"This where I grew up" Schmidt by knerten

I lived here from the late 60s until the early 80s, and I call this my 2nd home, since my 1st (3rd and 6th) home is in Norway.

Schmidt is a small village of some 3000-something people, off the beaten path, but there's plenty of things to tell or places to see if you like off the beaten path.

The picture shows the Rursee Lake, which is Germany's largest dam lake in cubic volume of water retained behind the dam. Many happy childhood summers were spent bathing and swimming in the wake of the passenger ships cruising the lake.
Schmidt is (not seen) in the lower left corner of the image.

Courtesy of www.rureifel.de/geschichte/nide

Coming to think of it, the area I lived had a rich history. This is just one of the many castles around. Unfortunately, not too many VTers seem to have visited my home town and my home turf, so I guess it's up to me then to make my ex-hometown aka childhood cradle known to the VT world. I will have to start planning a journey there. 2005 maybe?

Courtesy of www2.kreis-dueren.de/a-z/40/bilder/hue

Schmidt and the nearby Huertgenwald Forest has a gruesome WWII history. The Americans suffered their largest loss during WWII in the woods around my village, in some of WWII's fiercest fights during the autumn and winter of 1944.
The villages along this frontline swapped almost on a daily basis between being in American and German hands many times before the Americans finally won. More than 68000 soldiers on both sides lost their lives, 55000 Americans and 13000 Germans.

Schmidt lies along the Westwall, the heavily fortified German WWII defense line and I recall playing in many bunkers during my childhood. The Americans first tried to blow them up after the war, but gave up, they were simply to massive.

The ground is saturated with old mines and splinters and before you were allowed to dig for a major construction you had to call in minesweepers to clear the area. I also remember finding remants of shrapnels and guns all the time when I was small.

THAT was a peaceful play in old war ruins. How many children have to live their daily life and play in active war zones? Too many. War is a terrible thing and we should oppose it wherever we can!