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Eurovision Song Contest 1957

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Eurovision Song Contest 1957
Dates
Final3 March 1957
Host
VenueGroßer Sendesaal des hessischen Rundfunks
Frankfurt, West Germany
Presenter(s)Anaid Iplicjian
Musical directorWilly Berking
Directed byMichael Kehlmann
Host broadcasterArbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (ARD)
Hessischer Rundfunk (HR)
Websiteeurovision.tv/event/frankfurt-1957 Edit this at Wikidata
Participants
Number of entries10
Debuting countries
Non-returning countriesNone
  • A coloured map of the countries of EuropeBelgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957France in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957France in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957
         Participating countries
Vote
Voting systemTen-member juries in each country; each member gave one vote to their favourite song
Winning song Netherlands
"Net als toen"
1956 ← Eurovision Song Contest → 1958

The Eurovision Song Contest 1957 was the second edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk (HR) on behalf of ARD, the contest, originally known as the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne 1957 (English: Eurovision Grand Prize of European Song 1957[1]) was held on Sunday 3 March 1957 and was hosted at the Großer Sendesaal des hessischen Rundfunks in Frankfurt, West Germany by German actress Anaid Iplicjian.

Ten countries took part, with Austria, Denmark, and the United Kingdom competing for the first time and joining the original seven participating countries from the first contest in 1956. A number of changes to the rules from the previous year's event were enacted, with each country now represented by only one song, which could be performed by up to two performers on stage. The voting system received an overhaul, with each country's jury now comprising ten individuals which awarded one vote each to their favourite song. The results of the voting were now conducted in public, with a scoreboard introduced to allow the process to be followed by viewers and listeners at home. Jurors were also for the first time not allowed to vote for the song from their own country.

The winner of the contest was the Netherlands, with the song "Net als toen" performed by Corry Brokken. This was Brokken's second appearance as a participant, after previously representing the Netherlands in 1956; her victory marked the first of five Dutch wins in the contest as of 2023.[2]

Location

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Großer Sendesaal des hessischen Rundfunks, Frankfurt – venue of the 1957 contest

The 1957 contest took place in Frankfurt, West Germany. The selected venue was the Großer Sendesaal des hessischen Rundfunks, a music hall and former broadcasting studio located in the Dornbusch district, and part of the wider Broadcasting House Dornbusch which serves as the headquarters and main broadcasting facility of the German public broadcaster for the state of Hesse, Hessischer Rundfunk (HR).[3][4] The contest was held in front of an audience of around 400 people.[5][6]

A new plan for staging the event was invoked ahead of the 1957 contest, with a different broadcaster organising the contest each year, after Switzerland's SRG SSR, which had both hosted the contest and provided the winning entry in 1956, declined to stage it for a second time.[6] Germany was subsequently selected to host the second edition, after Hans-Otto Grünefeldt, TV program director at HR, offered to organise it on behalf of ARD.[a][3][7] Frankfurt was selected as host city as early as June 1956 during an EBU meeting in Italy.[8]

Participating countries

[edit]
Eurovision Song Contest 1957 – Participation summaries by country

Ten countries participated in the 1957 contest, with the seven countries which took part in the first contest being joined by Austria, Denmark and the United Kingdom in their first appearances.[3] Austria and Denmark had originally planned to compete in 1956, but missed the cut-off date for entry.[9][10]

Two of the participating artists, Switzerland's Lys Assia and the Netherlands' Corry Brokken, had previously competed at the 1956 contest. Brokken was one of the two Dutch participants in that year's contest, competing with the song "Voorgoed voorbij", while Assia had performed both of Switzerland's entries, "Das alte Karussell" and "Refrain", the latter of which had won the contest.[11]

Format

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The contest was organised and broadcast by HR on behalf of ARD, with Michael Kehlmann serving as director and Willy Berking serving as musical director, leading the Tanz- und Unterhaltungsorchester des Hessischen Rundfunks during the event.[15][16][17][18] Each country was allowed to nominate their own musical director to lead the orchestra during the performance of their country's entry, with the host musical director also conducting for those countries which did not nominate their own conductor.[13]

