The German American Heritage Center presents “German Architecture in the Saxony Region" -- April 25.

Sunday, April 25, 2 p.m.

Presented by the German American Heritage Center

Some of the most fascinating and beautiful edifices in all of Europe will be explored and celebrated on April 25 when historian and lecturer Russell Baldner delivers the virtual program German Architecture in the Saxony Region, a special online event hosted by Davenport's German American Heritage Center.

From the summit and periphery of the Harz Mountains, northern Germany’s Saxon landscape is steeped in royal and early medieval history, seven centuries of alluring half-timbered architecture, and elusive mountaintop spirits. Boasting nearly 2,000 Fachwerk timbered structures and dominated by St. Servatii, the Stiftskirche abbey church and final resting place of Heinrich I, one of Germany’s most renowned monarchs, the historic city of Quedlinburg once stood at the very center of early German history. In 2019, Quedlinburg commemorated the 1,100th Anniversary of Henry’s ascension to the throne, the 30th of Germany’s Peaceful Revolution, and the 25th of its designation as a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Welterbestadt World Heritage City. Nearby, on the summit of Brocken, the highest point in the Harz, witches and spirits gather on Walpurgisnacht on the night of April 30, though more conventional visitors may do so by means of handsome vintage steam locomotive and narrow-gauge railway. Virtual guests to the German Architecture in the Saxony Region are consequently invited to explore a fascinating and often unfamiliar landscape rich in visual delight and natural, cultural, and historic treasures.

Presenter Russell Baldner holds BA and MA degrees in history, performed graduate study in German and archaeology, and specializes in Lutheran and ethnic German history, historical documents, German cursive script, genealogy, and Native American archaeology. By profession an educator, Baldner formerly taught German and history, with his research publications including 19th Century German Lutheran historical and archaic cursive manuscript studies and several publications on the late-prehistoric Native American rock art legacy (petroglyphs and pictographs) of northeast Iowa. Baldner is a frequent public speaker who presents on a wide range of archaeological and historical subjects, among them The War Within: World War I & the Assault on German-American Identity in Iowa, which he presented in 2019 at the 43rd Annual Symposium of the Society for German-American Studies in Madison, Wisconsin.

Baldner's virtual program German Architecture in the Saxony Region will be presented at 2 p.m. on April 25, a short Q&A session will follow, and donations to the free online event are greatly appreciated. For more information, call (563)322-8844 and visit GAHC.org.

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