6,99 €
Mehr erfahren.
- Herausgeber: tredition
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
Poignant fates of lovers in a magical house against the backdrop of the wars of the 20th century This is the story of a legendary house in the north of Tunisia. Built at the beginning of the 20th century and abandoned by its last inhabitants in the 1960s, it still stands closed, overgrown with roses and almost forgotten in its large garden overlooking the lake and the Ichkeul volcano. There are only a few people who still know the secret of the house and the sad fate of its inhabitants. The tragic story of its builder, who gave the beautiful house to his great love Lilith. They could only be happy together in the house for a short time because he was shot down as a pilot in the First World War. Lilith buried him in the small chapel in the garden, but she only survived him for a short time. She was also buried in the little chapel. Fate repeated itself for the following inhabitants. They too were only able to live very happily in the house by the lake for a few years until the Second World War struck this peaceful world. During the war years, there was heavy destruction, many dead and injured and atrocities committed by the Germans against the population. The Haus am See was secluded, it was not hit and offered refuge to many relatives, friends and Jewish victims of persecution. For a few years, the Haus am See was repeatedly the home of lovers who were separated by war and death. But their love could not be destroyed. It is said that on nights full of stars, the white shadows of lovers walk in the garden and dance to tender music. Roses and chrysanthemums bloom miraculously and bear witness to the fact that love is stronger than death.
Das E-Book können Sie in Legimi-Apps oder einer beliebigen App lesen, die das folgende Format unterstützen:
Seitenzahl: 300
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025
Ähnliche
Content
Dedication
Titel
Copywright
About the author: Michael Ghanem
1. Foreword
2. Bizerta and Ferryville
3. Lake Bizerte and Mount Ichkeul
4. The childhood and youth of Leon and Patrice in Ferryville.
5. Photos of Bizerte and Ferryville, 1915–1940
6. Patrice was in Paris, and Leon was in Toulon; they were both in the French army
7. The small cosmos of Ferryville and Bizerta
8. The legend of a house on the shore of the lake
9. The house has been on the market for decades.
10. The legend of the Lady in white
11. Viewing the house
12. Patrice's investigations
13. Liliane and Julien
14. The meeting between Patrice and Liliane
15. Love at first sight!
16. The vow of love
17. Patrice's decision to marry Liliane and his marriage proposal
18. Patrice at Liliane's parents' house
19. Liliane with Patrice's family and her parents' invitation
20. Raoul's wedding
21. Lucille's wedding
22. Denise's wedding
23. Patrice's engagement to Liliane
24. Leon's engagement
25. Renovation work on the house by the lake
26. The chest and the letters from Cedric and Lilith
27. Liliane moved into Patrice's house.
28 Wedding of Liliane and Patrice and Leon and Genevieve
29 The nights under the maple tree and the discovery of the grotto
30. The granite vases in the front garden
31. Harbingers of War and 3 September 1939
32. Mobilisation and 'La drôle de guerre'
33. The conscription of Patrice and Leon
34. Western Campaign, Blitzkrieg and 20 June 1940
35. De Gaulle's appeal of 18 June 1940:
36. Division between Pétain and de Gaulle, and division within families and among soldiers
37. Operation Catapult
38. The Tunisian Campaign and Operation Stoch
39. The separation: Patrice and Leon in the war from 1939 to 1943, and their wills.
40. Tensions between Christians and Muslims, and the fate of Jews in Tunisia, especially in Bizerte and Ferryville, during the Nazi era.
41. Patrice's letters and letters from Liliane
42. Liliane's pregnancy and her futile wait
43. The refuge of Genevieve, Patrice's and Liliane’s parents, Denise, Joel Hassan, Dr. Jamati, two rabbis and some Jews in the house by the lake