The stage built in the Großer Sendesaal featured a wooden staircase for the artists and conductors to make their entrance, and a lyre-shaped background for the singers, which should symbolize the history of popular songs since the Middle Ages.[19] The centre of the background contained a removable background, allowing for a different graphic to be used for each nation's performance.[6][20] The background of the orchestra featured photographs from different European landmarks, such as the Brandenburg Gate, the Colosseum and the Arc de Triomphe.[19] Curtains were used extensively as backgrounds and decorative elements.[19] The entire contest, including the performances and voting, lasted around one hour in total.[5][21] Held just over nine months after the inaugural contest, the contest date of 3 March remains the earliest date in the calendar year in which the contest has been held.[6]

A number of changes from the rules of the previous year's contest were enacted in 1957. Each country was now permitted to send only one song to compete, as opposed to the maximum of two in 1956.[20] Up to two people were now allowed on stage during the performance, however no other vocal backing was allowed.[3][6][20]

A new voting system was introduced, with ten individuals in each country giving one vote to their favourite song, with no abstentions allowed.[6] In an additional change to the 1956 rules, jurors were not allowed to vote for the song from their own country.[6][15] A scoreboard was introduced for the first time, and the voting process was now included as part of the broadcast, rather than conducted in secret as in 1956. This new aspect of the contest was inspired by the United Kingdom's Festival of British Popular Songs, which included voting by regional juries and the points received shown on a scoreboard, a telerecording of which was viewed by EBU organisers.[5][6] Each jury assembled in their own country to follow the contest on television and were then contacted by telephone by the contest's presenter in order to receive their votes, in a change from 1956 when the jurors were co-located to the contest venue.[6][20]

Each song, as in 1956, was required to last no longer than three minutes and 30 seconds, however several of the competing entries went beyond this limit. Italy's song, which lasted for five minutes and nine seconds, remains the longest song in the contest's history and, despite heavy protest, was not disqualified.[6][20] Conversely, the United Kingdom's first entry lasted for one minute and 53 seconds in total, and remained the shortest song to compete in the contest until 2015.[6] Subsequently the restriction on song length was more strictly monitored from 1958 onwards.[6][20]

The draw that determined the running order was held on 2 March 1957.[22]

Contest overview

[edit]
Corry Brokken (pictured in 1958) had previously represented the Netherlands in 1956 before entering the contest again in 1957 and ultimately winning.

The contest was held on 3 March 1957 at 21:00 (CET) and lasted 1 hour.[13][23] The event was hosted by German actress Anaid Iplicjian.[3][6]

The winner was the Netherlands represented by the song "Net als toen", composed by Guus Jansen, written by Willy van Hemert and performed by Corry Brokken.[24] Notable among this year's participants were Denmark's Birthe Wilke and Gustav Winckler, the first duo to compete in the contest, who made an impact with a passionate on-screen kiss at the end of their performance; and Germany's Margot Hielscher, the first Eurovision act to use a prop during their performance, in this instance a telephone.[3][6]

An award was presented to the winning composer for the first time, taking the form of a medallion, which was awarded at the end of the broadcast by Eberhard Beckmann [de], director of Hessischer Rundfunk.[15][25][26] The medallion had been commissioned by Deutsches Fernsehen and designed by sculptor Hans Mettel [de].[22][27] It featured the Eurovision logo and the words "Grand Prix 1957" on one side, and the mythological figure Europa on a bull on the other side.[28]

