Portal:Germany

Konrad Kujau in 1992

The Hitler Diaries (German: Hitler-Tagebücher) were a series of sixty volumes of journals purportedly written by Adolf Hitler, but forged by Konrad Kujau between 1981 and 1983. The diaries were purchased in 1983 for 9.3 million Deutsche Marks (£2.3 million or $3.7 million) by the West German news magazine Stern, which sold serialisation rights to several news organisations. One of the publications involved was The Sunday Times, who asked their independent director, the historian Hugh Trevor-Roper, to authenticate the diaries; he did so, pronouncing them genuine. At the press conference to announce the publication, Trevor-Roper announced that on reflection he had changed his mind, and other historians also raised questions concerning their validity. Rigorous forensic analysis, which had not been performed previously, quickly confirmed that the diaries were fakes.

Kujau, born and raised in East Germany, had a history of petty crime and deception. In the mid-1970s he began selling Nazi memorabilia which he had smuggled from the East, but found he could raise the prices by forging additional authentication details to associate ordinary souvenirs to the Nazi leaders. He began forging paintings by Hitler and an increasing number of notes, poems and letters, until he produced his first diary in the mid-to-late 1970s. The West German journalist with Stern who "discovered" the diaries and was involved in their purchase was Gerd Heidemann, who had an obsession with the Nazis. When Stern started buying the diaries, Heidemann stole a significant proportion of the money.

Kujau and Heidemann spent time in prison for their parts in the fraud, and several newspaper editors lost their jobs. The story of the scandal was the basis for the films Selling Hitler (1991) for the British channel ITV, the German cinema release Schtonk! (1992), and the television series Faking Hitler. (Full article...)

Emanuel Geibel

• 1878 - Birth of author Erich Mühsam
• 1884 - Death of poet Emanuel Geibel
• 1911 - Birth of biochemist Feodor Felix Konrad Lynen, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• 1972 - Death of former President of Germany Heinrich Lübke
• 1980 - Germany observes Daylight saving time for the first time

• ... that the Allegory of Peace (pictured) by Jan Lievens celebrates the 1648 Treaty of Münster?
• ... that in 1945 the US Army confiscated the Hotel Rose in Wiesbaden, which is now the Hessian State Chancellery?
• ... that the Alchymic Quartet is a string quartet by Graham Waterhouse, to be performed alongside chemical experiments of Andrew Szydlo, his former teacher at Highgate School?
• ... that two members of the French parliament were killed when a delayed-action German bomb exploded in the town hall at Bapaume on 25 March 1917?
• ... that Helene Scheu-Riesz created the first German translation of Alice Through the Looking-Glass but struggled with Lewis Carroll's made-up words?
• ... that the Constitutional Court of the State of Berlin voided the 2021 Berlin state election and ordered a repeat election?
• ... that Nazi concentration camp commandant Otto Hantke was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1974 at the age of 67 for his acts during the Holocaust?
• ... that Max Reger's Piano Concerto was premiered by Frieda Hodapp in 1910, but has rarely been performed since due to its difficulty?

Sauerbraten served with Kartoffelklöße (potato dumplings)

Sauerbraten is a traditional German roast of heavily marinated meat. It is regarded as a national dish of Germany, and is frequently served in German-style restaurants internationally. It can be prepared from a variety of meats, most often from beef, but also from venison, lamb and mutton, pork and horse. Before cooking, the raw meat is marinated for three to ten days in a mixture of vinegar or wine, water, herbs, spices, and seasonings. Usually, tougher cuts of meat, such as rump roast or bottom round of beef, are used, and the long marinating tenderizes the meat. A Sauerbraten dinner is almost always accompanied by a hearty gravy resulting from its roasting and is most often served with potato pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer), potato dumplings (Kartoffelklöße), or Spätzle.