44. Restless nights
45. The appearance of the Lady in white
46. Capture of Ferryville by the Americans
47. Bombs over Bizerte, Destruction of the church by the Americans, Street fighting in Bizerte and a typhus epidemic
48. The shooting down of Patrice over Rafraf
49. Conquest of Bizerte by the Americans, Tunis by the British, and surrender of the Germans and Italians.
50. Report on the shooting of Patrice
51. Transfer of Patrice's body; wake held by his father and father-in-law, Dr Jamati, Joel Hassan and Leon and their comrades
52. The blooming and shining in white and the appearance of the white woman
53. The funeral with military honours in the chapel
54. Liliane loses her child
55. The child was buried in the chapel
56. Liliane's mysterious illness and more letters from Patrice
57. Liliane sold the house to Leon.
58. The end of Liliane and her funeral next to Patrice
59. Love is stronger than death!
60. Leon, Geneviève and their children moved into the house by the lake.
61. The happy years from 1943 to 1961 and Tunisia's independence
62. Leon was killed by a mob on Wednesday, 19 July 1961 during the Bizerte Crisis
63. Leon's funeral was held in the chapel above Patrice's grave.
64. Geneviève moved to Toulon on 17 April 1963.
65. Geneviève's death and the ban on being buried next to Léon
66. Epilogue: the house by the lake remains closed.
67. Appendix
68. Bibliography
Dedication
This book is dedicated to those who fought against nationalism, racism and colonialism throughout their lives, often overlooked by the public.
It also aims to shed light on the role of colonialism and the impact of the German Empire's warfare against France and other countries, including Tunisia, that were not involved in the conflict.
It is also dedicated to my wife, Marlene, for her critical and wise advice, which has guided me throughout my life.
Bonn, October 2025
Titel
Michael Ghanem
‘Thoughts are free.’
The Legend
of the House
by the Lake
Or
Love is Stronger than Death.
Copywright
© 2025 Michael Ghanem
Website: https://michael-ghanem.de/
Printing and distribution on behalf of the author:
tredition GmbH, Heinz-Beusen-Stieg 5, 22926 Ahrensburg, Germany
ISBN
Softcover978-3-384-73971-1
Hardcover978-3-384-73972-8
E-Book978-3-384-73973-5
The work, including its parts, is protected by copyright. The author is responsible for the content. Any use without his consent is prohibited. Publication and distribution are carried out on behalf of the author, who can be contacted at the following address: tredition GmbH, ‘Impressumservice’ department, Heinz-Beusen-Stieg 5, 22926 Ahrensburg, Germany.
The illustrations used are licensed from Adobe Stock, #291467940
Contact address in accordance with the European Product Safety Regulation:
About the author: Michael Ghanem
https://michael-ghanem.de/
https://die-gedanken-sind-frei.org/
Born in 1949, Michael Ghanem grew up in France and graduated from an elite French university for industrial engineers. After moving to Germany, he studied economics, sociology, political science, philosophy and ethics.
Bonn, October 2025
In the field of philosophy, he was strongly influenced by the philosophy and teachings of Zarathustra, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius, Rabelais, Michael de Montaigne, Baruch de Spinoza, Thomas Aquinas, Ibn Chaldun, Niccolo Machiavelli, Rene Descartes, Blaise Pascal, Voltaire, Jean Jaques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, Gottfried W. Leibniz, Auguste Comte, Arthur Schopenhauer, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Karl Marx, Henri Bergson, Karl Popper, Karl Jaspers, Erich Fromm. The Frankfurt School with its teachers Jürgen Habermas and Adorno have strongly influenced him, as have Michael Schmidt-Salomon, Claude Levy-Strauss, Dalai Lama, Luc Ferry, Peter Sloterdijk, Werner Lachmann, Amartya Sen, Oswald Nell-Brauning and Niklas Luhmann.
In sociology, he is strongly orientated towards the Cologne School with his teachers Rene König and Erwin K. Scheuch as well as Gustave Lebon. In political science, he was also influenced by the Cologne School or the Cologne-Mannheim School.
In the field of economics, he was strongly influenced by the post-Keynesian and behavioural economists. He is very critical of the teachings of Milton Friedmann, the Chicago Boys, the Freiburg School and Friedrich A. Hayek. He feels a close affinity with Joseph Stiglitz, Paul Krugman, James K. Galbraith, Daniel Kahneman, Thomas Piketty and the Club of Rome.
His professional career initially led him to an international organisation, for which he worked for 5 years as a project controller for large water projects, mainly in Africa, where he got to know a large number of countries and their leaders. He then worked for many years with a European organisation and several international consulting firms as a consultant for the modernisation of a wide range of industries and companies.
