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Würzburg at Dusk
A side trip to Würzburg alongside our annual visit to Spielwarenmesse makes a rewarding visit. We arrived in the early evening, which turned out to be perfect timing — the golden hour light along the Main River is something else entirely. Würzburg sits at the northern edge of Franconian wine country, and the terraced vineyards…
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How Removing the De Minimis Limit Disrupts EU → US Trade
In August 2025, the U.S. Government made a sweeping change to its import rules, ending the long-standing de minimis exemption that allowed shipments valued under $800 to enter duty-free and with minimal paperwork. What seems like a technical regulatory tweak is already wreaking havoc across supply chains — especially for small businesses and niche importers…
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Ankerstein Factory in Rudolstadt – 1912 to 2019
Anker Steinbaukasten has a long history in Rudolstadt Germany, started there during the 1880s by F. Ad. Richter. The Anker Steinbaukasten business, along with other Richter ventures grew to include a sprawling collection of buildings and green spaces. It was was quite rare for this time period. Remarkably, through two world wars and and the…
