It was love at first sight between Germans and their cars. Which makes for some high-octane debates. Susi Bumms shifts down for a humorous take on this fraught relationship instead.
The object of this column is to introduce Germany to people who don’t live here. One thing that you’ll see and perhaps even make note of in Germany is the logos and taglines with which towns and cities present themselves. They use all sorts of different things for this purpose: geographical surroundings, distinctive buildings, local cultural heritage – or, if they’ve none of the above to offer, just a pretty colour. So here’s a selection of four German towns with their logos and the stories behind them. Some of them may be a bit misleading, but the only way to find out is to pay a visit yourself...1. Hamm is a city in the northeast of the Ruhr, an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia. In 1984, architect Horst Rellecke turned a building at the former Maximilian colliery into a glass elephant that you can actually walk through. Hamm’s identity is now so closely bound up with this landmark that the adjective “elephantine” has been added to the city’s logo. I imagine locals taking this so seriously that whatever can’t get away fast enough gets an elephant’s trunk!
Hamm Elephant | © Susi Bumms
2. Syke, a town in Lower Saxony, revamped its publicity efforts in 2016 and has been doubling down on the letter “y” ever since. So its slogan has become “Syke – meyne Stadt” (i.e. “Syke – my town”, in which “meine” is written with a “y”: “meyne”). Here, too, I think the concept is taken seriously all over town: buildings, people, plants – you name it, everything here gets “y”-shaped.
Syke | © Susi Bumms
3. Friedrich Schiller spent a summer in Rudolstadt, Thuringia; hence the town’s tagline “Schillers’ heimliche Geliebte” – “Schiller’s secret mistress”. The great German poet died in 1805. That was some time ago. I hope the townsfolk got the news and haven’t been waiting in vain for him to come back ever since...
Schiller’s secret mistress waiting for his return | © Susi Bumms
4. Meppen in Lower Saxony takes a different approach, adding the words “mag dich” – “likes you” – to name of the town on its tagline. That’s nice and I think the town’s former ramparts have been repurposed to form a big hug.
Meppen’s big rampart hug | © Susi Bumms
“Frankly...“
On an alternating basis each week, our “Frankly ...” column series is written by Susi Bumms, Maximilian Buddenbohm, and Sineb El Masrar and Marie Leão. In the “Frankly…visual” column, Susi Bumms observes pop culture and politics, commenting on what she sees through cartoons and pictures..
July 2023