He sees himself as a critic of today's globalisation and has been a strong advocate of water management issues since 1974.
This experience has resulted in a deep understanding of geopolitical issues and enables him to assess current political developments, particularly against the background of economic interdependencies.
Since his retirement, he has lived in seclusion in Bonn and works as a writer. In his publications, he focuses primarily on the pressing social, economic and political issues of our time, as well as water management.
To date, numerous publications have appeared at on the topics of politics and geopolitics, society and the economy. He is the author of more than 100 books to date. In the field of politics, his main focus is a critical examination of Germany. Other topics include health, identity, racism, the environment, migration, water management, Africa, population development and alternative economic systems such as the anti-fragility economy. He has also published a number of short stories and fairy tales.
This is a selection of his publications to date:
Non-fiction books on politics, economics, society
Geopolitics
‘The Deep Fall of the West and the Bitter Tears of Europe, Part 1 - Introduction - A Critical Review of the West 1949-2023’
‘The Deep Fall of the West and the Bitter Tears of Europe, Part 2: Deep Fall of the Military, Building Blocks of Geopolitics, World Order in Transition, Conflict Potentials’
‘The Deep Fall of the West and the Bitter Tears of Europe, Part 3: Building Blocks of Military Potential - The End of Hegemony’
‘The Deep Fall of the West and the Bitter Tears of Europe, Part 4: Country Profiles - Multiple Systemic Failures - Accidents of History - Water and World Hunger - Climate and Energy Supergau - BRICS versus G7’
"The deep fall of the West and the bitter tears of Europe, Part 5: Problem cases: Population bomb migration, integration poverty and hunger raw materials"
‘Africa between curse and blessing Part 1: Water’
‘Water as a global power - Part 1: Overview and assessment 2021’
On the state of Germany
‘Germany's deep fall, Volume 1A Health’
‘Germany's deep fall, Volume 1B Health’
‘2005 - 2021 Germany's lost 16 years - Angela Merkel's balance sheet’
‘2005-2018 Germany's lost 13 years Part 1: Angela Merkel - An interim balance sheet’
‘2005-2018 Germany's lost 13 years Part 2: Political system - Quo vadis?’
‘2005-2018 Germany's Lost 13 Years Part 3: Society - Balance Sheet and Outlook’
‘2005-2018 Germany's lost 13 years Part 4: German economy - Quo vadis?’
‘2005-2018 Germany's lost 13 years Part 5: Internal security - Quo vadis?’
‘2005-2018 Germany's lost 13 years Part 6: Justice- Quo vadis?’
"2005-2018 Germany's lost 13 years Part 7: Health - Quo vadis? Volume A"
"2005-2018 Germany's lost 13 years Part 7: Health - Quo vadis? Volume B"
"2005-2018 Germany's lost 13 years Part 7: Health - Quo vadis? Volume C"
‘2005-2018 Germany's lost 13 years Part 8: Poverty, old age, care - Quo vadis?’
‘2005-2018 Germany's lost 13 years Part 9: Building and renting in Germany - No thanks’
‘2005-2018 Germany's lost 13 years Part 10: Education in Germany’
‘2005-2018 Germany's lost 13 years Part 11: The decline of the media’
‘2005-2018 Germany's lost 13 years Part 12: Literature - Quo vadis - Part A’
‘2005-2018 Germany's lost 13 years Part 13: Development policy - Quo vadis - Part A’
German politics
"German identity - Quo vadis?
"German identity and homeland - Quo vadis?
"I know we can! An opportunity for Germany"
"The Germans - a cursed people?
‘The Greens or The Feminist Club - 10 reasons NOT to vote for the Greens’
‘AKK - No thanks!’
‘A chance for democracy’
‘Non-voters are also voters’
‘Germany's Titanic - The Berlin Republic’
‘In the stranglehold of the political parties, part 1’
"Lord forgive them not! For they know what they are doing!"
‘Symptoms of Germany's decline - do we have to put up with it?’
‘Is Germany built on sand?’
