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My husband for 41 years is a Canadian who used live in big cities like Sydney (Australia ), Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto, where we met in 1976. He moved to Germany in 1981, found a very good job in his field and together we have raised 2 kids in a small village in the Southwest, close to the river Rhine. He says he is so happy to be living "auf dem Dorf"! Our village of about 12000 people is more than 1300 years old and has a lot to offer. He says it is the best that could happen to him ❤️❤️❤️

8:39 "key in hand, key in hand. I have terrible OCD..." Everybody who ever had to call the Schlüsselnotdienst has.

This is why i moved from busy Amsterdam to a 300 people (Dorf) in germany in the middle of nowhere. Ohh man i feel at home here :)

Something that has this effect even more than beautiful old buildings (at least on me) is nature.

Are you still interested in maps? I'm a local and have a ton of old books about Hall with maps on how the city looked before and changed, from the middle ages to today, including a lot of pictures that are rather interesting to look at and figure out where exactly the buildings used to be or how they look today, like the Kocherquartier or even St. Michaels, the old city wall, etc etc. Ideal material to make those overlay pictures, holding up the old and aligning it with the current view. And depending on your interest in German fairy tale stories, I also have a collection of local folklore legends in two smaller books printed in Altdeutsch. One of them could make a really cool Halloween themed video

I am German and I also make sure I have my key before I close the door. I can understand you. 🙂

Absolutely correct. 1977-80 I was stationed at a small army air base (Nellingen Kaserne) overlooking Esslingen am Neckar that was then celebrating its 1200 year anniversary. Spared from destruction in WW2, the center of the old city is an architectural miniature of Schwabisch Hall. Two cathedrals (Stadtkirche St. Dionys and Frauenkirche) a stone's throw from one another, but separated by centuries are absolutely stunning. As is the Burg. Holds a special place in my soul.

Only somebody from the outside can describe, what we have and enjoy without knowing.

NALF's channel is also kind of a beautiful old gem that is here to last on KZfaq..

I recently moved to Florida from California. The city of 100K that I live in didn't exist 50 years ago. It's almost all 1990s forward from business to homes. While it's nice to be in such a clean, new, planned environment it can be a bit sterile. Just 30 minutes drive away is St. Augustine, which is the oldest European settlement in the US. I love walking it's historic streets and imagining what it may have been like during those times centuries ago. The architecture is central to that and when I go home I feel refreshed in a way. While new is nice and convenient, historic let's you realize that you're part of a timeline stretching back many years.

3:06 That is so true. Our environment has a huge impact on us. Since living in Canada, the car centric and boring infrastructure took its toll on my well being. I lost my creativity, fell in a depression and am severely sick now. To the point that I can’t leave anymore.

I can relate to the quote you shared in the video. I am working as urban planner and mobility scientist in Austria and we pretty much rely on the same quote for shaping people-mobility in cities (travel behavior, mode choice, etc.). In german the quote is "Struktur schafft Verhalten" which translatest to "urban structure induces behavior". It is based on observations made by Austrian transport science professor Hermann Knoflacher.

I can well imagine that you Nalf feel very comfortable there in Schwäbisch Hall and have peace and quiet. I personally live in the countryside in northern Germany and love the nature, the animals and the peace and quiet here. You can also go for nice walks and go on great bike tours. I could never live in a big city where it is loud and there is a lot of traffic. Here in East Frisia there are also many old farmers and half-timbered houses that are so beautiful.🙂🌻🌷

You have put into words why I decided to live in Budapest. I'm a military historian and this beautiful city is inspiring for my work. Vielen dank!

German here. I never met someone in my life who actually said something nive about germany so its nice to here it for once.

That could be me, talking about Vienna. Very many old buildings, very much history, many tales and myths, many small creative zones and projects. I have lived here some ten years now, and since the first time I visited, it has always felt like home.

