Exploring Art, Inheritance, and History: A Day of Theatre, Architecture, and Monuments
On the nationwide Open Monument Day, our first stop was a Marinee performance. We headed to the “Kleine Haus” (Small House). The play “Jeeps” by the author Nora Abdel-Maksoud was set to be presented. Right on time at 11 AM, it began. The hall, about three-quarters full, was filled with anticipation. Four chairs were placed in front of the stage: Ursula Thinnes, responsible for the play’s dramaturgy, held the microphone that day and asked the questions. Also present were: Simon Jensen (director), Roman Konienczny (actor), Burkhard Bauche (actor and musician), and Lasse Bothe, who later would give a musical performance.
Jeeps – A Comedy to Make You Think
Packaged as a comedy, Abdel-Maksoud’s play deals with a serious topic: inheritance. For many, that’s where the fun stops anyway. Every year, 400 million euros are inherited in Germany. At the same time, one in five children in Germany lives in poverty. A world turned upside down? Indeed, as Thinnes explains to us at the beginning, there are wealthy people who think about this discrepancy. That’s the Council for Redistribution in Austria, for example, in the form of Marlene Engelhorn. Crazy, right? As crazy as the so-called “lottery effect.” This theory says that even people who have no chance of receiving an inheritance are against raising inheritance taxes. The reason? One day, an unexpected windfall might come from a stranger, and who would want to pay high taxes then?
Silke was disinherited
The plot of Abdel-Maksoud’s play is quickly summarized: the character Maud is a welfare recipient. Silke, on the other hand, was disinherited. Gabor works at the job center and is known as “The Incorruptible.” Since the inheritance reform, a lottery must be applied for at the job center. And Gabor buys himself a Mercedes D-Class. That’s all that will be revealed for now. Rising star Lasse Bothe gives a glimpse into the musical layer of the play with the song “Sharing is Fun.” The rest must be experienced on stage with a ticket.
Villa Gerloff
We hadn’t had enough art for the day yet. Villa Gerloff, owned by the city, was also opening its doors today. We decided to take a closer look. At Löwenwall, we first entered a grand estate with a beautiful front garden. Inside the villa, it now has a more businesslike atmosphere. Meetings are held there, and event tips are given. Only the staircase in the building remains an interesting construction. A glance into the lovely garden is also worth it.
Water Tower on Giersberg
Our final stop of the day was the water tower on Giersberg. Unfortunately, we didn’t have tickets, so we weren’t able to climb the tower. However, we were able to take a look inside the “belly” of the tower. The tower was built in 1901 by the Braunschweig Waterworks. The architect was the city master builder Max Osterloh. It was decommissioned in 1987 and replaced by the modern pumping station in Bürgerpark. The water tower still has a complete technical setup, realized by the local Wilke-Werk.
