Vintage 1908 Wiesbaden Rheinstraße Ringkirche Postcard Easter Greeting to USA Dp
$ 3.17
Description
Vintage 1908 Wiesbaden Rheinstraße Ringkirche Postcard Easter Greeting to USA Dp. The front caption reads "WIESBADEN Rheinstraße mit Ringkirche," and it was produced by Rheinische Kunstverlagsanstalt Hch. Lenz, Wiesbaden, marked with number 304. High School Building Monroe, Wis. This vintage postcard from Wiesbaden, Germany, dated 1908, features a sepia-toned view of Rheinstraße lined with ornate multi-story buildings on the right, a tree-shaded boulevard in the center, and the prominent Ringkirche church with its twin spires visible at the far end on the left. The front caption reads "WIESBADEN Rheinstraße mit Ringkirche," and it was produced by Rheinische Kunstverlagsanstalt Hch. Lenz, Wiesbaden, marked with number 304. The back includes a Deutsches Reich 10 Pfennig stamp postmarked Wiesbaden on April 10, 1908, and is addressed to "P. C. Haeseler Esq. High School Building Monroe, Wis. U.S.A." The handwritten message in German cursive reads: "Lieber Paul. Frohliche Ostern! Hier ist die Kirche in der wir getauft wurden. Charles, Conrad, Annie und ich. Wir sind alle hier. Frohliche Ostern! Dein Bruder Max und Ottilie."The message translates to English as: "Dear Paul. Happy Easter! Here is the church in which we were baptized. Charles, Conrad, Annie and I. We are all here. Happy Easter! Your brother Max and Ottilie." This personal note suggests a family connection, with the sender referencing shared baptisms at the Ringkirche and extending holiday wishes from Germany to a relative in the United States, adding sentimental value to the item as a piece of early 20th-century immigrant or family correspondence.Wiesbaden, the capital of Hesse in Germany, is located on the northern bank of the Rhine River near Frankfurt and has been known since Roman times for its thermal springs, evolving into a prominent spa town by the 19th century. During World War I, the city was occupied by French forces from 1918 and later served as the British Army of the Rhine headquarters until 1930. In World War II, Wiesbaden housed a Luftwaffe air base and was bombed over 300 times by Allied forces, resulting in the destruction of about 20% of its buildings, particularly in the spa district, though it fared better than many German cities. stripes.com The local Jewish community faced severe persecution, with the main synagogue destroyed during Kristallnacht in 1938 and many residents deported during the Holocaust. en.wikipedia.org +1 Post-war, it became a key U.S. military site, hosting U.S. Air Force Europe headquarters.The Rheinstraße area in Wiesbaden today retains much of its early 20th-century appearance, as the city survived World War II with relatively minor damage compared to other urban centers, preserving its historicist architecture as a notable "urban monument" of the era. wiesbaden.de +1 The Ringkirche, built between 1892 and 1894 in a neo-Romanesque style, stands largely unchanged, and the surrounding buildings along the street maintain their ornate facades, though modern elements like updated roadways and vehicles are present.
