The Ofterdingen Bubble
I traveled up to Blaubeuren, Germany recently with a group of teens (34 to be exact) so they could attend a church-sponsored youth conference known as FSY (For the Strength of Youth). We boarded a chartered bus at 0500 in the morning in the Vicenza church parking lot, and then 9 hours later we dropped them off at the designated venue in Germany. It wasn't supposed to take 9 hours, but due to a heaping amount of construction along the way and a car accident that caused a lengthy traffic jam, that's what it ended up being.
I had an apartment all to myself for the week, directly above Nell and Mike's apartment (they also traveled with me as the main chaperones). We stayed in the quaint and small town of Blaubeuren, while the youth conference was on the outskirts of town - about 10 minutes away. Our chaperoning duties were now on hold until Saturday, so we were free to do whatever we wanted in the meantime.
The night before our departure, a large group of youth traveled by train from Rome to meet up with our Vicenza group the following morning. They were accompanied by Irma and Marco, a married couple also from Rome. We had the pleasure of hosting Irma and Marco for the night, even though it was comical for all of us as we tried to communicate in various languages in order to understand each other.
In the photo below, Irma, their daughter Sara, and Marco are on the far left in the back. I think there were 18 kids who came up from Rome for FSY in Germany.
As I drove Irma and Marco home with me, once all the kids were divvied up among local ward members for the night, I learned that they both speak Spanish. Hooray! Even though I'm pretty rusty, I can speak better in Spanish than I do in Italian. Between a little bit of English, a little bit of Spanish, and a little bit of Italian, and LOTS of gesturing, we were able to come to an understanding about what I could feed them before we all went to bed. Marco is a taxi driver in Rome, and he has had some famous passengers on occasion . . . like Johnny Depp and William Defoe. :)
Monday, July 27th: I woke up around 3:00 a.m. (about 45 minutes before my alarm was set to go off). Oh joy.
Scott drove all of us to the church parking lot at 4:40 a.m. After all the youth arrived and we got everyone situated on the bus, he took Irma and Marco back to our house where they all went back to sleep for a bit. Later, Scott drove them to the train station where they made their way back down to Rome, and then he went to work for the day.
Our driver was named Luka and he was born in Vicenza, but lives in Padova. He was an exceptional driver and a great conversationalist. Each time we made a stop (2x going up and 2x coming home), I made it a point to visit with him and to tell him thank you for doing such a great job. The traffic was really slow going north to Germany, with all the construction and the car accident, so I knew he was exhausted by the time we arrived.
We took a group photo before the kids all dispersed at the youth conference. There were 34 total youth, including the group from Rome. I am on the far right, in the green and white striped shirt.
As we pulled up, we were greeted by several adult and young adult leaders, who were doing an energetic line dance as a warm welcome. I thought I took a slightly longer video, but 7 seconds was all I got, lol. My friend Marnie Parker is in the white shirt and black pants at the beginning of the video. She and her husband, Kevin, were serving as part of the overall leadership for the conference.
Welcome video here: (7 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/CJKz22eDeGrgEmTt6
This was an English session of FSY, intended for all the youth in Europe whose parents serve in the military, but also open to other youth, too, as long as they were okay that it would be in English. I learned later that there were kids who traveled from: Spain, France, Luxembourg, Italy, Austria, Germany, and Poland. I think there were about 300 kids in all, divided up into smaller groups with young adult leaders assigned to shepherd them from activity to activity throughout the week. They attended classes, dances, a service project activity, etc. All geared toward helping them increase their spirituality and to connect more deeply with our Savior Jesus Christ.
A senior missionary couple had rented two large passenger vans and drove their group of youth down from Vienna, Austria to Blaubeuren, Germany. They were gracious enough to drive Nell, Mike, and me into town so we could check into our apartments and get settled in.
The first couple of nights, it cooled off rather nicely. I was a little scared to leave the windows open, not knowing whether they had mosquitoes in Germany or not. I spritzed my arms and legs with bug spray before going to bed, and nothing bad happened, so that was a WIN.
We were right next to a cute little church, known as Stadtkirche St. Peter und Paul (Town Church of St. Peter and Paul). We'd hear the bells chime every hour, with an additional ding at 15 past the hour, 2 dings at the 30 minute mark, and 3 dings at the 45 minute mark. At 7:00 a.m. every morning, the bells would chime and chime and chime for a full 5 minutes or so, making sure that everyone in town was gonna GET UP and GET GOING, ha ha.
That first evening, all three of us walked across town together to get some groceries before going to bed. It took about 20 minutes to get there on foot. First we went to the ALDI, and then we walked across the parking lot to check out the REWE (pronounced like Ree-Vee) grocery store, which ended up being super nice. That was our favorite store for the week, even though it was quite a walk to get there and back.
I found the cutest little street where the old houses had a canal that ran in front. Each home had their own little pedestrian bridge to get across. I wondered if the dangling watering can was for lowering it down to get a scoop of water so they could care for their balcony plants up above . . .