‘Four million disenfranchised Germans’
Economy and finance
‘Approaches to an anti-fragility economy’
‘In the stranglehold of the financial sector, part 1’
‘In the stranglehold of government debt, part 1’
‘In the stranglehold of government debt, part 2’
Population, migration, integration
‘In the stranglehold of migration and integration’
‘In the stranglehold of the population bomb, poverty and nutrition, part 1’
Racism
‘In the stranglehold of racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, right-wing radicalism, fascism, part 1’
‘Theses on the equality of the races’
‘Balance and decline and the fear of the white man’
Man and society
‘The power of the word’
‘The new horsemen of the apocalypse’
‘Crises in times of Corona, part 1’
‘Corona 2021 - Waiting for Godot’
‘Time - an unrecognised world power’ Volume 1 of the ‘Man & Society’ series
‘Only courage - stand up’
Stories
‘Adventure Germany: Confessions about this country -’
‘A little prince and a little blue siren’
"I often think ... of the Rue du Docteur Gustave Rioblanc - Sunken Island of Tolerance"
‘Tales of a shadow man’
‘21 days in a clinic full of fools’
‘Sayings and wisdom’
‘Leonidas the Great - I am a human being’
"50 years of life in Germany - A mistake? A destiny"
‘A road without a soul’
‘The devil's pond - a fairy tale’
‘The legend of the house by the lake’
‘If I were the Lord God one day’
‘Love means’
‘Thank you, Mr Teacher,’
‘The legend of the spring’
‘The legend of Annette - Dream of an unfulfillable love’
‘Peace and freedom: I wanted to plant an olive tree - I wanted to plant an orange tree’
‘The world is so beautiful’
‘The old ship - A tribute to old iron’
‘If she would read this, The little grande dame so brave for me’
"I can never stop loving you. Tender memories of 50 years together"
‘The forgotten strand of hair’
‘The lilac’
1. Foreword
While travelling for work in various African countries in the early 1970s, the author heard about a legendary house in northern Tunisia, near Bizerte and Ferryville, while sitting in a café. The stories surrounding the house and its inhabitants from the 1920s to the 1960s piqued his curiosity, so he took the opportunity on his next trip to Tunisia to find out more. Upon arriving in the city, he tried to find out more in a café at the harbour in the old town. There, he met an elderly Maltese man, an elderly Italian man, two elderly Frenchmen, an Orthodox priest, and two elderly Jewish businessmen. Initially, they were all extremely reserved and reluctant to reveal any information. However, when they discovered that he lived in Germany and agreed to publish the legend, they began to tell him the story. It took almost ten afternoons to hear the whole story. The elderly people even insisted that the author see the house from the outside. However, nobody was allowed to enter the house. When they said goodbye, some of the men had tears in their eyes.
The author had long forgotten this episode, but it suddenly came back to him in his old age.
He assures us that this legend has a historical basis and that the house exists. Only the names of the people described and their story are the product of his imagination.
2. Bizerta and Ferryville
Bizerta and Ferryville are two neighbouring towns on the Mediterranean coast in northern Tunisia.
At the time this story is set, Tunisia was a French colony.
History of the colonial period
Tunisia during the protectorate period
The history of this period is still a sensitive topic in Tunisia and among the descendants of the former settlers. Even today, numerous remnants from this period remain. On the one hand, there are many buildings from this era; on the other, the entire country's infrastructure – including roads, railways, urban planning and healthcare – was planned, built and established by the French during their 76-year rule.
In 1878, the decision was made: Great Britain and Germany ceded their claims to Tunisian territory to France in exchange for concessions elsewhere. Border violations by nomadic tribes and the looting of a French ship provided the French with a pretext for intervention. On 12 April 1881, 32,000 French soldiers marched from Algeria into Tunisia. Militarily outmatched, the Bey was forced to sign the protectorate treaty (Bardo Treaty) on 12 May 1881, despite strong resistance from the central Tunisian tribes and the southern population.
This treaty recognises France as Bizerte's ‘protecting power’. The Bey remained the official head of state of Tunisia until 1957, but with severely limited powers. All important government posts were under French control and filled by French officials. While the north retained its traditional clan and tribal leaders, the rebellious south was placed under military administration. One of the colonial power's first measures in 1885 was to expropriate all unregistered land (e.g., nomads' lands).