Nice for someone of a completely unrelated profession to discover the benefits of good urban planning! 👍

I accustomed to close my house door with the key, so it doesnt bang and disturbs my neighbours since i leave at 5am to go to work. That way its also impossible for me to forget it.

Nick, what happened to learning and practicing German? I hope Laura makes you practice. I am a high school German teacher. I often show your and Feli's videos to explain cultural differences. I was/am very proud of your progress in German. However, I have one request, which you do not have to do, of course. (and I watch every one of your videos, although I am not a Patreon sponsor). Could you please pronounce Schwäbisch Hall the German way? Where the "w" is pronounced like our English "v." I know most of your followers are probably American, but I think they also need to learn this pronunciation . Vielen Dank, Nalfie! Viel Erfolg! Edit: This comment was meant for Nick. Unfortunately, I do not have his email or I would have done it privately. Yes, I know this is social media, but I don't give a rat's ass about your opinions.

Fantastic video! I love how you continue to inspire!

I was born and raised in one of the suburbs of Munich/Bavaria, that were formerly independant villages and 1933 integrated in the town of Munich. While Munich is quite young, "only 850 years old", the little suburb where I am from celebrates its 1250iest anniversary this year. There are a lot o Roman and Celtic remains around Munich, up to archeological finds of settlings from thousands of years ago. I love Munich an my suburb, but in the 1990ies I moved to a little village in the "outback" of Munich with only 800 inhabitants. I live in a house from the 15th century and it changed my life. I still love my hometown and its atmosphere, but now I am able to decide if I want to visit it and don't have to be there by circumstances. Everytime I'm happy to come back to my little village paradise in the middle of nature. So I have the best of both sides: Munich (called Millionendorf) and my home nearby...

If you think 40,000 is a small town, then the one I live in has a population of just over 3,000. The locals fiercely defend its status, granted by Henry III in 1256. You call it a village at your peril. Also, a connection to the video, it is only about 8 miles (13km) from the birthplace of Winston Churchill. You can easily walk to Blenheim Palace from where I live. I retired here from a much larger, somewhat anonymous town. This place feels like a community, and is a hive of activity, not a dormitory town for work. I can walk everywhere; I can walk to the doctors, to the (small) supermarket, to one of four pubs, and five places to eat. Some of these places are run by friends. I'm lucky I can also walk to the railway station. It's a people-sized place, and if I want to get to somewhere larger, it's not far away on the train or the bus. nb. you do live in a very beautiful town.

There is a Law in Denmark, that if changing things or items in a Danish Church, sometimes from 1100 - 1200, it must be in the style of the time! So you may meet a row of modern chairs in an old church!

I live in a similar situation. New York is a few hours drive, Boston about 90 minutes when I feel like it. Our community is about the size of yours, has lots to do and as a local I get to know and interact with a sizeable array of people in the community. Here, we do get a lot of tourists as there is a variety of activities to choose from. We really don't get to know the turists because they are here one day and gone the next. Maybe that is because there is a bumber sticker that says "Welcome to Newport, now please go home."

You make such nice footages of your town!

Haha, you've really caught the German bug. I can't count the number of Germans I've met who swear their village is the most beautiful place in the world.

My grandfather was born in Schöntal, and when I was visiting family there in December 2012, they took me to the Christmas market in Schwäbisch-Hall. We were there for only a few hours, but the town left an impression on me that makes me want to return and explore more. Your videos help strengthen that desire.

Bester Beitrag bis jetzt, vielen lieben Dank!

What the flip! I thought I have notifications on for your channel!! How did I miss this video? I loved it. Going to check out the app now 🙂

So nice to hear your perspective. I am an American living in Wien, AT, and I love living amongst this architecture and history. I love to contemplate what was going on at their time of construction and thereafter.

This is a beautifully done video, no doubt about it. Mr. Nalf, you seem a nurturing and authentic human being....Bravo!

Such an excellent video!