Results of the Eurovision Song Contest 1957[13][29]
R/O Country Artist Song Points Place
1  Belgium Bobbejaan Schoepen "Straatdeuntje" 5 8
2  Luxembourg Danièle Dupré "Tant de peine" 8 4
3  United Kingdom Patricia Bredin "All" 6 7
4  Italy Nunzio Gallo "Corde della mia chitarra" 7 6
5  Austria Bob Martin "Wohin, kleines Pony?" 3 10
6  Netherlands Corry Brokken "Net als toen" 31 1
7  Germany Margot Hielscher "Telefon, Telefon" 8 4
8  France Paule Desjardins "La Belle Amour" 17 2
9  Denmark Birthe Wilke and Gustav Winckler "Skibet skal sejle i nat" 10 3
10   Switzerland Lys Assia "L'Enfant que j'étais" 5 8

Spokespersons

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Each country nominated a spokesperson who was responsible for announcing the votes for their respective country via telephone.[30] Known spokespersons at the 1957 contest are listed below.

Detailed voting results

[edit]

The announcement of the results from each country was conducted in reverse order to the order in which each country performed.[15]

Detailed voting results of the Eurovision Song Contest 1957[15][32][33]
Total score
Switzerland
Denmark
France
Germany
Netherlands
Austria
Italy
United Kingdom
Luxembourg
Belgium
Contestants
Belgium 5 1 2 2
Luxembourg 8 3 4 1
United Kingdom 6 2 1 1 1 1
Italy 7 1 2 2 1 1
Austria 3 1 2
Netherlands 31 7 3 4 1 6 1 1 3 5
Germany 8 6 1 1
France 17 2 6 1 2 4 2
Denmark 10 5 3 2
Switzerland 5 2 1 1 1

Broadcasts

[edit]

Broadcasters competing in the event were required to relay the contest via its networks; non-participating EBU member broadcasters were also able to relay the contest. In total, the contest was broadcast in 12 countries.[34] Broadcasters were able to send commentators to provide coverage of the contest in their own native language and to relay information about the artists and songs to their television viewers.[35] Known details on the broadcasts in each country, including the specific broadcasting stations and commentators are shown in the tables below.

The 1957 contest is the earliest edition to exist in full in the EBU's archives, as the 1956 edition has survived solely through audio recordings, with some missing segments, and limited video footage of the winning reprise performance through newsreel and other recordings.[6][21][36] Although the number of households which had access to a television in Europe continued to grow, this edition, as in the case of the 1956 contest, was still mainly accessed by spectators via radio.[3] Contemporary reports estimated that about eight million viewers had watched the show.[37]

