DANK Springfield, Illinois Chapter

01/03/2026

12/02/2025

The last newsletter

11/14/2025

Goldener Herbst... and 19th century Rakotzbrücke. Teufelsbrücke, Devil's Bridge, one of those bridges so dangerous, or miraculous, Satan must have built them. Or so it was said.

If the waters are still and light is right, the bridge and reflection create the illusion of a complete stone circle. From wherever the viewing point.

Designed over 150 years ago, and built from field stones recovered from topsoil and subsoil, it crosses the Rakotzsee in Azalea and Rhododendron Park Kromlau, Saxony, in the east of Germany.

But the bridge is so fragile you cannot walk across it, so it just has to be admired from a distance.

Photo credit: Frank Wittig, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

11/11/2025

11/10/2025

n this day, November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall fell — a defining moment in world history. For nearly three decades, the Wall had divided East and West Berlin, symbolizing the broader divide between communist and democratic nations during the Cold War. When East German authorities unexpectedly announced that citizens could cross freely, thousands of people gathered at the checkpoints, tearing down sections of the Wall with their hands, hammers, and sheer determination. The event marked the beginning of Germany’s reunification and became a global symbol of freedom, hope, and the triumph of unity over division.

11/01/2025

Newsletter for November