Historical Films of Pre-war Braunschweig.

Every Wednesday afternoon in the Film Theatre at the City Museum a programme of historical films of old Braunschweig is shown.  It was a city of half timbered houses and narrow streets, and the short films show everyday life as it was before and just after the war.  Also shown are films of the bombing on the nights of 14th/15th  October 1944, when 90% of the inner city wooden buildings were destroyed.

The films were fascinating, I was glued to the screen and especially interesting was a film that showed the RAF plans for the flight to Braunschweig, the names of the crew and film of the actual bombing.  The commentary was given by a man, who, as a child remembered the nights he spent with his parents sheltering in a bunker.  The family emerged each morning to find nothing left of their home.  There were some still scenes of the destruction, and then, taken from the same place, the present day scene with new buildings. 

I felt a mixture of sadness and fascination.  I know the city very well, and to see film taken from an RAF flight over the city five days after the bombing was sad.  I could see all the places I visit, the bombed churches, the damaged Town Hall, the Old Town Hall and the Schloss.   I know "All's fair in love and war," but I am always sad that we wrecked one anothers' homelands and destroyed so many beautiful buildings.