"Wanderung durch Nordwales"

Name of traveller

Franz von Löher (1818-1892)

Reason for travel

  • travelling as cultural tourist, self-improvement
  • bridging free time with an excursion into Wales before setting sail for New York

Date of travel

16-22 July 1846

Durch die offenen Kirchenthüren schimmerten die Leichensteine des Kirchhofs und das hellgrüne Gebirge, und drang das Rauschen des dicht vorbeiströmenden Conway. Dann sang ein Kinderchor sehr lieblich; es waren ganz dieselben Melodien, welche ich als Kind mitgesungen, jetzt hörte ich sie in diesem wälschen Erdwinkel rührend schön wieder. (Löher 526)

Content

  • agriculture: notes dry wall enclosures of upland pastures and sheep faming
  • architecture:
    • description of Flint Castle ruins; grounds used as prison
    • describes typical layout of cottages
  • clothing:
    • notes that his travelling hat and beard cause surprise among the population
    • reference to the dark, wide-brimmed men's hats worn by women during hay-making
  • customs:
    • brief reference to eisteddfodau; imagines that the Welsh are not very musical
    • increasing Anglicisation of Wales owing to English incomers, but still culturally distinct
    • attends a Welsh service and recognises songs from his own childhood in Germany whilst listening to a children's choir in the church in Llanrwst
    • notes the general importance of the Bible and religion in Wales
  • diet:
    • praises the quality of the coffee served at the Castle Inn in Flint
    • watches cockle pickers outside Flint
    • praises the great variety of dishes and quality of sea food served at an inn in Denbigh
    • displeased with being served the staple dish of travellers in Great Britain, ham and eggs, at an inn in Llansannan
    • recognises importance of food for community festivities, such as weddings and wakes
  • history:
    • brief overview of conquests in Wales since the Roman invasion
    • south Wales soon occupied by the Marcher lords; longer resistance in north Wales
  • industry: brief reference to a number of chemical factories in Flint and slate mining in Llanberis
  • languages: some references to the Welsh language
  • people:
  • recreation:
    • north Wales very suitable for pedestrian excursions; encounters a number of other tourists throughout his journey
    • engages a tour guide in Llanrwst who teaches him some Welsh
    • describes the pleasures and difficulties of off-road exploration in the mountain uplands
    • ridicules the elaborate walking gear of mountaineers
  • terrain:
    • conflation of Wales and England
    • romanticised descriptions of rural landscapes; increasingly mountainous and wild landscapes towards the west
    • describes a variety of views offered by the changing, hilly landscape; comparison with the Ore Mountains and Tyrol
    • finds that some dark valleys lend themselves to ghost stories
    • identifies Caernarfon as capital of north Wales
  • transport:
    • modes of travel: on foot; steamboat
    • inspects a damaged trading vessel from Pomerania that is undergoing repairs in Flint
    • covers the distance between Llansannan and Llanrwst on foot in twelve hours
    • compares Beaumaris Bay with the Gulf of Naples
  • compare with a later account describing the same journey
  • click here to read the full account

Nationality of traveller

German

Language of publication

German

Gender of traveller

Male

Type of publication

essay; serialised travelogue

Citation

Löher, Franz von. "Wanderung durch Nordwales." Das Ausland. Ein Tagblatt für Kunde des geistigen und sittlichen Lebens der Völker 23.131-3 (1-4 June 1850): 521-3, 525-7, 530-1. Print.

Entry created: 29 September 2015
Entry last updated: 23 September 2016