At 100 years old, Peter Meissen is probably Germany’s oldest blogger. That is why he also knows how the soldiers in the Ukrainian war feel
Many years ago, a neighbor knocked on Peter Meissen’s door and asked for his signature to request faster internet for the Rot Eiffel site. “I don’t know anything about the internet and I don’t want to,” he replied at the time. He was too old for that. In the meantime he is 100 – and possibly Germany’s oldest blogger. “Grandpa Peter, tell me…” is the name of the blog he has been maintaining for several years.
It all started when he was given a tablet. Although he was already in his 90s, he learned to use it. And then he started writing stories from his life for his two sons, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. This generated so much interest in the family that the idea arose to make it accessible to other people. Thus was born the blog, which has since been viewed approximately 75,000 times.
A black eye
Peter Meisen, who was an electrical engineer by trade, is a good storyteller. You notice this quickly when you sit across from him in Rot, a district of Retgen on the border with Belgium. “Mentally I’m still fit, but the body isn’t built to age that much,” he complains. “There are no spare parts.”
He can still walk, but only with a walker. He recently fell and hit his head on the nightstand – that’s why he has a black eye. He wrote about that too. After all, he still lives in a log house he built that looks like Heidi’s grandfather’s cabin in the Swiss mountains, according to the classic children’s book. Four years ago he took his driver’s license test again – and passed it. The family couldn’t believe it, but they have the paper to prove it.
Meissen was born in 1922. He comes from the tiny town of Titz in the Düren region in the Rhineland. There he grew up in a strict Catholic family during the Weimar Republic. They didn’t have much money back then and he got his first real shoes at ten, when he went to church for his first communion. Previously she wore clogs.
From a family of resistance fighters
One of his earliest memories is of seeing his mother crying. “I didn’t know why at the time. Today I know what my mother went through.” The family was opposed to the Nazis, which led the Americans to appoint Meissen’s father as mayor of Tietz immediately after the war.
In his blog, Peter Meissen often mentions his experiences during the Nazi era and in the war, which he experienced as a Wehrmacht soldier. He is visibly shocked that there is war again in Europe. “You can’t even describe the fear with which the soldiers are standing at the front, trembling for their lives,” he says. “Actually, everyone has to be in war to know what war is. Who can talk about war if he hasn’t been there?’
He reaches into a pocket and pulls out a small rosary of the kind Catholics use in prayer. It was given to him in 1932 and he carried it with him throughout his life, even into the war. Now, when he sees the pictures from Ukraine, he thinks: “I know what the people are going through, and the soldiers and the population.” He wishes someone would find him and get Russian President Vladimir Putin out of the way.
In favor of the abolition of priestly celibacy
Meissen is still a believer to this day and therefore often writes about Christian holidays such as Christmas or Epiphany. At the same time, he is asking for reforms from the Catholic Church. For example, he is in favor of abolishing the celibacy of priests. “Peter was also married and this did not bother Jesus at all. He didn’t care.”
He accuses the late Pope Benedict of not taking decisive action against sexual abuse. “In this responsible position you have to have the courage to intervene,” he says. The blog helps Peter Meisen fill his day. “It gave me a boost. Everything comes out of my head, I don’t have a diary or anything.”
The fact that people are still reading it makes him grateful and proud. “I’m happy to be able to do something that people enjoy. This is my purpose in life.” In the meantime, it even happens that his subscribers ask him when the next post will finally come. It’s a shame his wife isn’t living it all anymore. He died 28 years ago. Since then, his life has not been as good as before, he says. “I miss it a lot. Every day”.
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