The blue pool acts as the entrance to a network of caves that goes on for miles, and scuba divers have often inspected the underwater terrain for artifacts and hunted for answers held within its long history that has existed since at least the Middle Ages.
I also learned something important after trying my debit card unsuccessfully at two separate banks, trying to get some cash out of their ATM's. If you can distinguish the language enough, you might be able to determine which ATM machine is meant for their local bank customers vs an ATM machine available to anyone from anywhere in the world. Third time was the charm in this instance. :)
Hilariously, when I asked for 100 euros by pressing a button on the kiosk, it literally gave me a 100 euro bill. The reason I was wanting some cash was because often when you're in a small town somewhere in Europe, they want cash and they won't take a credit card or any type of card. In my case, I was planning ahead for my big daytrip the following day, and I needed some smaller bills to be able to pay a bus driver for a ride. I didn't think it would go over well if I handed him a 100 euro bill . . .
I went into the Tourism Info office (for the second time within one hour) and they graciously exchanged my large bill for several smaller ones. The ladies in there were super nice and very helpful with multiple questions that I had. They also helped me pinpoint a children's book that didn't have any words in it, just lots of detailed pictures, kind of like an I-Spy book. I always try to grab a couple of children's books everywhere I go, and SOMETIMES I actually send them to my grandchildren. More times than not, I just keep building up my little library here in Vicenza for the day when they come to visit me HERE. :)
Outside the Tourism Info office is a mini replica of the town of Blaubeuren . . .
I ordered some lunch across the cobblestone street from the Tourism Office, the Church, and the Museum (all in one big edifice). The Adler Restaurant is known for their signature Cevapcici and steaks. Cevapcici is defined as:
Cevapcici is a popular grilled dish of small, skinless minced-meat sausages brought to the country by immigrants from Southeast Europe (the Balkans). [1, 2, 3]
Origin and Ingredients
- Balkan Roots: Originally a traditional national dish in countries like Bosnia and Serbia, it became well-known in Germany through decades of migration and tourism.
- Meat Mix: Made from a mix of minced meats, usually beef, pork, or lamb, shaped into small finger-sized rolls.
How It Is Served in Germany
- Grilling: Cooked on a grill or pan until brown and smoky.
- Side Dishes: Often served with french fries, Djuvec rice, raw onions, and ajvar (a red pepper relish).
It was super filling and I was only able to eat maybe half of what I had been served! I soon attributed my feeling of fullness to not only the heavy meat and cheese combo, but then I noticed the 1/4 inch of grease on the bottom of the bowl . . . Hoh boy . . . But the bread was FANTASTIC and I wish I could have eaten all of it.
At 2:00 p.m. I met Mike outside the Tourism Info office so we could get tickets to tour the museum together. Nell was tired and wasn't feeling 100%, so she stayed behind to rest.
Look closely at this next one . . . What do you make of it? I think it's in reference to the scripture that says, "When you are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God." In other words, when you are helping to serve someone who is sick (and in the hospital bed), it's like you're serving Jesus at the same time. Scott didn't quite agree with me on what this fresco might represent, but then he's more skeptical to begin with.
This shows how long the cave system extends, with Blaubeuren way over on the left side . . .
This shows a cross-cut section of the cave system, with Ulm at the center . . . Blaubeuren is to the left.
A few types of ancient jewelry that were excavated near Blaubeuren . . .
Mammoth ivory was used to carve the ancient figurines . . .
Above and Below: A description of and the actual migratory bird that was carved 38,000 years ago.
I enjoyed the museum very much, especially because it gave me such a historical perspective for where I was. In the last room upstairs, we sat down to watch a short film about the cave explorers that investigated the underground cave system a few decades ago. They had to navigate muddy sections of rock - with stalactites and stalagmites above and below, setting up a rope railing of sorts to steady themselves on return visits. They also had to squeeze through narrow passageways and then gear up with scuba diving apparatus to traverse some of the watery pools along the way. I came to the conclusion that if you are in any way claustrophobic, you would NOT want that job.
Mike wanted to walk to the grocery store again, and I wanted some cold gelato and a living room couch to rest upon, so we parted ways.
For dinner that night, I walked a whole 3 minutes to get to this highly recommended restaurant called Gasthof Zum Lowen. While I waited for my food, I got the biggest kick out of the sweet older lady to my right. She had the HUGEST and TALLEST glass of beer I'd ever seen, and she was happily sipping it and watching the passersby.
Meanwhile, I ordered 2 small pork medallions with mushrooms and a creamy sauce, vegetables of the day, and spatzle - the German version of pasta. It was all very good. My meal also included one trip to the salad bar, where I got to choose what I wanted out of the many types of saur krauts, shredded this and pickled that.
The restaurant was next to a small square with a fountain and baskets of cheery flowers . . .
Wednesday, July 29th: Here begins the story of the Ofterdingen Bubble. The tiny nutshell version is that everything went to globbers both before and after my time in Ofterdingen, but those couple of hours were amazing, miraculous, and so special.
I spent several hours ahead of time researching all the steps that it would require to get to Ofterdingen, a combination of busses, trains, and navigation on foot. I wrote everything down on a piece of paper and I even took a photo of the paper, just in case something happened to it.