Notes and references

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Notes

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  1. ^ Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland – "Working group of public broadcasters of the Federal Republic of Germany"
  2. ^ On behalf of the German public broadcasting consortium ARD[14]
  3. ^ Delayed broadcast on 29 April 1957 at 21:15 (CET)[45]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Television Programmes – 3 March". Radio Times. London, United Kingdom. 3 March 1957. p. 13. Archived from the original on 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Netherlands – Country Profile". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Frankfurt 1957 – Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Grundsteinlegung des hr-Sendesaals" [Laying of the foundation stone of the HR Sendesaal] (in German). hr-Sinfonieorchester. 11 March 2018. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Roxburgh 2012, p. 152.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Escudero, Victor M. (26 October 2017). "#ThrowbackThursday to 60 years ago: Eurovision 1957". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  7. ^ Rolfs, Pia (3 March 2017). "Grand Prix Eurovision vor 60 Jahren: Am Main siegte ein 'Meisje'" [Grand Prix Eurovision 60 years ago: A 'Meisje' won on the Main]. Frankfurter Neue Presse (in German). Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  8. ^ "Eurovisiebesluiten voor 1957" [Eurovision decisions for 1957]. Het Binnenhof (in Dutch). The Hague, Netherlands. 22 June 1956. p. 7. OCLC 72687086. Retrieved 5 November 2023 – via Delpher.
  9. ^ "Lugano 1956 – Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  10. ^ Jordan, Paul; Roxburgh, Gordon (11 January 2017). "Shining a light on the United Kingdom: 60 Years at Eurovision". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  11. ^ "Participants of Lugano 1956". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Participants of Frankfurt 1957". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d Roxburgh 2012, pp. 152–156.
  14. ^ "Alle deutschen ESC-Acts und ihre Titel" [All German ESC acts and their songs] (in German). ARD. Archived from the original on 12 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  15. ^ a b c d e Roxburgh 2012, pp. 156–158.
  16. ^ O'Connor 2010, p. 217.
  17. ^ "Radio und Fernsehen" [Radio and television]. Der Bund (in German). Bern, Switzerland. 3 March 1957. p. 21. Retrieved 12 June 2022 – via E-newspaperarchives.ch.
  18. ^ a b "Sieben Tage Fernsehen" [Seven days of television]. Bild+Funk [de] (Ausgabe B) (in German). No. 10/1957. 3 March 1957. p. 15. OCLC 643528928.
  19. ^ a b c Schmitt, Peter-Philipp (13 May 2017). "Eurovision im Großen Sendesaal". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Rhein-Main-Zeitung) (in German). No. 111. p. 35. OCLC 723829455.
  20. ^ a b c d e f O'Connor 2010, pp. 10–11.
  21. ^ a b "Looking back to just like it was in 1957". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 3 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  22. ^ a b Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne 1957 [Eurovision Grand Prix of European Song 1957] (Television programme) (in German). Frankfurt am Main, West Germany: Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (ARD) and Hessischer Rundfunk (HR). 3 March 1957.
  23. ^ a b "Le Journal de la Télévision" [The Television Journal]. Radio – Je vois tout (in French). Lausanne, Switzerland. 28 February 1957. p. 18. Archived from the original on 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022 – via Scriptorium Digital Library.
  24. ^ "Corry Brokken – Netherlands – Frankfurt 1957". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  25. ^ O'Connor 2010, p. 216.
  26. ^ ARD-Pressedienst 1957, pp. 4–5, "Das hierbei ausgewählte Lied erhält den 'Grand Prix Eurovision 1957', einen Ehrenpreis, der keine Geldzuwendung enthält und dem Komponisten – nicht dem Sänger und nicht dem Texter – zuerkannt wird." [The selected song will receive the 'Grand Prix Eurovision 1957', an honorary price, which doesn't include any monetary grant, and which is awarded to the composer – not to the singer and not to the lyricist].
  27. ^ ARD-Pressedienst 1957, pp. 4–5.
  28. ^ Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne 1957. Programm [Eurovision Grand Prix for European Song 1957 Programme] (in German, English, and French). Frankfurt am Main, West Germany: Hessischer Rundfunk (HR). 1957. p. 3. OCLC 72005371.
