Dieksee, Gremsmühlen, Germany, 1897

1897 – View across the Dieksee from Gremsmühlen near Eutin in Germany. © Mark Zanzig/Zanzig.com/Photo: Alb. Giesler

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The story behind the image

Recently I aquired this beautiful photo by pioneer Albert Giesler in Eutin. It shows an early view across the Dieksee from Gremsmühlen in Northern Germany. The print is dated 1897 in the lower right corner and was in a really bad condition. There were countless scratches, spots, and even large missing parts across the image. What a shame!

It took me about two days to recover the image to get it to the state above. Of course, I tried to edit as gently as possible, aiming for getting an image that Giesler would be proud of showing to his clients. I think I succeeded.

But the image is also remarkable from the content perspective, because it shows Gremsmühlen and the Dieksee in an unspoilt way. People from the area will immediately understand what I am referring to, but for those from abroad a short explanation will help: Back in 1973, some hotel group had the fabulous idea of opening a hotel approximately where you can spot the two buildings in the top left area of the image. And it should not be just another hotel built in the Victorian style, like the Hotel Dieksee. The huge, 12-story brick was a perfect match for the sleepy tourist town of Malente-Gremsmühlen – not! (Here’s an insider report covering the building, and how it presented itself in 2019, in German.)

Giesler’s photo is a historic document that shows the early beginnings of Malente-Gremsmühlen’s rise to become the awesome wellness destination it still is today.

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The high resolution image

Capture Date	1897
Photographer	Alb. Giesler
Location	Gremsmühlen, Germany
Image Source	c. 10 x 15 cm print
Digital Image Source	EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo
Digital Image Source Format	TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB
Edited Image Format	JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB
Edited Image Dimensions	13519 x 9302 Pixels
Copyright	Mark Zanzig/Zanzig.com/Photo: Alb. Giesler