Well, I might as well not have written anything down, because NOTHING went according to plan.
I walked over to the bus station in Blaubeuren with plenty of time to spare before the bus was scheduled to arrive. But when I got there, my bus number was not on the digital screen at all, and I didn't know which of the others listed would be a good choice. I didn't want to screw things up with the very first step of the day, so I decided immediately that I would just walk to the train station (about 20 minutes).
But in Germany, most of the train stations have an archaic giant paper chart instead - in goldenrod yellow - enclosed within a glass case. It lists each expected train's departure for the day, and it shows a few of the main stops along that particular route.
For example: Take a look at this tiny section of one of the schedules. The overall chart will start with a list of any trains that are scheduled in the midnight hour of the day, and it will look like 00:22 if the departure time is 12:22 a.m. They use a 24-hour clock in Europe, so 9:30 p.m. will look like 21:30. So, you would need to locate the departure time, then completely disregard the train number because it never shows up anywhere on the train. You'll see a few of the stops each train will make along its route, and then a little further to the right you'll see the correct platform to go to.
It is tedious and a little bit annoying to have to spend so much time finding your platform on this ginormous chart, especially when you're in a big hurry.
In tiny little Blaubeuren, I didn't have too many platforms to deal with . . . only 3 in fact. I made my way to platform #2 and waited for my train to arrive. Soon, however, there was an announcement that the train had been delayed by 20 minutes. The only reason I knew what was going on was because there was a young man seated nearby who let out a giant sigh after the announcement, so I asked him (in English) what was said. He was trying to get to work and now he would be late. He spoke relatively well in English and explained that he works as a nurse in one of the hospitals a few stops away. He is originally from Turkey, but his grandfather temporarily moved to Germany for work a few decades ago before moving back to Turkey. Now he, the grandson, has also found some work in Germany.
With our train being 20 minutes late, I figured I would end up missing my second train, since my connection time in Sigmaringen was only 20 minutes - - and would now be zero minutes. I checked my Omio app to see when the next train would depart from Sigmaringen toward Moessingen, and saw that there was another one coming an hour later. Okay good.
It took roughly an hour to get to Sigmaringen, and I wisely chose to use the toilet before we pulled into my appointed station. (Little did I know that the next time would be 11 hours later.)
I've done this at least once before, and I regret to say that I did it again: I got excited and ended up getting off at the wrong stop. I heard "Sigmaringendorf" and I mistakenly thought it was my stop, but it was not . . .
The Sigmaringendorf station was nothing more than one tiny platform next to a car wash, gas station, and convenience store. As soon as I got off, and began studying the BIG YELLOW SIGN posted nearby, I slowly realized that I was at the wrong place. None of these trains connected to where I was headed!
After several minutes of studying the yellow sign, comparing it with the giant area map, then back over to the yellow sign again, then back over to the map again, I decided I needed some help. I made my way over to the convenience store across the parking lot, and after a few strikes in getting someone who spoke English, finally one of the clerks grabbed a girl from the back office and she turned out to be very helpful.
She told me that the Sigmaringen stop was about 3 km away and asked if I would like for her to call a taxi to run me over there. YES, please. It ended up costing me 20 euros, but every minute mattered, so it was worth it in the end. If I didn't make this next train, my time in Ofterdingen would shrink down to almost nothing . . .
Here is a video that I took for my mom, who wanted to see what the countryside looked like near Moessingen. I didn't have the best angle for much of the ride - because of the sun's glare on my window. But this is the last minute or so as we came into the station (sorry for so many trees and bushes).
Video here: (1 min, 13 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/AQr6C1see1UC1UQu8
I had originally planned to get lunch in Moessingen, but being an hour behind schedule, I decided that the German pretzel that I bought in the gas station at SigmaringenDORF would have to tide me over.
Right away, I found the platform for the bus to take me over to Ofterdingen from the train station. It was more like a shuttle van, very cute and amply air-conditioned. The driver waved me back when I tried to pay, and I assumed that it was because either A) he didn't want to take the time to make change and give me a receipt, or B) it was such a short ride that he didn't care whether I paid or not.
I got off at the Steinlachstrasse stop and made my way to the church, a very short distance on foot.
I remembered so many things from having spent time here before - in the fall of 2021, walking all over Ofterdingen during my week's stay. I remembered this creek having more water, though.
The homeowner below was very creative with what they chose for potting their plants . . . So cute!!
I made a video walking toward Mauritiuskirche, the oldest church in Ofterdingen, and also where my ancestors were christened, married, and attended services.
Video here: (1 min, 24 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/HBDe94MwyrBKTm1Z8
This Protestant church has roots that date back to the 15th century. My known ancestors were here in the 1500s, 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s. The tower is actually older than the rest of the parish church, with construction being completed in 1460 (which is actually inscribed up near the top). It was formed as a military defensive tower, which is quite unusual to be associated with a church!
