1926 – The beach of Grömitz in Germany, packed with beach chairs. © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com/Photo: Julius Simonsen
The story behind the image
This image from my archive shows Grömitz at the German Baltic Sea as it used to be back in the mid-1920s. My grandmother grew up in the area and she loved the place. We even have a photo of her posing at the pier in Grömitz.
The image is a scanned postcard that was sent on 16th August 1926. I guess the photo was taken in spring or early summer, because there are just very few sun seekers. The location of the photographer is on the sea pier which allows for a higher viewpoint that provides the impression of flying over the beach.
I like the fact that there are three or four smaller piers with boats as well as a bigger fishing vessel and a yacht moored a bit off the pier. These have been removed over time, and today there is a proper marina where the beach ends and the cliffs begin (in the background of this image.) Today, there are several (moderate) high rises next to the beach. The beach itself seems to be wider and less compact.
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The photographer, Julius Simonsen, was born in 1876 in a small town between Schleswig and Flensburg. A son of a butcher, he originally was trained to become a merchant but decided to move into the photo business at the age of 20. He joined the studio of L. Christensen in Oldenburg in Holstein and acquired the business just four years later, in 1899. During his lifetime, Simonsen photographed all the beautiful spots in northern Germany and printed and sold the postcards under the label Kunstverlag Julius Simonsen.
Nikolaus Julius Simonsen died on the 29th October 1943 in Oldenburg at the age of 67. His stunning work will continue to live in the photo archives forever, showing the beauty of a world that has significantly changed since then.
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | c. 1926 |
| Photographer | Julius Simonsen |
| Location | Grömitz, Germany |
| Image Source | 14 x 9.1 cm postcard image |
| 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 | 6180 x 3757 Pixels |
| Copyright | © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com/Photo: Julius Simonsen |
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