European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 19, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse The Tower of the Forth City Hall rises above the buildings that line the town s main shopping fort waiting to be discovered by Effie Bathen Niernberg Bureau in 1979, a life size Golden Swan disappeared from its rooftop Perch overlooking a marketplace in Furth Germany. Investigating another matter local police Learned that an american go had somehow nabbed the gilded statue to keep As a souvenir. At least the Soldier had discovered something about Furth a town of about 100,000 next to Nurnberg. A lot of americans stationed in Furth think Quot downtown is where the Post Exchange and commissary Are. Well that s silly. About a 20-minute walk away is a pleasant old town with lots of restaurants shops and a modern indoor mall called appropriately enough City Center. The first Stop during a recent stroll through town was of the ironwork on a door in the waa Platz. It had a Quot wild Man Quot in the Center a Motif that was supposed to scare away evil. Michael Frenzel a German craftsman in a nearby shop spotted me with my camera and asked if he might have a copy of the photo. He was a member of the Altstadt Verein or old cite association. I tortured him for a while with a German talking about 200-year-old wild Man doors and shale shingles. They were among the architectural wonders of the Oto he said. Then when he could t it tand it Arm Mure he to English and in item me to the next association meet no. He also recommended a Book about the cite by Barbara ohm it is in German and is available in local bookstores. A Short distance away is Custa Strasse. It is Here that 8 stripes Magazine september 19. 1991 the town holds overnight Flea markets once each Spring and once each fall and where on most summer evenings outdoor cafes Are crowded with students and others who like to debate world issues late into the night Over a guinness Stout. The discussions Are held amid buildings with an assortment of architectural Sty Les including Renaissance baroque gothic and old farmhouse. It s quiet compared to earlier times according to ohm s Book on the town just after world War ii the area was considered the or entertainment Center for soldiers Quot because of its Many guest houses for a w Hile the area which sits at the foot of the historic St. Michael s Church was the town s red Light District a and in the 1950s parts of it were off limits to american soldiers. Today most soldiers in the area Don t even know where it is. They Are lured to More Rowdy entertainment centers in nearby Nurnberg. Furth is older than Nurnberg the former philosophical Center for nazi anti semitism. Unlike most cities for hundreds of years Furth allowed its jew ish population to have several synagogues and schools. Jew ish businessmen were at the heart of Furth s Trade and Commerce. They a so had representation on the local Council. The jewish Center was located on the Hill where today s Sta Thalle or cite Center stands. It was burned by be nazis. A Rose Marb e statue in the shape of flames remembers those who were lost in the holocaust. To a cemetery i it across Rose Strasse. A Plain g a Wall blocks it off from some apartment build nos where Manv american fam ves live. Its Gate is chained and the cemetery is closed to the Public but those a Quot the face of a Quot wild Man Quot is in the Center of the ironwork of a mid-19th Century door. Peeking through the Breaks in the Wall can glimpse work gravestones dating Back to the 1600s. A lot of americans pass by the cemetery on their Way to the autobahn via Konig Strasse. One of the places Tea they can miss in a blink is the Altstadt Backer i. A Small sign announces the bakery has been operated by the same family since 1842. It s a great place to pause and refuel during a stroll since one of its whole wheat specialities is a Remus strudel a pastry whirl filled with potatoes carry and other vegetables. Hans and Christa Moreth own the tiny bakery now