Villagers used to attend church up on the hill near where the cemetery sits today, but after many years of trudging up and down to attend weekly services, they opted to build a church in the center of town. In 1502, a new bell frame was fitted up in the tower, and one of those original bells still chimes today. A separate "death bell" (Totenglockchen) is manually tolled by hand.
The official foundation stone of Mauritiuskirche was laid in 1522, with the date carved above the church's north portal and can be seen from the ground below. The construction was commissioned by and overseen by the nearby Bebenhausen Monastery. The entire church was completed in 1534. With that foundation stone date in mind, they just celebrated the church's 500th year in the spring of 2022. Wow! I wish I could have been there. I was there in the fall of 2021, a few months too early . . .
The intricate wooden choir stalls that line both sides of the altar area are actually older than the building itself! They were carefully salvaged and moved from the old hilltop church when the congregation transitioned into the new building.
I was startled to see that the adjacent street to the church was named Ursulastrasse. When I had asked my mom if there was a family history question we could look into prior to my visit, the person that came to her mind was Ursula Roecker and her immediate family members. I wondered if this was a coincidence, or if it had a deeper history and meaning behind the street name. I had been coordinating with the same professional genealogist that I worked with back in 2021, named Karin Jauch. I took a photo, determined to look into this further. (More details to come)
Family surnames that I recognized were:
Otto Schmid (24 yrs old) Karl Lutz (22 yrs old) Eugene Lutz (22 yrs old)
Wilhelm Lutz (20 yrs old) Martin Schmid (37 yrs old)
Karl Schmid (25 yrs old) Wilhelm Schmid (20 yrs old)
Bernhard Schmid (20 yrs old) Hermann Rocker (20 yrs old)
The second list has these simple words engraved at the top: (translated from German) "No one has greater love than that which he gives freely to his friends." I am not sure of the time frame in which these men died, although I think it's a continuation of those who died during WWI because the dates underneath each name are in the time frame of '17, '18, etc.
Family surnames that I recognized were:
Johannes Schmid (43 yrs old) Georg Mossner (37 yrs old)
Baltas Schmid (33 yrs old) Albert Schmid (25 yrs old)
Earl Schmid (30 yrs old) Hermann Fauser (27 yrs old)
Georg Schmid (19 yrs old) Georg Lutz (20 yrs old)Bottom right - "Missing" ("Vermisst" in German)
Albert Schmid (25 yrs old)
Eugen Lutz (20 yrs old)
I am sad to think about these young men, some of whom would have been fathers of young children, dying on a battlefield somewhere. I am often reminded, however, of the painting on the ceiling of the tiny chapel in Normandy, in the middle of the vast cemetery for the US soldiers who died in France during WWII. It depicts angels holding and tenderly ministering to those brave men, in the midst of their painful injuries and for many, their last breath. WHO ELSE would have been able to comfort them on the battlefield?? WHO ELSE.
A sculpture of Heinrich von Ofterdingen stands in the square next to the church. He is both a historical figure from medieval times, and a legendary figure - the subject of various novels and other literary materials.
After I absorbed most of what I saw on the exterior of the church, I walked over to the front door and tried to open it. But it was locked. Whaaaat? I had read online that it was open every day from 9:30 - 5:00 pm and I was counting on that to be true!! It was locked when I spent an entire week in Ofterdingen back in 2021 (I assumed it was because it was still "post-covid" times), so I had never been inside yet.
I said a small prayer that Heavenly Father could help me find a way to get in there. And then I began slowly walking around the side of the church, hoping to see another human being that I could talk to - nevermind the language barrier.
I spotted an older gentleman come out of his house and climb into his RV parked in the driveway. I waited patiently a little ways off, trying to make it look like I was just casually hanging out in the square, even though I was listening intently for when he made his exit from the RV so I could dash over.
I successfully greeted him without scaring him off, and to my amazement he spoke relatively good English!! He didn't think that the church would be locked, so he walked around to see for himself, and was very surprised when it was indeed LOCKED. He asked where I was from, and I was able to use simple words to let him know that I was American, I live in Italy, I'm here on holiday (the word of choice for Europeans), and that my ancestors were from Ofterdingen and attended THIS CHURCH. He asked what surnames I descend from, and I told him: Schmid, Roecker, and Moessner, to name a few. He excitedly told me that there are LOTS of Schmids and Roeckers still in Ofterdingen today.
Next, he told me to wait there while he went to knock on a couple of neighbor's doors to see if they had a key to the church.
He knocked and knocked, waiting as patiently as he could in the heat of the afternoon, before finally giving up. Just as he started walking back toward me, a couple of trucks pulled into the square right next to us. They were loaded with stacks of chairs that needed to be unloaded for an upcoming activity.
The older man communicated to them that the door was locked and that "this lady" needs to get inside. True to form, they walked over to check the door as well, just to make sure it was actually locked. And it was. Then, one of the guys just happened to have a key to get into the little library on the other side of the square and he came back with the KEY TO THE CHURCH!! Unbelievable.
Video of him opening the door for me: (3 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/corTcVQEUjJtCdNa9
Below: the rear of the church
*Note the page numbers on the wall here - - I'll come back to that in a minute.
