A Special Connection Between Erlangen and the United States

The 4th of July is celebrated in a big way every year in the U.S. But this year was a special Independence Day, as it marked the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. We here in Erlangen also have many ties to the U.S., especially through our sister city partnership with Riverside, California.

That’s why, together with the vhs Erlangen, the German-American Institute in Nuremberg, and the Erlangen-Riverside Sister City Association, we organized an event to mark these anniversary celebrations and invited author Helmut Haberkamm last Thursday to the vhs Erlangen for a reading from his novel “The Baron in the Blue House” at the vhs Erlangen. In his novel, Haberkamm tells the almost unbelievable story of Johann von Kalb, who was born in 1721 as a farmer’s son in Hüttendorf and rose to become a highly decorated general in the American Revolutionary War, thereby helping to shape the history of the United States. In 1780, von Kalb was mortally wounded at the Battle of Camden and is revered today as a hero of freedom in the U.S., while he remains largely unknown in his Franconian homeland.

Helmut Haberkamm captivated the audience with this extraordinary life story, which he recounts in his novel from the perspective of Johann von Kalb as he lies dying. During the discussion, the author also spoke about his research for the novel and what particularly impressed him about the figure of Johann von Kalb.

In addition to Erlangen’s Mayor Jörg Volleth, the U.S. Consul General in Munich, James Miller, also spoke at the welcome ceremony and, using Johann von Kalb as an example, paid tribute to the individuals who came from Europe to America and made significant contributions to U.S. independence.