Danke für das Video und Grüße aus Köln. Michael

Great to see you back making content. I really feel the same about how my environment and where I live influences me. I'll give the app a try, sounds like an interesting concept. I'm not usually one to comment on people's looks, but it looks like you lost quite a bit of weight since you stopped playing football.

I love the idea of your app, but I have Android

That is a beautiful town. I know several folks who were stationed there in the US Army and they all spoke highly of the people and the place. You are spot on about living in a smaller town, and this is especially true when living outside your home country. Cities are fast. Towns slow you down, make you think, and get to know the people and culture. I'm a history lover, so if I were in your shoes I'd take up Matt S's offer below and go deep into the history of that area! The Altdeutsch you will definitely need help with though!

Really cool app, will check it out since i love ur content for a couple years now :)

haha, yeah the keys in hand thing I can totally relate. Same here! Greets to Schwäbisch Hall, love your vids!

It was great so see a new video from you. Having been to and walked much of Schwabisch Hall last year, my wife and I agree that it is a special place. Like my Grandmother's church in Kirch Baggendorf, built in the 13th century, it leaves one with a feeling that new buildings can never convey. We don't have much of that character here in the U.S. Looking forward to seeing the Quiver app on Android. Thanks

Hey man , hope the weather has been better there than it's been around the Portland area , Prost 🍻

I remember being in Amsterdam a number of years ago, just walking the old streets and sightseeing. Yes, Amsterdam is WAY to busy with tourists and overly commercialized but fundamentally, many of the buildings still harken back to their 17th century roots and design. Somewhere along the way I ended up in a small bar, a bruin cafe, that has been there so long that the insides have been stained brown by all of the tobacco smoked there. Turns out that local legend has it that it was the one that Rembrandt frequented when he lived and worked around the corner. I couldn't tell you what the inside of the fast food restaurant near me looks like but I will never forget that bruin cafe. Being a bit of an artist myself, just sitting in the same booth that Rembrandt may have sat in was astounding, mind-blowing and ... inspirational!

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!! Totally agree with this!!! And it also goes towards the idea of respecting history, the connectedness of ourselves to it, as well as the connectedness of ourselves to spaces that still embrace Nature, which a lot of modern cities, like the one I live in, Houston, don't do enough.

Thanks Nalf! I really have the same perspective on the very old architecture here. It inspires me and drives me to be creative myself and enhances my quality of living. Especially places like Heidelberg with old architcture and lots of young people living there, Freiburg, Tübingen and the little town of Dilsberg, which is basically a medieval village on a mountain top surrounded by walls like in lord of the rings.

I lived in the relatively small city of Bonn for a time. It was very charming and inspirational, though more stone than half-timbering. I grew up in a Tudor revival half timbered house so I'm naturally very fond of them. The Happy Farmer by Schumann was a nice intro.

I didn't expect to feel this video on so many levels! If you want to see a nice authentic German baroque town, come to Erlangen! It has so many original buildings and streets and everywhere some small beautiful details. You seem like you could enjoy a visit here;)

There is an even older saying in many parts of the world: first you create the culture, and then the culture creates you. The walking on the cobblestones is really interesting. The cobblestones in my former town of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse are about 1000 years old, and still exist in their original form. Those old streets and 'gassen' are now protected from vehicular traffic. Yes, places shape you and that cannot be reversed.

I have seen a Shakespear play in London, in the classic theater which still is like it was 400 years ago. It was such an enlightening experience!

wow lesson learned BUT be sure there are other "Schwäbisch Hall's" in germany or even all over Europe❤😊

Hi Nalf. Totally agree. As I watched the video I found myself constantly nodding along to your commentary. It is true that once something has been around for some time, especially architecture, it does tend to add value to both itsself and its surroundings. Even if the style was intended to be purely utilitarian it can STILL become a place of beauty. For example, here in Hamburg the Speicherstadt, the warehouse district has the typical red brick outer walls of Northern Germany. They aren't particularly ornate, but they still have a certain beauty to them. Their interior structure is made up of old industrial style pillars and rebar. Yet even those with their cast iron look to them add a certain charm to the interior. That's what's made them a UNESO heritage site. They have been around for a mere 120 years, which fairly young for Germany. Yet they definitely add value to the city.