A relic from the partial demolition of the tithe barn after the fire of 1956. The stone originally came from the old parish church on the hill, which was demolished in 1567/68, and whose stones were used in the construction of the tithe barn at the same time. It depicts St. Maurice, the patron saint of the church, with his attributes: knight's armor, lance, and shield (here in the form of a targe) bearing the cross. The four shield sections created by the cross each feature an eagle.
The stone's significance as a source for Ofterdingen's local history lies in the fact that, besides the less informative angel in the cemetery wall, it represents the only remaining vestige of the old parish church and allows conclusions to be drawn about its appearance. The shape of the targe suggests the 15th century. It can therefore be assumed that the church was rebuilt during this period and exhibited a late Gothic architectural style. The shape of the stone with the console attached to the top most closely fits a polygonal choir, where it could have served as a support for a vault rib.
The iron-bound wooden chest on the floor is described as having two ancient purposes:
1) The Community Vault
- Before modern banking, churches used highly secure, multi-locked chests like this to protect parish valuables, historical land deeds, ledger books, and sacrament silver.
2) The Poor Box
- It also functioned as an early community Opferstock (alms box) or offering chest. It was built intentionally heavy and securely banded to prevent theft, ensuring that tithes collected for the poor remained safe.
I took a photo of a few of their Sunday books behind one of the pews, but I didn't crack one open until a little bit later . . . The title translates to: Evangelical Song Book.
Video of the upstairs - with its creaky wooden floors and all: (26 seconds)
This is the north portal and main entry door that also shows the date 1522 carved above . . .
After circling around the outside of the church, and sitting on the bench in the shade for a bit until I realized how much cooler it was inside the church, I decided to go back inside again. I was trying to pass another 20 minutes or so until the local museum was scheduled to open.
Sitting comfortably at the rear in a soft high-back chair, I opened a songbook to look up each page that was listed on the wall at the front of the chapel.
Page 302: "Sing, My Soul". Based on Psalm 146. There's a quote down on the bottom right that translates as this: "Is it something great that the angels praise God? No, because if we were in their place, we would do it too. But I think that Job praising God on his dung heap, that was something great, and that praise pleased God better than the praise of all the angels." ~ Gerhard Tersteegen
In the comfy children's area where I was sitting, there was also a sign that simply said, "Faith, Love, Hope."
Page 760: The Beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . Blessed are those who mourn . . .
Page 637: (in yellow at the top) Regional Section Faith-Love-Hope. The hymn: "A Stone Falls into the Water". **To the tune of "Pass it On" - which is one of the cheesy, yet effective, songs that we learned at Girls Camp back in the 1980's.
Page 190: "Christ, Lamb of God". The quote at the bottom translates to: "Needing God is nothing to be ashamed of, but rather it is perfection, and it is saddest of all when a person goes through life without discovering that they need God." ~ Soren Kierkegaard
I marveled at how the timing had lined up so perfectly for me to be sitting in that very spot. All those delays, all the mistakes and frustrations leading up to when I actually arrived at the church NEEDED to happen exactly as they did. If I had arrived a few minutes before, or a few minutes after, I would have missed the miraculous help that showed up in the form of the old man and the two delivery guys.
That's a deep thought right there, one that warms my heart with immense gratitude.
It was finally time to leave this sacred place and walk over to the Museum around the corner.
A translation for this next sign is below:
"The beginnings of the local history collection in Ofterdingen and the volunteer museum working group date back to 1998.
A group of dedicated men began restoring agricultural machinery and equipment that had been collected at the municipal depot. The municipality provided the vacant barn at Sattlergasse 12 for their museum display. The working group undertook the interior conversion into a museum, and the museum was opened in June 1999.
Shortly thereafter, an industrial steam engine from 1940 was acquired; it was the last of its kind to remain in Ofterdingen. To house it, the museum had to be expanded to include the adjacent barn. This also provided ample space for the presentation of new collections.
... The museum reopened on July 13, 2002. The exhibitions in the two adjoining barns cover the topics of agriculture, forestry, and domestic life, as well as crafts and industry. Woodworking is a particular focus.
Thanks to the restoration, especially of the barn at Sattlergasse 12, the building ensemble around the square, now planted with a linden tree, was preserved. Together with the building opposite, whose roof also overhangs Sattlergasse, it forms a distinctive feature of Ofterdingen's townscape.
The museum is a recipient of an award from the Working Group for Heritage Preservation in the Tübingen administrative district."
A group of dedicated men began restoring agricultural machinery and equipment that had been collected at the municipal depot. The municipality provided the vacant barn at Sattlergasse 12 for their museum display. The working group undertook the interior conversion into a museum, and the museum was opened in June 1999.
Shortly thereafter, an industrial steam engine from 1940 was acquired; it was the last of its kind to remain in Ofterdingen. To house it, the museum had to be expanded to include the adjacent barn. This also provided ample space for the presentation of new collections.
... The museum reopened on July 13, 2002. The exhibitions in the two adjoining barns cover the topics of agriculture, forestry, and domestic life, as well as crafts and industry. Woodworking is a particular focus.
