Even if it looks like the statue of a woman is blowing away the clouds, it has a sad background. When I visited Semlin for the first time, I was surprised to find a memorial against the witch hunts: a sandstone sculpture that commemorates Anna Rahns from Semlin, who was interrogated and burned as a “butter witch” in Rathenow in 1672. This was the last witch burning in the town, and the memorial itself was preceded by controversial discussions - including with the Protestant church.¹

I love the fairy effect of Lomochrome Purple film - it gives the Devil’s Bridge a truly magical feeling. The surreal colors make the old stone arches look like something out of a fantasy story. Maybe I’ll visit the bridge again in winter, when the swampy ground is more walkable thanks to the cold, and try to get some shots from below.

The bridge itself has an interesting history. It arches over the “Teufelsgraben” and isn’t far from the old firing ranges in Katharinenholz. The surrounding area was once swampy, and when it rained heavily, Lake Bornstedt would often overflow. The drain, or “Teufelsgraben,” was built in 1786 to direct the excess water into the Golmer Luch.

I finally managed to wander through Potsdam’s Katharinenholz to visit the still impressive old firing range. It’s a fascinating place—one of the last visible remnants of the now mostly vanished military history of Potsdam’s north, around Bornstedt. The ramparts and massive bullet trap walls are silent witnesses to the changes in military technology: from flintlock rifles to the Luger pistol to modern machine guns.

The first firing ranges were laid out as early as 1810 for the recently formed Garde-Regiment. As the military base in Bornstedt expanded over the years, more and more recruits received their shooting training there. By around 1900, there were eight firing ranges, each 300 or 600 meters in length.¹

Today I read that the Stadtfarm in Landschaftspark Herzberge has to close for good due to income losses - missing sales to the catering industry, fewer customers, and rising energy costs.¹ That’s a real loss for the area, because the concept of aquaponics is really fascinating.² By utilizing natural cycles, the breeding of edible fish (African catfish³) is combined with the cultivation of vegetables. The liquid excretions of the catfish serve as valuable plant fertilizer: they pass through a biofilter, where bacteria convert the ammonium into nitrate. The water is then used to feed tomatoes, peppers, chilies, and herbs, before cycling back to the fish. It’s a closed-loop system that works without soil or additional irrigation.⁴

The days around New Year’s Eve are usually a time for me to review the past year and reflect on things. Last year, I tried something different - an experiment, really - where I journaled everything I did for a whole year. To my surprise, I was astonished to see that I reached more goals than I thought (though, of course, there were plenty I missed as well). Journaling helped me focus on new goals and resolutions, and also to re-evaluate some things along the way.