Sheriden-Kaserne Augsburg Pfersee - personal archive Augsburg is not the setting for The Daughters of the Pinecone by chance. The city marks the starting point of the narrative – not only geographically, but also biographically. Sandra Noel's grandmother came from Augsburg. With her begins a story that extends far beyond a single family. Thus, the reader of the novel travels to a place that holds significance for my family – and at the same time leads far beyond a single fami

Anyone strolling through Augsburg will see it everywhere: on facades, fountains, gables, and towers. The pinecone is much more than a simple decorative detail: it is the city's iconic heraldic symbol and a cultural motif that has endured for centuries. The predominance of this motif is particularly striking in the historical architecture of Augsburg. On Baroque facades, especially on the buildings of Maximilianstrasse or around the Fugger buildings, the pine cone frequently a

Some stories are written at a desk. Others in real life. The Daughters of the Pinecone belongs to the latter category. It all began in 2018. Not with an idea, but with a memory. Sandra Noel's memory of her grandmother. A woman from Augsburg. A woman who lived through that time. Her story was there. Always. And yet it remained hidden for a long time. Like so many stories of this generation. Until that one moment in 2018. My simple question to to her, almost casually — and yet