleswig-Holstein anthem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At home I looked up his name and found out  that the anthem he played had been composed just the year before, as a protest against Denmark. At Eckernförde it looked as if the Germans were losing and that it was his playing the anthem that lifted up the spirits of the already dishearted soldiers,so that they managed to raise up once more and to win that battle. Jürgen Hansen never fully recovered from his injuries but nevertheless managed to build up his own business as a road constructor in Kellinghusen. His family is keeping his graveside as a memory to him.

Quite honstly, I knew that part of Schleswig-Holstein had been under Danish rule but my knowledge of local history is superficial. At that time Germany was a conferderation of about 36 different dukedoms, principalities, counties and free cities. Due to marriages and inheritances  dukedoms and counties seemed to change their ownership all the time, which is how Schleswig – Holstein ended up Danish at one time and German at another and I find it hard to keep an overview.