Wesel (Vay-sul), Germany

A brief foray into Germany today saw us at Wesel, a long important trading center situated where the Lippe River flows into the Rhine.  It wasn't the most exciting of scenery because it was, essentially, rebuilt after being flattened by the Allies toward the end of the war in 1945.  Peter Minuit, the founder of New Amsterdam - today's New York City - is perhaps its most famous native son.

We took a walking tour of the city and saw how it was rebuilt from ashes, nearly completely destroyed by two major bombing runs.  The housing dated back to the late 40s and 50s and was austere by definition.  Its cathedral was beautifully restored after the bombing as were the renovated structures of the Wesel Citadel.

The Citadel evidenced Wesel's onetime military importance dating to the 17th. century.  It was largely dismantled after World War I at the insistence of the Allies, but remains the largest intact fortification system in the Rhineland.  Interestingly, it is built with five bastions and five ravelins (triangular shaped fortificaitons).  Today you can see its main gate, barracks, bakery, and grain magazine.  It serves today as the cultural center of Wesel.

The marketplace near the cathedral had all kinds of tempting German foods (bratwurst, metwurst, and the like), but we came back to the boat to get out of the cold, and will be off to lunch soon.  Tomorrow we're off to Dordrecht and Rotterdam, the Netherlands.  More then!


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