These areas were declared state property and allocated to the many French and Italian settlers. By 1911, 46,000 French people, 86,000 Italians and 12,000 Maltese people were living in Tunisia. The French improved the infrastructure by expanding the road and port networks and the railway system. New districts based on the French model were built on the outskirts of cities, mines were operated by French companies, and monasteries, schools and universities were constructed. New regional administrative and market centres were also established in rural areas.
The First World War
The First World War (1914–1918) interrupted colonisation. On the Western Front, 80,000 Tunisians fought alongside the French, with almost 11,000 losing their lives. After the war, however, colonisation progressed rapidly once again, mainly benefiting French immigrants. In terms of production figures and kilometres of roads, Tunisia is currently experiencing tremendous growth, but enormous social problems are also emerging. Long-established small farmers and nomads are being forced into unproductive areas on the outskirts of society, such as barren steppes and mountain regions.
Ultimately, all this leads to the impoverishment of the Tunisian rural population. Other farmers are becoming completely dependent on a few large landowners due to excessive lease and usage agreements. Meanwhile, cheap mass imports are causing the decline of traditional crafts and trade. These developments are leading to a rural exodus, resulting in the growth of urban slums. The protectorate period led to the impoverishment of most Tunisians. While a small number of wealthy or influential Tunisians enjoy certain privileges, the vast majority of the rural population are becoming increasingly poor and disenfranchised.
About Bizerte:
Depending on the culture and language, the city is known as Hippo Accra, Hippo Diarrhytus, Hippo Zartus or Banzart. It was founded by Phoenicians from Sidon around 1100 BC. It is considered one of the oldest cities in North Africa. Originally a small Phoenician port for maritime trade in the western Mediterranean, it was located about 50 km northwest of Carthage. Around 950 BC, during the reign of Queen Elissa, Bizerte came under the influence of Carthage. During the Greco-Punic Wars, after the defeat of Agathocles, it returned to Carthage under Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal and Salammbo.
During the time of Julius Caesar and the reign of Augustus, the city regained its prosperity. It maintained relations with the Phoenician city of Utica and Rome, and Christianity spread throughout the city during the Roman Empire. In 439 AD, Genseric, the king of the Germanic Vandal tribe, and his followers invaded the city, using the harbour as a base for attacks on other parts of the Western Roman Empire, including Rome and the islands of Sardinia, Malta, Corsica and Sicily. From 634 to 642 AD, after the Vandal conquest, the city came under the control of the Byzantine Empire (also known as the White Turks), who built the Kasbah there. Armin of Arabia then captured Bizerta, after which the city returned to the sphere of influence of Constantinople until the Byzantines were defeated. In 1535, the troops of Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, conquered the city, but the Turks recaptured it in 1574. Thereafter, the city became a port for corsairs and fought against the French and Venetians.
Noteworthy events include the city being bombed by the King of France in 1681 and by the Comte de Broves on 4 and 5 July 1770. The city was bombarded again in 1784 and 1785 by the Venetians, who destroyed the harbour. Following the abolition of piracy in 1818, the city suffered a significant setback and turned its attention to exploiting the riches of the sea, establishing itself as one of the largest suppliers of fish to Tunis, Italy, Sicily and France. In 1786, the Bey issued a decree granting France exclusive rights to fishing and coral exploitation in exchange for treating the Genoese, Catalans, Venetians, Sicilians, pirates, Corsicans and people from Marseille equally.
French protectorate
Following the Treaty of Berlin in 1878, France was granted administration of the city as compensation for the British conquest of Malta. Warships then entered the old harbour, contributing to the conquest of Tunisia between 1881 and 18 March 1884.
In 1884, France began developing the city's strategic components. The construction of a canal connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the inland lake played a particularly important role in this. The aim was to connect the Mediterranean Sea with Lake Bizerte, making the port of Bizerte the most important in Tunisia. The canal was designed by Admiral Ponty. Measuring 800–900 metres in length, 100 metres in width, and with a depth ranging from 9 to 12 metres, the canal was navigable by the largest ships known at the time. Work on the canal was carried out by the Hersent and Couvreux consortium from 1890 and was completed in 1892. The canal connected the Mediterranean Sea with the inland lake, creating a free port covering approximately 100 hectares.
The occupation of Tunisia by France led to a political dispute with Great Britain in 1897–1898.
