Armageddon_ A Novel of Berlin - Leon Uris [19]
Rombaden City has been totally or partially destroyed at least a dozen times. War has ruined it ten of those times. Rombaden was destroyed twice during the Thirty Years War. It was so badly mutilated that the city never fully recovered from it for hundreds of years (nor did all of Germany for that matter). Rombaden was destroyed twice again during the Peasants’ Uprisings, which were particularly bloody in Schwaben.
Rombaden was destroyed during the Napoleonic Wars.
Rombaden was destroyed twice during the series of wars between Prussia and Austria.
Rombaden was destroyed twice by fire.
Rombaden has been partly or almost completely depopulated by plagues a half-dozen times during the Middle Ages.
We must bear in mind that the story of Rombaden is not alien to the story of most German cities and that very few American cities like Atlanta, have ever been ravaged by war.
In addition Rombaden/Romstein has been traded, sold or bartered to consolidate royal marriages, peace treaties, etc., a dozen times.
A detailed history shows that this district has been in over 600 different alliances.
A never ending series of disasters has marked German history. Rombaden has rebuilt itself after each catastrophe with typical German energy.
GENERAL DATA:
ROMBADEN (Roman Baths) Population 90,000. With Romstein District, 150,000. 85% Roman Catholic. The city was named for the Roman bath antiquities found in the thermal springs in the environs. It is distinctly Schwaben in its tradition, singsong dialect, dress, etc. A great provincial pride exists. However, there are unmistakable influences of nearby Bavaria, particularly in Rombaden’s architecture.
Rombaden stretches along the northern bank of the Landau. Two bridges cross into the Romstein District on the south bank. Between these two bridges is an enormous Rathaus Platz (City Hall Square) which is about a half mile in length.
The square is surrounded by dominating buildings. On the east side is Marienkirche (Mary’s Church) of cathedral proportions. The single onion-dome tower is only slightly shorter than Munich’s Marienkirche. The baroque interior is considered the most magnificent example of the period in all of Germany. The church was rebuilt in 1670. On the west end of the square opposite the cathedral is the Rathaus (City Hall), a square Renaissance-type structure from the seventeenth century. Under the Rathaus is the Ratskeller (City Hall Cellar or Restaurant), which is a customary meeting place in German towns. This particular Ratskeller was the scene of early-day Nazi rallies. The half-mile long northern boundary of the square is lined with a series of buildings: the Rombaden Medical College and Research Institute and Hospital; the Roman Kunsthalle (museum); the famous puppet theater and the Opera House. The museum, incidentally, holds innumerable treasures of German masterpieces ranging from Dürer to the modernist Paul Klee.
There are three statues on the square. The statue of the Virgin Mary stands before the cathedral. Before the Opera House is the second statue—Hinterseer, the poet, and Rombaden’s most famous son. It was he who wrote the Legend of Rombaden. The third statue stands before the City Hall, depicting two characters from the Legend of Rombaden, the mythical god Berwin and the goddess Helga.
This mammoth square, capable of holding most of Rombaden’s population, was the scene of much Nazi pageantry.
The central business district fans out behind the northern edge of the square.
The industrial section is along the river bank. There is the big Romstein Machine Works owned by the ruling family. It is actually a complex of a half-dozen factories and is the economic backbone of the area. Since the Hitler era it has been engaged in arms manufacture and aircraft motors. Much of the factory has been moved underground since the war. It is believed to be manufacturing V-2 rocket parts. It is believed,