Schwäbisch Hall is what it is because it was not bombed to oblivion like most german cities were by the "Allied". Imagine Dresden. Or imagine Remscheid, the most destroyed german city. Think about how inpiring they were. And then imagine why somebody does this, ..... to take all of our culture away from us. Even after the war they smashed millions of books, complete librarys

it's even better to put in the key into the lock while closing your door. with this you can also be sure about that you have the *correct* key with you ;)

I appreciate your videos and your outlook so much :) Schwäbisch Hall and all that area around is on my list to visit for long already being a German from the monst densely inhabited state of North Rhine Westphalia. I do like it here, but pittoresque towns are rare. Of course: in larger towns you will find vibrant spots, interesting exhibitions, more young people (!) and also impressing historic buildings - but single ones, like the larger palaces or churches. But foreigners I would always recommend to visit - at least additionally - the midsized German towns across the country for the real "German experience". Like you are hinting at here: modern and big cities tend to be similar. To find special aspects of a place is easier in smaller places in Germany. One reason is that big places want to go with time and tend to modernize areas by themselves, also attracting investors to do so. Another reason is of course world war II, which saw nearly any German city of more than a 100.000 inhabitants in the 1940s being bombed to pieces, nearly a hundred cities back then. Their historical centres disappeared in those fires. And except of few examples, Germans went on after war to give room for a new beginning, also for new, car friendly cities. Timbered houses are a symbol of medieval German cities in some ways. Finding them needs you to look in smaller towns. All German towns used to have them. And allied bombers in world war II knew that, as a densely built and wooden infrastructure was easy to inflame by bombs back then. But also by modern standards quality of living is debatable in those houses if not modernized to full extent - and they keep tiny and without regular measurements :D I totally agree though that people are shaped by their surroundings somehow. Not to quote Marx here, but yes: Das Sein bestimmt das Bewusstsein, like your material circumstances define your perception of the world and your being. Therefore also your architectural surroundings have an impact on you. And architecture looking alike everywhere, without any art and edges, without any style, but practicality and low costs will affect you different than half timbered houses in a medieval environment, with corners and edges to catch your attention or to please your eyes. Living in a town of 40.000 people will have its disadvantages, certainly. Due to German statistics a major town is one larger than 100.000 people. For others that shall be tiny for a city. But most larger German cities are in that spectre of 100.000 - 500.000 people, few being above and half of the people living in rural areas (if those exist in Germany where you don't have far ways to towns) below 25.000 people - the number making a community potentially a city. I can see why a person from the US is especially fascinated with historic places and alien architechture like this. Nice you keep to this and also opened up to this despite different experiences on your own. But also Germans pity the lost beauty of some towns and charge their energies in places like Schwäbisch Hall, in places telling of the past and about some identity, places existing all across the country, but which needs to be searched for sometimes, places most Germans themselves only experience as tourists. Like me. I will visit Schwäbisch Hall some day. Baden-Württemberg somehow, don't ask me why, is one of the states of Germany I know the least. A pity. Time to change that :) Enjoy your time whereever you are here.

Great feel to live history! 💟

I always lock my door from the inside and leave the key in the lock when I'm home. That way the only way to leave my place is to unlock my front door which automatically puts the keys in my hand😉.

"The Happy Farmer" a.k.a. "der fröhliche Landmann" is ABSOLUTE GREAT music for your video!

About creativity in a small town... Gerd Nefzer, Oscarwinner, was born in Schwäbisch Hall, so....