Thanks to the restoration, especially of the barn at Sattlergasse 12, the building ensemble around the square, now planted with a linden tree, was preserved. Together with the building opposite, whose roof also overhangs Sattlergasse, it forms a distinctive feature of Ofterdingen's townscape.
The museum is a recipient of an award from the Working Group for Heritage Preservation in the Tübingen administrative district."
At the bottom of the sign, there is a map and a list of places to see as part of the Oftergingen History Trail. Next time I go back, I'll reach out to Werner ahead of time and see if he can come with me to some of these places. OH - I haven't mentioned Werner yet. Prepare for yet another miracle.
When I walked into the Museum, I could hear some men talking upstairs, so I just patiently waited for someone to notice me. Then two more older men walked in and parked their bicycles. One of them greeted me in German, and as I fumbled to know how to respond, he asked if I was English. He then wanted to know where I was from. I told him the same thing I told the old man at the church, that I was from America, I live in Italy, and I have ancestors from Ofterdingen. He of course wanted to know some surnames, which I happily shared. He, just like the first guy, laughed and said that those are very popular names in Ofterdingen.
This man was Werner Gimmel and he became my personal tour guide for the next hour. He spoke excellent English as he escorted me from room to room throughout the two expansive and very old barns that connected together to form one giant museum. We traipsed up and down too many sets of stairs to count, and the uppermost levels each felt like a sweltering oven, but I was so happy to be there with Werner.
He pointed out my family names along the way, including this large poster that describes the Schmid family carpentry business that is now in its 5th generation. (Translation below)
Translation:
The carpentry workshop was founded in 1900 by Georg Schmid, born in 1877, who, after completing his apprenticeship and journeyman years, opened his own workshop at the age of 24 on Bachsatzstraße in Ofterdingen. The first pieces produced were chests, cabinets, and even coffins—solid craftsmanship for everyday use.
In 1913, Georg's son Karl was born, who later also learned the carpentry trade and continued to run the business together with his father. After the end of the Second World War, father and son began rebuilding the business with renewed vigor. Soon after, Karl's son Waldemar, born in 1933, joined the company and began his apprenticeship in 1947. Thus, three generations worked hand in hand in the small workshop on Bachsatzstrasse.
A significant step came in 1952: A new workshop was built on what was then the edge of town, on Stäffelenstrasse. Here, too, all three generations were still active. Grandson Waldemar regularly picked up his grandfather Georg for work on his motorcycle.
Waldemar successfully completed his master craftsman's examination and ran the carpentry business together with his father Karl until 1992. The fourth generation, Martin Schmid, joined the family business in 1979 at the age of 16. After completing his apprenticeship in his parents' business and successfully passing his master craftsman's examination, he took over the management in 1992. He fundamentally modernized the workshop, renewed the machinery, and trained a total of 11 apprentices during his tenure. To this day, in 2025, Martin Schmid continues to run the business with passion and expertise.
Now, with his son Hannes Schmid, the fifth generation is ready. Born in 1998, he first completed his carpentry apprenticeship and then his master craftsman's examination, continuing the family tradition. As of July 1, 2025, he officially took over the management of the business.
In 1913, Georg's son Karl was born, who later also learned the carpentry trade and continued to run the business together with his father. After the end of the Second World War, father and son began rebuilding the business with renewed vigor. Soon after, Karl's son Waldemar, born in 1933, joined the company and began his apprenticeship in 1947. Thus, three generations worked hand in hand in the small workshop on Bachsatzstrasse.
A significant step came in 1952: A new workshop was built on what was then the edge of town, on Stäffelenstrasse. Here, too, all three generations were still active. Grandson Waldemar regularly picked up his grandfather Georg for work on his motorcycle.
Waldemar successfully completed his master craftsman's examination and ran the carpentry business together with his father Karl until 1992. The fourth generation, Martin Schmid, joined the family business in 1979 at the age of 16. After completing his apprenticeship in his parents' business and successfully passing his master craftsman's examination, he took over the management in 1992. He fundamentally modernized the workshop, renewed the machinery, and trained a total of 11 apprentices during his tenure. To this day, in 2025, Martin Schmid continues to run the business with passion and expertise.
Now, with his son Hannes Schmid, the fifth generation is ready. Born in 1998, he first completed his carpentry apprenticeship and then his master craftsman's examination, continuing the family tradition. As of July 1, 2025, he officially took over the management of the business.
Sorry I didn't get a very long video of this: (5 seconds)
When Werner saw me taking a photo of this overhead sign, he sprang into action to make me a commemorative coin of Ofterdingen!!
Video of my coin getting stamped: (19 seconds)
This room represents what a home in Ofterdingen would have looked like in the 1700s-1800s . . .
Video #1 of Werner doing a "demo": (42 seconds)
Video #2 of another "demo": (36 seconds) *Don't these just make you think of a group of young people dancing at some dinner party during WWII?
