ChicagoHamburg30

Series Finale and Highlights

This is the final episode of the ChicagoHamburg30 podcast, which features highlights from many episodes. Many thanks to Douglas Cowie, the guest host, and all of the fantastic experts who taught us so much about Chicago and the importance of German immigrants in the history of the city. A special thanks to Laura Langford, chair of the Amerikazentrum, Sarah Altmann, our government liaison and project coordinator, and the team at the Amerikazentrum. Thanks also to the German Foreign Ministry, the US State Department, and the City of Hamburg for their support. And lost but not least, thank you to all of the thousands of listeners who have subscribed to the series. The music was composed and performed by Wouter Verhulst. The graphics were designed by Henning Christiansen. The series was conceived, produced, researched, scripted, hosted, recorded, mixed, edited, and mastered by Andrew Sola.

German Architects in Chicago: From Mies van der Rohe to Dirk Lohan

with Andrew Sola, Dirk Lohan, and Rolf Achilles In our 30th and final episode celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the Chicago-Hamburg Sister-City partnership, we look at the German architects who literally built the buildings that Chicagoans live, work, and play in today. After discussing the early history of German architects in Chicago, we discuss the life and career of Mies van der Rohe through the memories of his grandson Dirk Lohan. We cover van der Rohe's role in the Bauhaus movement, his difficulties with the Nazis, his escape from Germany, and his career in Chicago. Then, Dirk relates his memories of WWII in Germany and his cooperation with his grandfather on post-war buildings, including the New National Gallery in West Berlin as well as the IBM building and the Federal Center in Chicago. After a discussion about Helmut Jahn, another great German-American architect, Rolf and Dirk conclude with a heartfelt thank you to the people of Chicago for their generosity and kindness in accepting German immigrants throughout the years. Our guests: Dirk Lohan is a German-American architect who designed the Shedd Oceanarium, the Soldier Field expansion, and the McDonald's corporate headquarters. He is Mies van der Rohe's grandson. Rolf Achilles is an art historian who has worked extensively on Chicago art and architecture. He was also instrumental in founding the Chicago-Hamburg Sister-City partnership thirty years ago. Photo Credit: The New National Gallery (Die Neue Nationalgalerie), Berlin, Anna Kristina Sola

Chicago Sports: White Sox, Cubs, Bears, and Bulls plus FC St. Pauli

with Andrew Sola, Peter T. Alter and Elliott J. Gorn Both Chicago and Hamburg are great sports cities, so today we're discussing the history of Chicago sports with a detour through St. Pauli. Andrew Sola and his expert guests (Peter Alter from the Chicago History Museum as well as Elliott Gorn from Loyola University-Chicago) discuss the following points: -FC St. Pauli -Promotion and Relegation in European Soccer -Pro Sports Cartels in the US vs. the 50+1 Supporter-Control Rule in Germany -The Role of Money in Modern Sports -The Pathology of Supporting Losing Teams -The White (Black) Sox Match-Fixing Scandal of 1919 -The Chicago Cubs -The Chicago Bears -Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls Between recording this episode and its release, the 2024 White Sox did indeed become the worst team in the modern history of Major League Baseball. On a brighter note, FC St. Pauli did win an away game. However, they still have not won or even scored a goal at home. The rant by Chicago Cubs Manager Lee Elia can be found here (explicit!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2pai2QQA54 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2pai2QQA54]

From Hamburg to Chicago: A German Immigrant's Story

with Andrew Sola and John Heinsen Happy German-American Heritage Month! In this episode, we explore the remarkable story of one German immigrant who left Hamburg for Chicago in 1923, Walter Heinsen, through the lens of his grandson John. Walter was an aerial photographer for the German Empire during WWI, where he met historical figures like the Red Baron (Manfred von Richthofen) and Kaiser Wilhelm II. However, he also photographed regular soldiers, including British and American prisoners of war. After the war, he immigrated to Chicago where he started a successful photography business in Rogers Park, Chicago. Many years later, his grandson John re-examined his grandfather's photo archive and made some remarkable discoveries, leading to his quest to find the families of the British and American POWs his grandfather photographed over 100 years ago. Join the hunt for the POWs' families on Facebook at: returntolecateau1917.com You can also use the hashtag: BRINGTHEMHOMEAGAIN Also mentioned in the episode is John Heinsen's exhibit about his grandfather, which was shown at the Hamburg Emigration Museum, Das Auswanderermuseum Ballinstadt. More information is available here (in German): https://www.ballinstadt.de/sonderausstellung-durch-die-linse-des-lebens/11754/ [https://www.ballinstadt.de/sonderausstellung-durch-die-linse-des-lebens/11754/]

Hispanic Chicago

with Andrew Sola, Elena Gonzales, and Lilia Fernandez We're celebrating Hispanic-American Heritage month with a deep dive into the rich history and diversity of the Hipanic/Latino/LatinX/Latine community in Chicago. Topics include the following: -the debate about the language we use to describe the Hispanic or Latino community -the first Latinos in Chicago in the 1850s -the political upheavals in Central and South America that drove migration -the mass deportations during the Depression -the Immigration Acts of 1921 and 1924 -the Bracero Program (1942-1964), which brought Mexican laborers to the US to help with the war effort -the program of expulsion, unfortunately named Operation Wetback (1954), which forcefully removed Mexicans and Mexican-American citizens from the US -the rise of the Chicano movement, the Young Lords, and the Brown Berets in the 60s Check out the website for the exhibition on Latino Chicago at the Chicago History Museum here: https://www.chicagohistory.org/aqui-en-chicago/ [https://www.chicagohistory.org/aqui-en-chicago/] And here's the link to historical Spanish-language newspapers in Chicago: https://www.nicolemarroquin.com/harrison-and-froebel/2019/12/4/latinx-newspapers-of-chicago [https://www.nicolemarroquin.com/harrison-and-froebel/2019/12/4/latinx-newspapers-of-chicago] And here's a link to the book Decade of Betrayal: Mexican Repatriation in the 1930s by Francisco E. Balderrama and Raymond Rodríguez: https://www.unmpress.com/9780826339744/decade-of-betrayal/ [https://www.unmpress.com/9780826339744/decade-of-betrayal/] Our expert guests are Dr. Elena Gonzales and Dr. Lilia Fernandez. Elena Gonzales is Curator of Civic Engagement & Social Justice at the Chicago History Museum where she is curating Aquí en Chicago (2025). She is author of Exhibitions for Social Justice (2019) in Routledge’s Museum Meanings Series. Lilia Fernandez is Professor of History at University of Illinois-Chicago. She is the author of _Brown in the Windy City: Mexicans and Puerto Ricans in Postwar Chicago _ (2012).