Speaking of that sense of magical fun and good humor that often emerges in German public art, here is a little charmer who resides two doors down from my apartment. She’s peeping out at the world from underneath the mailbox, and she appears to be a variety of the beloved German kitchen witch. The kitchen witch, like Astrid Lindgren’s Tomten, looks out for her house and keeps bad things and bad magic away. One sees little kitchen witch dolls flying on their broomsticks in the windows of many houses over here, and even in restaurants or hotels. No one knows if the tradition originated in Scandinavia or Germany, but it is firmly entrenched. This witch is made out of concrete and beautifully decorated with bits of ceramic tile, with a hat and hair of fabric. I don’t know how anyone could see her and not smile.
The little witch’s house must belong to an artist because it has several interesting sculptures in the garden, as well as a gorgeous ceramic mosaic on the front wall. I don’t know the tradition behind these sorts of large pictures on building walls, but I see them frequently as I travel around Germany. Most of them are paintings, though. This one is especially nice.
Photographs taken September, 2011, in Rodenbach, Germany. Text and photos copyright 2011 Clare B. Dunkle.