I Say Goodbye to All My Readers

I will be gone from Medium

Photo by Jan Tinneberg on Unsplash

You don’t have to be sad, it’s only temporary

I will be on a long week's holiday with my wife. We will be visiting the German city of Emden.

screenshot from Google Maps

Emden is the westernmost port city in Germany and is located on the other side of Groningen on the Eems. From Emden, a ferry departs to the popular Wadden island of Borkum and one to Delfzijl. Emden, with 150 km of canals, likes to call itself the Venice of the North.

Strongly connected to the Netherlands

Emden is a city with a rather lively history. From a settlement in the 9th century, it grew into an important large port city in the 16th century. The history of Emden is closely linked to the Netherlands because the city was able to flourish when the Dutch ports were blockaded by the Spanish.

Many Dutch Protestants fled to Emden at that time and that is why the city came under Dutch protection after the 80-year war. This allowed Emden to grow into a large, wealthy city. In the Second World War, 80% of the city center was destroyed by the Americans. Today, Emden is mainly a modern city with a lively port and shipyards.

Venice of the North

Fortunately, there is still some of the historical city center left. Around the old inner harbor, the Ratsdelft, there are still impressive buildings such as the town hall, the harbor gate, and several museums such as the Kunsthalle, the Ostfriesisches Landesmuseum and the Johannes a Lasco library.

I will see you all in about 10 days. Until then.

I will Never Stop Writing!