Video #3 of another "demo": (15 seconds)
Video #4 of another "demo": (20 seconds)
An old gunny sack with the name Georg Mossner / Ofterdingen printed on it . . . (We have a direct ancestor whose name was Christina Mossner - my 4th great grandmother.) Maybe Christina and Georg are related. Probably . . . they were both from Ofterdingen.
Next was the washing room - with every type of old washing machine you could imagine . . .
Video of a very old agitator style machine: (8 seconds)
Video of a drum-style machine: (12 seconds)
Werner explains some of the history of weaving in these short videos:
Video #1: (35 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/4gy4ZJdBGUoraaMDA
Video #2: (45 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZXLWKUXr5PktizYZA
Video #3: (23 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/qgSpB7vpWfLTcZSy7
Next to the biggest weaving loom was an explanation (in German) . . . Translation is just below.
Linen Weaving
Weaving is one of the oldest crafts of humankind. Warp-weighted looms were already known in the Neolithic period. On these looms, the warp threads were attached to a horizontal beam and pulled taut by loom weights (high-warp loom). These warp-weighted looms were only replaced in the High Middle Ages by looms with a horizontal warp (low-warp loom). In the modern era, weaving spread throughout Europe in the form of so-called cottage weaving.
In rural areas, linen weaving was the primary activity. The wooden looms were often located in a cellar-like room, as linen was easier to work with in a damp atmosphere.
The raw material, flax, was cultivated at home. Its processing into fibers and threads was time-consuming and required several manual steps: pulling the plants, placing them in the reeds, breaking, scutching, and hackling, and finally, spinning.
Weaving is one of the oldest crafts of humankind. Warp-weighted looms were already known in the Neolithic period. On these looms, the warp threads were attached to a horizontal beam and pulled taut by loom weights (high-warp loom). These warp-weighted looms were only replaced in the High Middle Ages by looms with a horizontal warp (low-warp loom). In the modern era, weaving spread throughout Europe in the form of so-called cottage weaving.
In rural areas, linen weaving was the primary activity. The wooden looms were often located in a cellar-like room, as linen was easier to work with in a damp atmosphere.
The raw material, flax, was cultivated at home. Its processing into fibers and threads was time-consuming and required several manual steps: pulling the plants, placing them in the reeds, breaking, scutching, and hackling, and finally, spinning.
In Ofterdingen, home weaving was widespread in the 19th century, and the village was also home to the Steinlach Valley weavers' guild. Around 1820, 60-70 weavers worked in the village. However, linen weaving could not remain competitive over the course of the century due to the spread of the mechanical loom and, above all, cotton imports. By 1895, only 26 weavers remained in Ofterdingen, but they were now processing cotton.
The linen weaving room was extra special because my ancestors - the Schmids - were linen weavers and farmers. There is another museum - quite close to Blaubeuren in fact - that is the leading authority on the history of linen weaving in the Baden-Wurttemburg region. It's located in Laichingen and I do hope to get back up there at some point and learn more about the linen weaving trade.
This concluded our museum tour.
As we made our way back downstairs, Werner reminded me to write down my email address so he could send me some information on my ancestors from Ofterdingen. He wrote down enough information about "my people" so he could identify the correct family members within the records he has access to. He had already emailed me a wealth of information as I was still trying to get home that evening!! Astounding.
When I wrote him back the following morning to ask how and where did he get all of the information from, he told me: "I am the archivist here in Ofterdingen, responsible for the town's local history. We have a family register here that a man compiled from parish records covering the years 1564 to 1900."
WOW. JUST WOW. Like are you kidding me? The guy that gave me a FREE TOUR of the museum also happens to be the town historian and archivist??? This cannot be a coincidence . . .
As I prepared to leave Ofterdingen, I asked Werner where the nearest bus stop was to take me back to the train station in Moessingen. He walked outside - and around the corner with me! - to physically point to where I needed to go. Just then, a bus was coming down the street, so I hollered goodbye and thank you to Werner and ran as fast as I could to the bus stop. The bus had already pulled over and picked up a passenger and was starting to drive off without me - so I kept running and started waving my arms to try to get the driver's attention. And it worked . . . ha ha
For a second time, he waved me back and didn't want my meager 2 euros contribution for the short ride. Approximately 10-15 minutes later, I was back at the Moessingen station and ready to make my way home for the night.
And this is where everything fell apart - AGAIN . . .
My train was cancelled from Moessingen back to Sigmaringen.
So I hopped on my Omio app to find another possibility.
I bought a ticket to go north up to Tubingen and then catch a connection over to Ulm from there.
Once I got up to Tubingen, I missed TWO trains.
The first one I missed because apparently they changed the platform on me, and I didn't know it because I don't understand German announcements.
The second train from Tubingen wasn't scheduled until about 90 minutes later. Gross.
I sat there in the hot sun with only a tiny bag of jerky (like 5 "tidbits" in the bag) and a PowerAde from the vending machine as my "dinner".
My train information was on the digital sign overhead, with no apparent issues, along with more and more people showing up and crowding the platform as we got closer to the departure time.
