1896 – View across Oberstein (Nahe) in Germany. Scan © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com/Photo: H. Lüddecke
The story behind the image
Over the past couple of months I have been researching the family tree of my father-in-law who was born in Birkenfeld (Nahe). One branch of this tree has been located in Obertsein (Nahe), a small town that is known around the world for processing and refining precious stones and gold.
Recently I found this cabinet card with a panoramic view across the town featuring five attractions of the town:
- The Oberstein Castle (top left)
- The Felsenkirche, a church embedded into the rocks above the town
- The ruins of a fortress, straight above the Felsenkirche at the top of the rock.
- The roman-catholic church St. Walburga (right)
- The river bed of the Nahe that crossed the town.
This image is impossible to take to today.
Firstly, the St. Walburga church was built between 1855 and 1858 and consecrated by Bishop Wilhelm Arnoldi on September 22, 1962. After more than 100 years, however, its structural condition was so poor that permission was granted for its demolition just five years later. A new building, along with a parish center, was erected on the same site in 1967/68. It got consecrated on October 20, 1968.
Secondly, and probably the most disruptive change, the Nahe river has been covered by a highway. After the second world war, the individual traffic had increased so much that the town center had been totally clogged up. After considering several potential solutions, the community decided to use the only available space in town – the river Nahe – for this. The river bed was covered by concrete and designed as a four-lane highway, the B41. This has entirely changed the appearance of the town. Admittedly, the constant congestion of the town center was eliminated but I think that it is still a drastic measure.
So, all-in-all this view of Oberstein is gone.
But on to some better news: the print was in a good condition but it still had several scratches and spots that needed editing. The resulting image is truly impressive and reveals countless tiny details.
It’s a real gem from the archive that shows the town of Oberstein at a time when her ancesters were living and working in the town.
Lovely.
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | 1896 |
| Photographer | H. Lüddecke, Braunschweig |
| Location | Oberstein, Germany |
| Image Source | c. 9.8 x 14.9 cm photo mounted to solid cardboard |
| 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 | 14043 x 9224 Pixels |
| Copyright | © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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