900 years of Grafenhausen

900 years ago' still written Trenchhusen                            

Grafenhausen has been preserved from it

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday Grafenhausen

Happy birthday to you                             

900 years' - a proud number

who lived here at that time ?

We have learned from ancient writing

Adalbero was called one 900 years ago.

He seemed to have a castle

surrounded by a moat,

because- much higher than the groundwater stood today

one was happy about every piece of dry land.

In this scripture one has also read

Adalbero was a prince at the time.

And in rank above him stood a duke,

Berthold the second, is still called today.

Berthold that was the one who called Freiburg , the later city

already settled in its time.

When Berthold died, his will,

how to call the estate today

was authenticated, whatever it is

very accurate, and with the help of scripture,

was certified, so it was custom at that time,

if the deceased is still in their midst,

wurd' so officially certified

at the deathbed , in place and place'

  of noble lords, that is clear

 including our Adalbero.

From Grabenhusen came the ridden

to the funeral, which is in the midst of

of the dark Black Forest then took place,

the place - St. Peter was called .

But Adalbero's home quarter

was where we live today -here

where we live today, build houses,

driving cars, watching TV,

go for a walk, do business,

where children learn, children laugh,

Play computers, send e-mails,

kick at noon on the Bolzplatz,

where we plant herb, fruit and corn,

go swimming when it's hot.

 Eleven Hundred Elf - there was none of this

no electricity, so no electric light,

Potatoes were unknown,

Tomatoes not yet mentioned,

no glasses and no window glass,

in winter one sat in the dark,

after cigarettes no one ran,

because they didn't know tobacco yet.

They wore a skirt and shirt made of linen,

the word gasoline was also foreign,

no water pipe, no telephone,

only a few chickens there were probably already

and wild pigs, - sow and boar,

these were then the food providers.

Eleven hundred elves - what did it look like?

today one can say - what a horror:

There was only swamp, forest and mud,

life was 'ne great burden

and plagues there were and great need,

they brought death a thousand times,

the Rhine flowed from south to north,

but every year he changes the place

sometimes left the bed, sometimes on the right outside,

also where today' grafenhausen stands.

The Rhine - he was a villain,

people probably didn't like him

one nannt ' he also not "Father Rhine"

a father does not bring distress and torment,

does not give debris, not mud, not flood

a father prefers to do good.

To nature dangers always

that was even worse, man with robbery, war and violence,

There were rulers,

to raise yourself up big.

tried to destroy other,

to get a lot of things yourself.

tried to defeat others.

In the Middle Ages, even earlier, even later

There were always such riot representatives.

Wars in quantities , again and again,

cruelly oppressed the people,

of which the vast majority of them are

still had to perform hard military service,

and had to live from the few that they had

give a large part to the authorities.

So it was in every country and Gau

and also in our Ortenau.

Grafenhausen , you can read this everywhere

Has been the property of the Bishop of Strasbourg.

For centuries, Strasbourg was determined

what remains of our farmers and what our farmers take,

and they had to deal with food and other things

then bring tithing to Ettenheimmünster.

It was similarly bad and it happened with us,

that other people have been stigmatized,

that you have seen others as witches

and the question today: what had happened?

In a stable, a cow may be scared

in the house that was clear, ne witch is hidden

A child was born, the hair just red

a witch in the house - that is, fire and death.

A woman who hums ,and can't walk upright?

a witch - off to the pyre.

A wart on the neck or even on the face,

ha, this is a witch, we don't want that.

What was widely used at the time

for us today' simply unbelievable.

And yet, with us as elsewhere

was also human desire,

it was the people's ambition

continue to give life.

But some of us could not bear the hardship,

wanted to tell the homeland for re-sighting

searched overseas then full of hope their happiness

 - never returned to their sa, to our homeland.

The descendants of those who came to America

still often carry our usual names there.

Surely there is in New York , and that is also nice,

still Häfele, Erny , Fleig , Saal or Höhn

or with an American-colored accent

Instead of Kölble Now Kealbly instead of Bührle now Beerly is called over there.

But all the ones who had stayed here

have continued to make history of our village ,

and there have always been new generations,

who lived right here where we live today

with a lot of effort and with a lot, a lot of power

had swamp and forest made them primordial,

and what destroys the wars, whether houses, whether field

everything was ordered anew,

it was settled, scoundled and built with a hard time

and everyone has trusted in the future

and - behold - it has gotten better, piece by piece

and we are all lucky

to live here where it is now worth living and you almost forget the worries of the past.

 We are lucky enough to live here on this spot of the earth

where we hope that it will never get worse again.

Because let's think ahead and think about tomorrow

then the Rhine Valley Railway worries us a little.

Because-- will be installed on the highway

We are guaranteed the noise of both of them.

900 years have passed,

the Rhine has long since been captured,

he no longer brings mischief to all of us

as Father Rhine he can now please us,

it still flows north

but his bed always stays in the same place.

There are still Grafenhausen

with Black Forest view, in the Rhine Valley outside.

But the name is no longer alone

with Kappel they entered into the marriage covenant.

At first it was only for the purpose or grad as a duty

There was no mention of true love.

"2 Old-fashioned" would be popularly said

had to learn to endure the other.

And that worked, and over time

real partnership.

 

One is dear to each other , one celebrates and laughs

 and future plans are made together.

The fire brigade house comes to mind as an example,

it will probably be ready this year.

The plan is for the benefit of all two

and no one has to envy the other'n any more.

The silver wedding has already been,

this can be read in the annals yes

and Klausmann ,Paleit, Raimund Halter,

they used to be local administrators.

This is how we want to commemorate the 900 thin anniversary,

 but also direct thoughts to the future.

The next one hundred years - a long time

may only always keep good things ready

for Grafenhausen ,for Kappel , for our place

and for the people who will live there in the future.

Another hundred - and the thousand is full,

to celebrate that will surely be great,

and then you also have a lot to ask

and then people will say again:

One thousand years - 'ne proud number

how do you think you lived at that time ?

But despite our strict health efforts,

I don't think any of us can give the answer any more.

Then let them read this poem again,

then they know what it was like then.

Searching is probably not a burden

because everything is digitally captured.

And as we do today, they then cheerfully prostrates themselves:

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday Kappel - Grafenhausen, happy birthday to you Walter Batt 2011