All of a sudden, our train's info completely disappeared off the screen - with no explanation at all. It was just gone.
People were clearly frustrated and looking around to see if anyone else had any info on what just happened. But no one did. The crowd began to disperse as everyone started working on a new plan.
Earlier, a German lady asked if her elderly father could squeeze onto the bench next to me while we waited for that second train. She told me (in English) that he has dementia, but needed a place to rest. She would be standing nearby to keep an eye on him. Just before the train was DUE to arrive, she came over and we chatted a bit. I asked her what was the cause of so much chaos with the trains, like is there a strike going on or something? She said no, this was just a "regular day" in Germany. She also said that 30 years ago, trains were like absolute clockwork. Everything arrived on time. But money has not been sufficient in the past 10-20 years for the infrastructure, and with a steady decline in funding - the passengers were now feeling the strain. She estimated it would take at least another decade to get the mess sorted out - and that's if enough money starts being allocated to the infrastructure! She added that the train engineers are often as out of the loop as the passengers are. They don't know until the last second if there's been a change or a cancellation. And many times, the display screens on the trains don't even work.
What a mess!! I can't even imagine having to deal with all of that on a regular basis. Here she was, trying to travel with her father (who looked like he was in his 90s) on a very hot day, and how tiring that must have been for them both. When our train was canceled, she ended up taking him over to the bus area to try their luck getting home on a bus instead. And what about all the young mothers, traveling with small children (babies, toddlers who are potty-training, etc)?? Or those people who are trying to get to work, or home from work, or to an important meeting, or to some other important event? Goodness gracious. And NO THANK YOU.
As for me, I said goodbye to the lady and her father, and I stood there for a minute wondering what to do next. I had been purchasing ticket after ticket on Omio, and then none of them worked out. I didn't want to spend any more money.
I said a silent prayer in my mind that the Holy Ghost could help me figure out what to do, because I felt confused and unsure of what to do next.
I began to feel a pull toward the train platform that was directly behind me, one that I didn't need to go underground in order to get to. The digital sign above said "Sigmaringen". Hmmm. Should I try this one and hope that there was a connecting train from Sigmaringen later that night? I hurried to look in my app to see if there was a train running from Sigmaringen to Blaubeuren that late, and sure enough - there was! So I got on the train.
I decided to not buy a ticket this time. I had already noticed that nobody else was being checked for purchasing a ticket during the course of their travel, probably because it was all such a circus anyway. Whatever ticket you HAD purchased had also likely been changed to something else due to a cancellation, so what point was there in checking?
This train did not have a working sign that showed the next stops, so I used Google Maps to watch how close we were getting to Sigmaringen so I would know when to get off soon.
Surprisingly, I didn't have any catastrophies getting from the one train to the other in Sigmaringen.
On that last stretch toward Blaubeuren, I finally relaxed a bit, realizing that I was almost done with all the stress from a very long day. I started getting seriously hungry, and I also realized that I hadn't used the bathroom in at least 10 hours . . . I was carefully rationing my last 1/4 inch of water to make it home, but earlier I had downed that ice cold PowerAde super fast back in Tubingen.
Knowing that soon I would have a 20 minute walk from the station back to my apartment in Blaubeuren, I thought it would be wise to use the bathroom on the train while it was "free". As I walked down the aisle, I noticed some liquid trickling out from the bathroom and into the main walkway. Hmmmm . . . and when I peeked into the bathroom, it was even worse. The floor was completely soaked, and pieces of soggy toilet paper were in blobs in various places. The toilet was 3/4 full of a coppery liquid that sloshed all over the place as the train swayed back and forth along the tracks. Ewww.
So I figured I could just hold it for ANOTHER HOUR. Which I did.
Nell and Mike met me at the Blaubeuren station and escorted me home in the dark. It was 10:30 pm when my train rolled in, and 11:00 when I got back to my apartment. I took a shower to rinse off all the sweat from that hot and crazy day, and then I scrounged up some leftovers in my little mini fridge from the night before. There was no microwave, but I didn't even care. I was so hungry that I ate my leftover pork chop, veggies, and spatzle COLD. And it was delicious.
And then I tucked myself into bed for the night.
The next day was designated to be a SELF CARE DAY with simple goals like: feeding myself, staying hydrated, taking another shower, using the potty more often, and watching a movie on my lap top in the heat of the afternoon.
That whole day was a power witness to me of how God is in the details of our busy lives. He knew exactly where I was and what I was trying to accomplish in Ofterdingen. He's not necessarily going to remove ALL the obstacles from our path in life, but there will be miracles and blessings performed when they are needed most. I believe, too, that when you are on the Lord's errand, such as I was with trying to connect with my long-since-deceased ancestors, He is right there to guide you and help you to have success.
I am so grateful for the time I was able to spend in Ofterdingen.
And I do wonder if some of my German ancestors were also there helping to line things up at just the right moment so that I could get into the Mauritiuskirche, and that I could connect with Werner. It's a very real possibilitity . . .
Next Blog Post:
~ A day trip to Ulm, Germany
~ A Michelin-star dinner for some young soldiers
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