Riga in black and white

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Livonia (Livland), Synagogues

Finally I found time to work on the analog black and white images of the trip to Riga in February. Here are some of them: the remains of the Choral Synagogue, the Altneie Shul, the former Jewish craftsmen school and the Seilen Shul. All synagogues represented in the photos were burned down in July 1941 – often with people burned alive – and serve different purposes today.

Altneie Shul, former synagogue – now a combined Beit Midrash and apartment building

Former Jewish craftsmen school – a place of further education

Seilen Shul, a former synagogue – now part of a school building

Remains of Choral Synagogue – now a memorial

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Brodno Cemetery in Black and White

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Jewish Cemeteries, Mazovia

To visit the Jewish cemetery in the district of Brodno was one of the most impressive experiences during my trip to Warsaw in December. Some days ago I received the scans of the film negatives. Here is a first selection of the black and white photos.

Brodno Jewish cemetery

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‘A Search for Traces’ photo exhibition opened in Bonn

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Christian Herrmann under Exhibition

Today my photo exhibition consisting of black and white pictures from Jewish heritage sites in Ukraine, Poland and Romania opened in the Böttger bookstore and gallery in Bonn. It covers works from summer 2012 to 2015. I was glad because of the many visitors, nice conversations and positiv feedback.

before the opening

exhibition opening

exhibition opening – photo: Klaus Hasbron-Blume

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A Time Of Gifts: Calendar For Free Download

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Christian Herrmann under Eastern Galicia, Jewish Cemeteries, Media, Northern Bukovina, Podolia, Synagogues, Volhynia (Volyn)

Hanukkah and Christmas are coming closer – a time of gifts in which I would like to give a present to all who accompanied my trips to Eastern Europe’s Jewish past and present via Facebook and my Vanished World blog: a calendar for 2016, which can be downloaded for free and be produced on your own printer or at an on-line print shop.

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A Summer in Black and White

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Christian Herrmann under Eastern Galicia, Jewish Cemeteries, Northern Bukovina, Podolia, Synagogues

I was traveling twice to Ukraine during this year’s summer – once in June with my friend Sylvia de Swaan, once in July to support the volunteers of SVIT Ukraine in their work in the Jewish cemetery of Chernivtsi (Czernowitz). It took an unusually long time to develop the black and white films of these two months, to scan them, make a selection and finally work them over. Now this has been completed, and here is a first selection.

Lviv (Lwow, Lemberg) – Jakob Glanzer Shul, former Hasidic synagogue

Mohyliv-Podilskyi (Podolia) – Jewish cemetery

Zolotyi Potik (Galicia) – Jewish cemetery

Chernivtsi in Podolia – Jewish cemetery

Kuty (Galicia) – Jewish cemetery

Chernivtsi in Podolia – abandoned Jewish home

Zolotyi Potik (Galicia) – Jewish cemetery

Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – former synagogue

Cariera de Piatra – former territory of Romanian and Soviet concentration camp

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An Honor To Be Interviewed

Posted on August 29, 2015 by Christian Herrmann under Media

Virtual Shtetl Portal – Wirtualny Sztetl, a project funded by Warsaw’s Jewish museum and an immeasurable help for every researcher of Poland’s and Eastern Europe’s Jewish heritage, was so kind to interview me.

Photo: Jürgen Ertelt

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Bukovina in Black and White

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Christian Herrmann under Jewish Cemeteries, Northern Bukovina, Southern Bukovina, Synagogues

So far 2015 was a busy year, four times I have been to Ukraine, once to Romania. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have traveled too much. For months I was not able to edit the black and white photos of my journeys properly. Now I’m happy to be home and finally have time to work on the photos. Here is a selection of black and white images of the journey through Bukovina in April.

Carlibaba Jewish cemetery

Arbore Jewish cemetery

Rădăuţi (Radautz) – synagogue

Siret – New Jewish Cemetery

Solca Jewish cemetery

Vatra Dornei synagogue

Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) Jewish cemetery

Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – Temple Synagogue, now a movie theatre

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A Winter Journey In Black And White

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Christian Herrmann under Eastern Galicia, Volhynia (Volyn)

At the turn of the year I traveled in Ukraine again. This time I was in Volhynia (Volhyn), a historical region between Galicia and Belarus. My trip took me to Trochenbrod, Lutsk, Rivne, Dubno and Ostroh. Back in Lviv, I made an excursion to Olesko and Busk in Galicia. Now I have completed a selection of black and white photos of the trip.

Busk synagogue

Dubno synagogue

Lutsk synagogue

Olesko synagogue

Ostroh synagogue

Trochenbrod (Trachimbrod)

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My book coming soon

Posted on December 21, 2014 by Christian Herrmann under Eastern Galicia, Northern Bukovina

Many of you followed my wanderings through Galicia and Bukovina and I’m grateful to you and your comments. With me was my old camera; I took photos whenever I was travelling in the last two years. Classic black and white photography. Thanks to the Rhineland Regional Association I’m now able to publish some of my photos as a book.

Titel “Spurensuche”

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Krakow in black and white

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Christian Herrmann under Jewish Cemeteries, Western Galicia

Today I received the scans of the films shot during the recent trip to Krakow. Without further comments I post here a first selection of pictures. They were taken on a foggy day at the two Jewish cemeteries of the city and at the site of former Plaszow concentration camp. If you like to learn more about the trip you should read the posts from October 30 and November 1.