Milk of Human Kindness (or do I mean Bier?).

Wednesday 25th September 2024. Better Breakfast Day.

No cycling. Guided tour of Rinteln and Porta Westfalica and Buckeburg.

I am always in favour of ‘Better Breakfasts’, the most important meal of the day. Gunter specially went to the bakery for fresh rolls this morning and I had a great breakfast that included sliced meats, cheese, homemade jams and honey from Slawno (the Polish town that Rinteln is also twinned with).

After the Second World War Rinteln came under British Administration. A large British military hospital was created here and closed in 1997. The town also hosted the British ‘Prince Rupert’

boarding school for the children of military families from 1972 till 2014. So, there has until recently been a large influx of British people in Rinteln.

The twinning association with Kendal has existed since 1992 and there have been good communication and reciprocal visits in that time.

This morning Ursula and I went into the town and I she gave a guided tour of places of interest. The town is exceptionally pretty with very old wood framed houses everywhere. Possibly the oldest dating back to the 1500’s. Fortunately it was untouched by the war.

The old Rathaus and (slightly leaning) baroque church tower.
We were greeted by other members of the Twinning Group, Tobias, Ulrich, Ursula, Roswitha and Sabine (who took the photo). The statue is the ‘Night Watchman’. Night Watchmen were used in Rinteln to secure the town and watch for fires before the Police existed. They would raise the alarm with the horn that they carried. A senior watchman would be posted to the Church tower for a better view of the city.

We started with a climb up the church tower….

The views were great and this is the view of the Marktplatz.

We also visited ‘friendship corner’ where symbols of Rinteln’s twinning were kept.

This stone engraved plaque was placed recently to celebrate 30 years of twinning with Kendal.
I have the photo of the sign in Kendal to Rinteln. The distance here is in kilometres whilst the Kendal sign has the distance in miles.

I got lots of information about Rinteln history. Much about the British hospital and school and further back about its early Ernestina University. Briefly the Napoleonic French took over this area and pulled down its wall defences and closed the university. My next treat was the arrival of the city owned community minibus.

We went on a journey of sightseeing in the surrounding area. We visited the Kaiser Wilhelm I monument at Porta Westfalica.

Tobias, Bernhard, Ulrich and Ursula.
The monument dominates the area due to its size and its placement on one side of two hills. The gap in the hills is considered to be the gateway for the river Weser to flow through the North German Plain to the North Sea.

It was good job I had the better breakfast because I had to wait for coffee and cake at the monument cafe.

This was called the ‘Donau’ cake. Donau is the German name for the river Danube. I suspect the wave of cherry filling may symbolise the river.

Next stop was a nearby town of Buckeburg. Again a historic untouched town with its own Schloss and grand church.

Schloss gateway.
Schloss. There is also the premier horse riding school in Germany. It is on a par with the Spanish Horse Riding School in Vienna.
The church exterior was exceptional outside….
….and inside.

In conversation with Bernhard, he mentioned that a local German woman had been given the title of Duchess of Kendal. I found this on the internet and did a screen photo.

Schulenburg is south of Hannover and not far from Rinteln!

Several other notable people have been Dukes of Kendal but not many seem to have ever visited Kendal. There seems to be a vacancy! The manner in which I have been treated by people in Rinteln makes me feel as if I currently hold the title!

Back to Rinteln to return the minibus. In the city I managed to rectify a problem from yesterday….I had forgotten to have an ice cream so today I made sure I got one. We then returned to Ursula’s home.

This evening I was treated to a meal out at a restaurant in the city. I met again the members of the Twinning group.

The hospitality was exceptional. I had a great time soaking up the ‘bier of human kindness’. Bernard gave me a couple of bottles of Detmolder Bier to take back to the house with me. How thoughtful.
The lights in the evening in the Marktplatz.

It has been such a pleasure to speak to the Rinteln Twinning members. They have shown such consideration and kindness to me. They are rightly proud of their city, its charms and its history. They have all visited Kendal at some time (some on several occasions) and they feel a bond. It leaves a wonderful impression on me and I thank them all for their generosity….especially Ursula and Gunter.

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