The Discovery of Silence | Die Entdeckung der Stille

If you want to explore the deepest possible silence in the country, you have to go directly to the centre of Germany. Approximately where are the connecting lines of the northernmost and southernmost point of Germany and the easternmost and westernmost point crossing.

Here, at the edge of a forest above a village, about 100 years ago, a small stream meandered through a wild meadow and past a mighty old oak. Cows grazed to the right and left. One or the other villager liked to sit under the old oak tree to be alone and ponder his thoughts. This place was called the "Holy Silence". 

Now there are houses, neighbours, children, occasional cars and in August the hum of the combine harvesters. But the oak is still spreading its branches. Below it now lies a garden that inspires us to take a closer look. If one listens to the moments of silence and observes life in this microcosm, more and more objects drop their masks. They turn out to be small works of art that unfold silently for a short while in an everyday garden landscape. Photographed 2013-2019.