Twenty kilometres south of the canal and on the other side of the lake, the town of Ferryville was founded and named after Jules Ferry, who was head of state of the Third Republic at the time. This new town became France's second-largest naval arsenal outside the country. On 16 July 1884, the town was granted official municipal status, and a bridge was constructed to connect the two sides of the canal. This bridge remained in place until 1909.
After the Serbian army withdrew from Albania in 1915 during the First World War, some Serbian forces were transported to Bizerte with French assistance. Serbian soldiers and civilians came to Bizerte three times during the war. After the Battle of Saloniki, the wounded were transported there. It is estimated that approximately 60,000 Serbian soldiers found refuge in Bizerte at any one time. Around 200 barracks were built. The local population, administration and politicians were very close to the Serbs, especially the admiral. The last Serbian soldiers left the city on 18 August 1919.
In December 1920, the French government granted part of the Russian Tsar's navy refuge in Bizerte. The ships that sought refuge there never left the port again, eventually being scrapped and sold for scrap in 1935. There is still an Orthodox church in Bizerte to this day: the Church of Saint Alexander Nevsky.
Bizerte in the Second World War
After losing the Spanish Civil War, the democratic forces of Spain sought refuge in March 1939 with part of Spain's Republican naval force, comprising three cruisers, seven torpedo boats and one submarine, as well as approximately 4,300 soldiers, under the command of Admirals Miguel Buiza and Fernández Palacios. The French government granted them asylum.
At the start of the Second World War, Bizerte was one of the most important military ports in the Mediterranean. The naval air base covered an area of 300 km², and part of the French army command was stationed there. The city also had protective facilities for submarines and cruisers, as well as the large Karouba airfield and Sidi Ahmed airport. Bizerte also had one of the largest shipyards in the Mediterranean and one of France's largest military hospitals in North Africa. This infrastructure was highly strategic and particularly coveted by the Axis powers.
In connection with Operation Torch, Admiral Derrien ordered his men to defect to the Allies. However, on 7 December 1942, he was forced to hand over the airfield and port to the Germans. This decision was made by the Vichy regime representative and his allies, primarily in the hope that the infrastructure would be spared. When they bombed the city, the Allies deliberately spared the military infrastructure. Nevertheless, 77% of the European part of the city was destroyed, including the Catholic cathedral, two Jewish synagogues, and an Orthodox church. A typhus epidemic followed the bombing, claiming part of the population.
The city was declared a 'forbidden city' and was liberated by the Americans in street fighting on 7 May 1943. A workers' town called Zarzouna was quickly built on the other side of the canal after the war. It should be noted that, at the end of the battle, the Americans took 250,000 German and Italian soldiers as prisoner.
About Jules Ferry:
Jules Ferry (born 5 April 1832; died 17 March 1893) was a French politician who served as minister and prime minister of the Third Republic. He opposed the Second Empire under Napoleon III. A lawyer by profession, he belonged to the left-wing Republican camp. On 23 September 1880, as Prime Minister, he played a key role in shaping France's colonial policy. At the Berlin Congress of 1878, the European powers had promised him control of Tunisia from the crumbling Ottoman Empire. Immediately after taking office, he began to fulfil this promise. In this respect, Jules Ferry was responsible for the colonisation of Tunisia. However, it should be noted that he was under considerable political pressure from 1880 onwards, with two opponents in the form of the old monarchists and the left. His most important opponent was Georges Clemenceau. Ferry's rise was mainly due to the colonial policy he agreed with Bismarck on. However, this led to a significant decline in his popularity, and he lost all support until he was overthrown in 1885.
Ferryville
The town of Ferryville is located 60 km north of Tunis and 20 km south of Bizerte. It lies southwest of Lake Bizerte, on the narrow strip of land between the lake and Mount Ichkeul.
In 1897, the French government decided to build a shipyard in this strategically important area through the real estate company African North, which owned considerable land there. They began designing a city from scratch and looking for a name. Following the premature death of Jules Ferry, who had always wanted this city, it was named after him. During the Second World War, the area was largely unaffected by military conflict. In contrast, Bizerte was 77% destroyed.