It is so nice to see that you're really starting to appreciate the Old World of Europe and more specific Germany and Schwäbisch Hall in particular. This is what Europe does to Americans, whom take the liberty to stay long enough in Europe to even get there to this point. For us Europeans in general it is nice to go see the world, but only because we can return to Europe again and live our livers here structurally. The very few Europeans whom decide to stay and live in another country out side Europe is slim. And even then most of us will return to Europe after a certain amount of time anyway. Once in Europe one will have to learn to slow down and start walking the place and start actually seeing things and so take your time to actually process what you are seeing (old buildings downtown, Castles, Churches, Art in the street, Musea, anything which makes this place a whole) Such an impression will get more and more intensive over time, especially when one is exposed to this day after day.

I can so relate to the key thing! Das mach ich auch so.

Oh what a pity! I love the idea of your app, but as most Germans I am on Android or my computer. IPhones are, as most surveys of 2023 state, only around 34% on the German market. I am an old lady and so I am not the person to use many apps, but yours I would have installed without hesitation! Okay. Maybe it is about to come one day.... About Churchill's quote - I think it is a good one. Our environment shapes us in so many ways, which is easy to see when comparing the differences of various nations or even regions in the same nation. And I always appreciate when you're sharing your philosophical thoughts with us!

The mentioned quote is very interesting. From the perspective of a child, the house (family and a place to live) is there at first and shapes the child before it can build one by itself

Another thing some americans don´t understand is that infrastructure in Germany is way more dense than in the states. There are some remote rural areas but not in the same order of magnitude. So living in a small town in germany is more like "living next to a big city or metropolitan area". Schwäbisch hall is next to Heilbronn and Stuttgart both are bigger citys with a lot of industrie and because of the "kind" of good puplic Tranport (and roads) between them they are fairly easy to reach.

Schwäbisch Hall isn't Portland, Washington or LA - but it sits nicely between Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Frankfurt and Munich, so if you need some big city flair, it's just a short train ride away.

Germanisation completed. You may now officially wear Birkenstock's with white tennis socks. 😂

Enjoyed your video and certainly agree with the quote. Please don't be offended, but what puzzles me is your pronunciation of the name Schwäbisch Hall. After all those years living there....

Very beautiful places

My guess would be the smal size of Schwäbisch Hall enables a quite slow pace in the smal town which I think benefits you as a content creator who wants to make good content. Imagine you would be in a bigger city and suddently feel like you have to make more content with all those new opportunities while grinding yourself out doing that and worst case, realizing too late what´s going on and you´re about to face a bournout. Staying where you´re is good, you can still travel for new content when you want to.

You made really good points! I feel the same in towns and cities which have preserved their ancient structures und buildings. Unfortunately a lot of historic places have been destroyed in Germany during WWII. When you go to southern Europe, e.g. to Italy, Spain or Portugal you find much more of these really inspiring places where it just feels good to live.

OCD... Holding the keys when closing the door 😂

My wife and I visited Schwabisch Hall way back in 1992 and thought it was very charming. I've climbed to the top of the church tower and took photos, etc. At the time my wife's sister lived in Schwabisch Gmund, to the south. She ended up moving southeast of Stuttgart and we've never been back to S. Hall, but we've been back to Germany 6 or 7 times, and we LOVE Germany so, so much! You are lucky to have made a life there, thus far. Keep up the good work! I used to live in England, but I've been living in the southeastern USA since 1994, and I wish more southerners could visit Germany and Europe in general. It would do them some good and they could learn something.

I too have terrible OCD closing the door forgetting my keys, so I pull the door close WITH the key in the lock. Works great :D

Going in NJB direction I feel…. Awesome 😎

My trick for the key and door thing is, i always put the key in the lock, to lock it when living. So i always have them in hand.

I’m heading to Germany this Fall and I think I will stop by Schwabish Hall. You’ve inspired me. Thank you.

Seems like you stumbled right into the annual carnival procession, aka "Fasnet". They must have some Venetian theme over there, looks quite nice. In this Bundesland, this time of the year is also called "The fifth Season". Have fun🥳

You should visit Nördlingen....small and beautifull. I live there, I can relate to yo ur perspective.

