My Quest

In the footsteps of Kurt Hielscher is a then&now, a re-photoproject. It is also a way of traveling that starts with an old photo and the desire to visit the place on the photo, the curiosity about what the place would be like today, the urge to learn more about the place and its history and, in the end to make the connection with the place on a personal level. A photo becomes a discovery, a personal experience.

Me with a print from Kurt Hielscher's photo in Pasai Donibane, Basque Country, Spain, 17th of July 2019

Photo: Siebe Molenaar

As one thing lead to another, it became my quest to try to re-photograph the photos Kurt Hielscher once made. This is a lifetime lasting quest and a continuous work in progress. As Kurt Hielscher did, I will take my time for it.

For each album I made a separate subpage with an introductory text describing Kurt Hielscher's as well as my connection with the country.

Here you'll find the links to the subpages ordered by photoalbum:

There are some photos from other countries included in these or later editions: Bulgaria (1933), Czech Republic (1941), France (1941), Luxemburg (1941), Poland (1924 and 1941), Russia (Kaliningrad) (1924) and Ukraine (1933).

On each country subpage I made a map so you can see the places where Kurt Hielscher made his photos.

Till now I made the most rephotos in the former Yugoslav countries, Spain and Germany, but I already have a dozen of plans for after the pandemic.

In the footsteps of Kurt Hielscher