On March 12, 1938, the Anschluss, incorporated the nation of Austria under Hitler's Third Reich. Hitler had left Vienna as an unemployed, vagrant, would-be painter. His triumphant (albeit, short-lived) return was on March 14 in 1938. In a previous blog, I stumbled across a picture that Susan had taken of me from nearly the same angle as the one in which Hitler's car as it crept past Archduke Karl's statue during a parade following a speech he gave from the balcony of the Hofburg 73 years to the day (March 15) earlier.
Today, I went to see how many more pics I could recreate in the same manner. I did not have my best friend to take the pictures today so I had to ask unsuspecting fellow picture-takers. I thank them for their time.
Me, in front of the Parliment building.
Over my right shoulder is a statue of Athena.
Nazi troops parade past Parliment; 1938.
Me; near Prince Eugene of Savoy. Near the gates of the Heldenplatz
The Swastika parades near the statue of Prince Eugene of Savoy; 1938
One of the reasons I came to Europe was to visit all the historical sites I could. In this case, the present sites have changed little today from their reason for being of historical interest. I realize that I have been walking the same places that kings and peasants, dictators and shopkeepers, knights and composers.
Awesome.
Like you, one thing that attracts me about Europe is how sites have remained static over such long and eventful periods of time. I'll be cycling to Austria to augment my site on Nazi-era sites then and now which I invite you to visit at http://tracesofevil.com
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