I always put my key into the lock from the outside bevor pulling it in order to close the door.

Interesting thoughts. You're very much in line with what Dietmar Hopp (founder of SAP) once said: the calmness of a small town makes you more creative than a loud big city. I share this opinion and that's why I also live in relatively small town (40.000 inhabitants). I love it and I'm looking forward to the various wine festives we have here in summer.

Great app. Congratulations.

In Schwäbisch Hall, you just can leave your door open 😅

@Nalf: The key-thing, I'm checking my keys too, before closing my door, because I don't want to forget them and shut me out (again, twice). 😂 By the way, we have a German Saying/Rhyme: "Eile mit Weile" (lit. "hurry with while" / meaning "More haste, less speed." which fits well too to a lesser-haste-lifestyle-philosophy. If you not running to all your life, you are more aware of you environment and yourself and don't miss to many even small moments. Sometimes, just stop for moment and enjoying a coffee at your table can ground oneself.

Good one, on the app. It’s like building a community about what you’re saying. I felt the same way you felt about buildings in Paris. It seems to be the human scale. You add it all up and you realize that there’s something both bigger and better than the individual out there, but also all this that has built is meant for the individual. Cheers thanks Nalf

I put the key in the lock as I am closing the door. Making sure it is on my side when I close the door.

The law is Denkmalschutz it exist to preserve the historical architecture of a building or even entire downtown area amazing that he mention it

hay Nalf my friend, how is Mickey and family in general? - hope all is good and keep the good vibes up!

I'm living in a similar sized Austiran city as a foreigner and I feel the same although for me seeing the Alps all around me and having modern and historical parts gives nearly the same sensation. I lived before near to Karlsruhe and Munich and in my home city Budapest and I would never go back to any of these.

The nicest town in our area ❤

1:22 Liam would be proud 😁

In 1969 in downtown Chicago, the beautiful First National Bank skyscraper was dedicated. 4 years later, a beautiful plaza with fountains, trees and a Chagall mosaic "Four Seasons" was installed in front of the building. In 2024, the plaza is defaced by a McDonalds fast foods, complete with "golden arches", on this formerly elegant piece of land. This is what "American culture" has become.

We are the same about our key holding OCD lol

Before watching the video, in true German style I expected the word behind NALF to be 'insure'. 😄

You should visit Monschau! I think you’ll love it!

Beauty will save the world. If we need one thing, it's more beauty.

Some of the biggest towns in Ireland are around 40,000... anything over 55 is nearly a city ... we also have laws for old buildings to be in keeping with the surrounding areas.. and listed buildings to be preserved with traditional forms of materials being used on them... lime plaster and such...

Something to contemplate is that, particularly after WWII, many cities were heavily bombed. After the war, there was a choice: rebuilt historically, or go “modern”. There would have been much pressure to build more modern, but some leaders were brave and steadfast enough to hold their ground and insist at least the exteriors be rebuilt as before. They are to be commended and remembered 👍🏼

0:45 - My key thing is to always lock the door from the outside. I NEVER lock a door from the inside, so I always know I have the key.

I’m still waiting for you to check out Leipzig one day. Nice old architecture all over the city because it was the least bombed big German city in ww2. Lonely Planet’s top German travel destination in 2021 and Germanys most growing city. I have to say that the east of Germany is completely overlooked by international KZfaqrs. Give it a try :)

If the app is available for Android, I'm in! I can understand you a bit, I come from a village and lived in a port city in northern Germany for years and studied there. Port cities usually have a nice tourist area and everything else is often not so nice because of high unemployment, addiction problems etc. and although I also felt safe there, I only really felt at home in a village again and love going for walks and enjoying the atmosphere here. I've been living here for six and a half years now and I don't want to leave. We even have a highway connection and train station, so we're very well connected to the outside world. But as a village child, I wasn't happy in a city at all.

Meisenheim is where my great great grandparents hailed from.

Nice clip! - please level out the sound between the snippets next time ;)