3. Lake Bizerte and Mount Ichkeul
Ichkeul
Ichkeul National Park covers an area of 12,600 hectares in northern Tunisia, about 25 km south-west of the city of Bizerte. The park is an important resting place for hundreds of thousands of migratory birds, including ducks, geese, storks and pink flamingos, which come here to feed and nest. Ichkeul is the last remaining lake in a chain of waterways that once stretched across North Africa.
Lake Ichkeul and the surrounding marshes are characterised by a very specific hydrological function based on twofold seasonal changes in water levels and salinity, making it the last large freshwater lake in the area. This is due to its connection with the saltwater lagoon Lac de Bizerté via a river. During Tunisia's hot summers, there is often no rain for months, causing the water level in Lake Ichkeul to drop due to human consumption of drinking water and evaporation. Consequently, saltwater can enter through the connection between Lake Ichkeul and Lac de Bizerte. From autumn onwards, rainfall causes the lake level to rise, displacing the salt water.
Various human interventions, such as the construction of dams in Lake Ichkeul's tributaries to obtain drinking water, caused its water level to drop alarmingly, resulting in salinisation. Consequently, the national park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Red List in 1996. The national park was removed from the list in 2006, once the situation had improved and the restoration of the ecosystem was well underway.
Marshland at Ichkeul – Image: Radiusmed – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40187920
Ichkeul National Park provides important natural habitats for migratory birds travelling to Europe or Africa and is therefore a key resting and wintering place for them. Every winter, the park provides shelter for hundreds of thousands of water birds, including ducks, geese, storks and flamingos. Three species of global interest find refuge at Ichkeul: the white-headed duck, the ferruginous duck, and the marbled duck. Thanks to its diverse habitats, the park boasts a rich and varied fauna and flora, including more than 200 animal species such as wild boars, water buffalo, jackals, various species of wild cats, mongooses and bats, as well as over 500 plant species.
Ichkeul Lake is overlooked by Jebel Ichkeul, a mountain which, at 511 metres, is the national park's second most notable feature. Consisting mainly of limestone, it is part of the easternmost foothills of the Tell Atlas.
Jebel Ichkeul as seen from the lake
Source Wikipedia
The forest of Jebel Source wikipedia see appendix
4. The childhood and youth of Leon and Patrice in Ferryville.
It is the year 1915 in Ferryville, a newly built town on the edge of a shipyard and harbour for warships, as well as a military base and airport for the French war fleet. Léon was born that year. His family were landowners and colonists. He had one brother and two sisters. His father was the commander of one of the cruisers moored in Bizerte harbour. His mother was a housewife who was busy ensuring the children received a good education. They lived in a middle-class residential area consisting of Belle Époque houses only. The children's future was mapped out for them from birth: it was customary in the family for them to attend elite schools in France, and of course in Paris. Nevertheless, the income from the Leon family's agricultural holdings provided them with a certain degree of financial security. The sons were destined for the army, where their father had also made his career.
Leon was therefore set to begin a career in the navy, specifically the Kriegsmarine, after completing his education at Saint-Cyr, the elite military academy in Paris. His family was politically left-wing or left-liberal and only moderately religious. Of course, his father was also nationalistic. Church attendance was limited to the obligatory Sunday morning mass. Sunday lunch was traditionally a family affair, with uncles, aunts, grandparents and children present at the table.
Patrice was born in 1916 in a small Belle Époque palace, three houses away from Leon. Hailing from an old aristocratic family, they had considerably larger land holdings, and his grandfather, father, uncle and brother were all members of the general staff in North Africa. Patrice's father was one of the highest-ranking commanders in the French Air Force. Therefore, from the moment he was born, Patrice was destined to study at Saint-Cyr and pursue a career in the Air Force. Patrice's family was rather conservative, with some members still supporting the old regime. In this respect, they belonged to the disempowered nobility for whom 'noblesse oblige'. They were ultra-conservative and extremely religious. With a strong focus on military drill, fulfilling one's duty was the family's highest priority. However, there were also some black sheep in the family who did not care about family morals. Going to church on Sundays and having lunch together were top priorities. Family members were trained to pursue a career, preferably in the army. All the children were expected to achieve the best grades at school.
