Mendelssohn on the Hudson is a self-guided historical and musical walking tour that follows the footsteps of the German Jews and others who fled 1930s Nazi Germany to settle in Washington Heights, also referred to at the time as "Frankfurt on the Hudson." The self-directed historical tour route – offering autonomy, fresh air, and social distancing – includes West 181 Street to the Heather Garden in Fort Tryon Park, and points in between.
The musical stories presented at their specific locations offer a rare, multi-layered connection between storyteller and listener. It's an unusual, accessible, and free musical experience via smartphone or another internet-enabled device. During the tour, visitors will hear via podcast twelve episodes with songs based on true field-collected stories from neighborhood residents set to Felix Mendelssohn's Songs without Words. Each song offers and retains a snapshot of German Jewish life from the 1930s to the near-present. Mendelssohn on the Hudson is unique in combining oral history, musical theatre, classical music, and local landmarks into a compelling record of the German Jewish culture of Northern Manhattan.
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Mendelssohn on the Hudson is a self-guided historical and musical walking tour that follows the footsteps of the German Jews and others who fled 1930s Nazi Germany to settle in Washington Heights, also referred to at the time as "Frankfurt on the Hudson." The self-directed historical tour route – offering autonomy, fresh air, and social distancing – includes West 181 Street to the Heather Garden in Fort Tryon Park, and points in between.
The musical stories presented at their specific locations offer a rare, multi-layered connection between storyteller and listener. It's an unusual, accessible, and free musical experience via smartphone or another internet-enabled device. During the tour, visitors will hear via podcast twelve episodes with songs based on true field-collected stories from neighborhood residents set to Felix Mendelssohn's Songs without Words. Each song offers and retains a snapshot of German Jewish life from the 1930s to the near-present. Mendelssohn on the Hudson is unique in combining oral history, musical theatre, classical music, and local landmarks into a compelling record of the German Jewish culture of Northern Manhattan.
Margaret Corbin Circle at the south entrance of Fort Tryon ParkWe’re at Margaret Corbin Circle (https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/margaret-cochran-corbin), where Fort Washington Avenue meets Cabrini Boulevard, at the southern entrance of Fort Tryon Park. If you sit around the Circle long enough, you might start recognizing the regulars. One particular group of locals - all part of one German Jewish extended family, would meet to catch up on their week.Martin had been sent with other family members to Theresienstadt, a ghetto and concentration camp the Nazis once used to deceive the International Red Cross. He survived two other labor camps and arrived here with a number tattooed in blue on his arm, from Auschwitz. Another couple, Martin's friends, would walk through the park every day. In later years, they would tell this story of their 60-year marriage that began with one item bought on 181st Street.
Mendelssohn on the Hudson
Mendelssohn on the Hudson is a self-guided historical and musical walking tour that follows the footsteps of the German Jews and others who fled 1930s Nazi Germany to settle in Washington Heights, also referred to at the time as "Frankfurt on the Hudson." The self-directed historical tour route – offering autonomy, fresh air, and social distancing – includes West 181 Street to the Heather Garden in Fort Tryon Park, and points in between.
The musical stories presented at their specific locations offer a rare, multi-layered connection between storyteller and listener. It's an unusual, accessible, and free musical experience via smartphone or another internet-enabled device. During the tour, visitors will hear via podcast twelve episodes with songs based on true field-collected stories from neighborhood residents set to Felix Mendelssohn's Songs without Words. Each song offers and retains a snapshot of German Jewish life from the 1930s to the near-present. Mendelssohn on the Hudson is unique in combining oral history, musical theatre, classical music, and local landmarks into a compelling record of the German Jewish culture of Northern Manhattan.
