Gezicht op Oderen en de vallei van Wildenstein before 1894

Charles Bernhoeft made this photograph of Oderen and the Wildenstein Valley in the late 19th or early 20th century. Bernhoeft was a portrait and landscape photographer active in Luxembourg. This image captures more than just a picturesque landscape. It evokes the complexities of identity and place, particularly in the Alsace region, contested between France and Germany. Bernhoeft's lens frames a community, nestled within its valley, its houses and church suggesting a way of life deeply rooted in the land. What does it mean to belong to a place marked by shifting national identities and cultural allegiances? The quiet stillness of the photograph belies the region’s history of conflict and change, inviting us to reflect on themes of belonging, identity, and the human relationship to the land. In this photograph, Bernhoeft captures a moment of serenity and invites us to contemplate the stories embedded within.