Blog Archives

** On February 25, financial journalist Wolfgang Munchau talked to the members of the British German Association about his recent book 'Kaput!' on the decline of the German economy.   Wolfgang mostly avoided re-telling the now familiar critique of Germany in the Merkel era: overdependence on Russian oil and gas, too focused on boosting exports of machinery to China, insufficient investment in critical infrastructure . He timed the most recent decline from 2018. Although Covid masked the effects, stagnation is now incontrovertible. In a world which has rapidly embraced digital Germany has remained...

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** BHC works closely with the Bristol Anglo-German Society as both groups have  common interest in the culture and history of Germany. BAGS has its own unique purpose and programme of activities, but members of BHC can attend talks arranged by BAGS and vice versa. For more information please see the BAGS website https://www.bagsonline.org/ or check out its Facebook page for upcoming events.  ###

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** BHC members were invited, on Thursday February 20, to an online book talk with Herman Beck on Before the Holocaust: Antisemitic Violence and the Reaction of German Elites and Institutions during the Nazi Takeover. The  event was jointly organised by the Leo Baeck Institute and the Wiener Holocaust Library. Hermann Beck, a Professor of History at the University of Miami, has spent the best part of 14 years researching the topic in archives all over Germany. He documented  a great wave of violence against Jews in the Spring of 1933 when the Nazis came to power. This violence has previously...

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FEB 18: Lucy Noakes (Essex) and Frank Trentmann (Birkbeck) in conversation at the GHIL . ** Despite some initial challenges with the technology, several BHC members were able to participate in this excellent session with two leading historians from Britain and German contrasting the memories of the war in both countries. Lucy Noakes characterised popular memory in the UK as 'resentful winners'-we were ostensibly the victors but had not come out on top economically like Germany. Frank Trentmann said that memory in Germany is complicated by the division of Germany. In West Germany the central...

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** BHC member Michael Bloom gave a fascinating talk on January 28 about his Jewish great uncle Horst Berkowitz. Dr Berkowitz lived in Hannover for most of his life. He was the youngest volunteer for the German army in the First World War and was heavily wounded in France. After the war he qualified as a lawyer and had a successful practice in Hannover until the Nazis seized power. Perhaps partly due to his service in the First World War, Horst's life was spared, although he was subject at one point to imprisonment in Buchenwald concentration camp. Some of his relatives emigrated to England,...

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** For those of you who do not like to travel too far during the winter months when the days are short, the Bristol-Hannover Council has just the thing?. During February, we are curating three on-line talks from leading academics on topics which I know will appeal to our members?.  The talks are hosted by our friends at the German Historical Institute in London and the Leo Baeck Institute. You can attend as many as you like. They are all free of charge, but in some cases require you to register in advance on-line. Don't worry, the process is very simple?.   If you have never been in a Zoom...

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** The Bristol-Hannover Council is kicking off the programme of activities in 2025 with a talk from one of our newest members: Michael Bloom. Michael was with us on last year's successful visit to Hannover when he revealed something of his family history in Hannover during the Third Reich. The story of his uncle Horst Berkowitz is amazing and we are delighted Michael has agreed to tell us more. Michael Bloom's Jewish great uncle, Dr. Horst Berkowitz, a prominent lawyer, lived in Hannover with his sister, Michael's grandmother. Michael visited the city many times from childhood onwards to stay...

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** It was great to see many members and friends at the Weihnachtsmarkt to celebrate Christmas. Next December we hope to secure more places for this ever popular event.  Our Christmas lunch was a great opportunity to look back and reminisce about our activities in 2024 - and what a year it has been! Do take a look at the latest newsletter compiled by Jonathan Radnedge and now available on the website to catch up on all the things we have been up to this year. Speaking of events, 2025 is already set to be a busy time for Bristol Hannover. After the latest extremely successful visit by the Bristol...

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** It was great to see many members and friends at the Weihnachtsmarkt to celebrate Christmas. Next year we hope to secure more places for this ever popular event.  Our Christmas lunch was a great opportunity to look back and reminisce about our activities in 2024 - and what a year it has been! Do take a look at the latest newsletter compiled by Jonathan Radnedge and now available on the website to catch up on all the things we have been up to this year. Speaking of events, 2025 is already set to be a busy time for Bristol Hannover. After this year's extremely successful visit by the Bristol...

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** This summer I had the pleasure of visiting the city of Hannover on the Bristol cathedral choir tour of 2024 as a chorister at Bristol cathedral. I’m sure all my fellow choristers would agree that Hannover was extremely welcoming and of course singing in the wonderful churches was as much of a pleasure for us as we hoped it was for our audiences. We covered a wide repertoire on our travels, including Vierne, Byrd and Holst. A particular moment I found special was our concert in Aegidienkirche - which was destroyed during the second world war -  as it felt so symbolic of the bridges built...

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