Patrice had two sisters, Lucille and Denise, and a brother, Raoul, as well as a father, Gustave, and a mother, Madeleine. Patrice was the second-born; Raoul was the eldest. Raoul had made a career in the Navy, a choice that was just about tolerated by the family, as the Air Force was the traditional preference. The women in the family were subject to a strict regime designed to get the best out of the children. However, the family also had two philosophers who were more or less shunned. These philosophers were, however, the children's favourite uncles.
Culture was highly valued, and the family enjoyed evenings of salon culture, discussions, music, and recitations of poems and songs. This made Patrice's family home a cultural centre.
A few streets away from the residential area stood the Collège de France. This school was reserved for the children of the Admiralty, the leadership of the French armies, and a few select dignitaries. There were around 600 school-age children at this school, and each class was limited to 25 pupils. There was a large dining room and a large room where the children took their afternoon nap. Many lifelong friendships were formed during the seven-year primary school programme.
One day, during a lesson, the headmaster opened the door and entered the classroom with a tall, slim boy who had a smile on his face and a hint of irony in his eyes. The headmaster introduced the boy to the teacher, who asked him, “What's your name?”
“Patrice, sir,” he replied politely, smiling. One of the few free seats was next to Joel, so Patrice sat down next to him.
Although Patrice was very well-mannered and polite, he had been a daredevil since his youth. He was intelligent and particularly good at maths, French, and history. Leon, on the other hand, was more of a quiet type, but he was very thorough. He wasn't particularly good at the most important subjects, but he tried his best to keep up with Patrice. Patrice was not easily convinced, but he was a very reliable friend, even if this caused him some problems. He even convinced his family and those around him to accept Leon as a friend. They often went to the sports field, where Patrice first tried playing with a ball. He always performed well at school and made an effort to help weaker students. At that time, the Collège de France was one of the first schools in France and its colonies to teach boys and girls together. Patrice was, of course, the darling of the adolescent girls. He himself took little notice of this.
The two took their A-level exams on the same day and received their results about four weeks later, on a very hot summer's day. Patrice's grades were considerably better than Leon's, so he had the opportunity to be accepted into the Saint-Cyr military academy by taking an additional exam. Leon, on the other hand, had an average set of A-level grades, so he was accepted into a naval college.
That summer, the two friends saw each other almost every day, either going fishing at the lake or taking short trips to the nearby forest with their friends. Leon always remembered these trips because they involved getting up at 4:00 am to take advantage of the cool morning air, followed by a 10–20 km walk to the forest. When women accompanied them, they found it hard to carry their heavy baskets and had to take frequent breaks. Upon reaching a clearing in the forest, they would arrange seating so that the women could prepare food while the men accompanied the two friends to the water to try and catch fish. Some days they caught so many large fish that they gave some away on the way back. If there weren't enough fish, they simply made cheese sandwiches. They drank water and wine, sang songs, and danced in the forest. Then they walked all the way back, carrying torches to find their way home in the dark, as there was no electricity along the paths. There were even nights when they spent the night in the clearing. The forest was dense, with an old road running through it. For the adolescents, setting foot on the road was taboo because many myths, legends and dramas surrounded the forest, stretching all the way to Mount Ichkeul.
And so the summer passed, and in autumn it was time to say goodbye. Leon would never forget the day Patrice took the big ship to Marseille and then the train to Paris. Leon took the same ship to Marseille but travelled on to Toulon from there. Leon's family was deeply saddened by the farewell, and many tears were shed. In contrast, Patrice's family was proud that their son had been accepted into this prestigious school, offering him the opportunity to pursue an elite career.
5. Photos of Bizerte and Ferryville, 1915–1940
Patrice's aeroplane
Patrice's car
Cedric's car
The cruiser LE FOCH – Leon's training ship
The air force barracks under construction
The Navy barracks in Ferryville
The Catholic church in Ferryville
The Catholic cathedral in Bizerte
Avenue d´Algerie in Bizerta
Military hospital in Ferryville
Caserne Japy in Bizerta
Sidi Abdallah–Ferryville Shipyard
Cruiser inthe shipyard Sidi Abdallah
The main ferry in the Bizerte Canal from 1932
Shipbuilding administration
Main Street in Ferryville: Avenue de France
Tunisia's largest military hospital is in Ferryville
Engine construction at the Ferryville shipyard
Main ferry across the Bizerta Canal (1903–1929)
Warship repair building
