The Search

   Lately I have been searching for signs of history here in Paderborn. Paderborn is a City that either purposely destroys it own historical significance or is just so ignorant that it lets historic sites go by the wayside. A while ago Paderborn went through a huge campaign to get an old hospital on the historic building list, only to tear it down a few years later. Recently the city allowed the house where painter Willy Lucas spent his childhood to be torn down. This city destroys its own history and hides the rest.
   What I have spent the last few weeks searching for is the remains an old airfield here in the area, the bunkers that were built here and remains. I have found somethings, but mostly disappointment. The best part of searching is just being underway on foot or bike and seeing the countryside. I have been down the road that General Rose of the 3rd Armored Division was killed on. I have Seen a few air-raid shelters. I saw what I thought was an amazing bunker till I got near it and found it to be a Waterworks from 1917. Still it is very impressive.
   I got the idea in my head when I read a book about how Paderborn fell at the end of the 2nd World War that some of the stuff must still be out there. I see in the internet what people find in Essen and Dortmund. the circle around the Ruhrgebiet was closed here in Paderborn. I think I am searching for something to fulfill a childhood dream of being a discoverer if even on a small scale. I used imagine as a child that I would be a famous explorer or scientist. Now I seem to be driven by my curiosity. I wouldn't be surprised if it were my undoing.
  Searching the records I have found that the best places are occupied by the British military. The other interesting place was the fliegerhorst that was all but completely destroyed by a cement work. I could go a bit further in the Ruhrgebiet, to the border or to the East. This doesn't leave much area to search but then again there are a lot of rumours and myths and lots of countryside that I want to see. Seriously I love being in the forests. I love my bike rides.
   Today I went from Paderborn over Haxterberg and on to Schloss Hamborn. On the way back I rode over Mönkelöh and looked at the Waterworks bunker once more.  The weather was perfect. the lighting was perfect and my camera was dead. =( typical.