  29. ^ "Final of Frankfurt 1957 – Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  30. ^ "How it works – Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 18 May 2019. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  31. ^ "Verrassingen" [Surprises]. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). Amsterdam, Netherlands. 4 May 1957. p. 2. Retrieved 2 June 2022. Onmiddellijk nadat het scorebord in Frankfurt [...] de overtuigende overwinning van Corry Brokken's presentatie van Nederlands bijdrage had gegeven, had juryvoorzitter Siebe van der Zee (AVRO) de tekstschrijver van het bekroonde liedje "Net als toen", Willy van Hemert (VARA) naar de Bussumse studio gehaald vor een vluchtig gesprekje. [Immediately after the scoreboard in Frankfurt [...] had given the convincing victory to Corry Brokken's presentation of the Dutch entry, jury chairman Siebe van der Zee (AVRO) had the lyricist of the award-winning song "Net als toen", Willy van Hemert (VARA) brought to the Bussum studio for a quick chat.]
  32. ^ "Results of the Final of Frankfurt 1957". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 27 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  33. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 1957 – Scoreboard". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  34. ^ "Europa sang um die Wette" [Europe competed in singing]. Bild+Funk [de] (Ausgabe B) (in German). No. 12/1956. 17 March 1957. p. 7. OCLC 643528928.
  35. ^ "The Rules of the Contest". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 14 April 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  36. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (19 October 2015). "A diamond day for the Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  37. ^ P., R. (5 March 1957). "Le Grand Prix Eurovision 1957 de la chanson européenne à 'Simplement comme ça'". Le Figaro (in French). Vol. 131, no. 3886. Paris, France. p. 15. ISSN 0182-5852. OCLC 1367314267.
  38. ^ a b "Binnen- en buitenlandse televisie programma's van 3 tot 9 maart 1957" [Domestic and foreign television programmes from 3 to 9 March 1957]. De radio- en televisieweek (in Dutch). Vol. 13, no. 9. Nationaal Instituut voor de Radio-omroep [nl] (NIR). 3 March 1957. p. 22. OCLC 1399842623.
  39. ^ "Brussel Vlaamse uitzendingen" [Brussels Flemish broadcasts]. De radio- en televisieweek (in Dutch). Vol. 13, no. 9. Nationaal Instituut voor de Radio-omroep [nl] (NIR). 3 February 1957. p. 12. OCLC 1399842623.
  40. ^ a b c d "Paris-Inter". Radio Cinéma Télévision (in French). No. 372. 3 March 1957. p. 17. ISSN 0481-5920. OCLC 474508236. Présentation pour la France et les pays de langue française : Robert Beauvais [Presentation for France and the French-speaking countries: Robert Beauvais]
  41. ^ "Alle tiders programoversigter – Søndag den 3. marts 1957" [All-time programme overviews – Sunday 3 March 1957] (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  42. ^ "Programmes de télévision" [Television programmes]. Radio Cinéma Télévision (in French). No. 372. 3 March 1957. p. 9. ISSN 0481-5920. OCLC 474508236.
  43. ^ "Das westdeutsche Fernseh-Programm – Sonntag, 3. März 1957" [The West German television schedule – Sunday 3 March 1957]. Neckar-Bote (in German). Heidelberg, West Germany. 2 March 1957. p. 4. Retrieved 23 June 2024 – via Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek.
  44. ^ "Frankfurt". Funk- und Fernsehillustrierte (in German). Vol. 25, no. 10/57. 3 March 1957. p. 33. OCLC 724368653.
  45. ^ a b "Funkprogramm – vom 28. April bis 4. Mai 1957" [Radio programme – from 28 April to 4 May 1957]. Honnefer Volkszeitung [de] (in German). Bad Honnef, West Germany. 27 April 1957. p. 5. Retrieved 8 September 2024 – via Zeitungsportal NRW [de].
  46. ^ "Televisione | domenica 3 marzo" [Television | Sunday 3 March]. Radiocorriere (in Italian). Vol. 34, no. 9. 3–9 March 1957. p. 28. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  47. ^ "⁎ Radio ⁎ domenica 3 marzo | Secondo Programma" [⁎ Radio ⁎ Sunday 3 March | Second Programme]. Radiocorriere (in Italian). Vol. 34, no. 9. 3–9 March 1957. p. 27. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  48. ^ "Télé-Luxembourg". Luxemburger Wort (in German and French). Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. 2 March 1957. p. 6. Retrieved 6 November 2022 – via National Library of Luxembourg.
  49. ^ "Televisie binnenland" [Domestic television]. De radiogids (in Dutch). Vol. 27, no. 27. Amsterdam, Netherlands. 3 March 1957. p. 18. OCLC 72761986. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via Delpher.
  50. ^ "Zürcher Freizeit-Programm" [Zurich leisure programme]. Die Tat (in German). Zurich, Switzerland. 2 March 1957. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 17 October 2024 – via E-newspaperarchives.ch.
  51. ^ a b "Programmes des Émissions Suisses et Étrangères" [Swiss and Foreign Broadcast Programmes]. Radio – Je vois tout (in French). Lausanne, Switzerland. 28 February 1957. pp. 20–22. Archived from the original on 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022 – via Scriptorium Digital Library.
  52. ^ "Radio e Televisione" [Radio and Television]. Giornale del Popolo (in Italian). Lugano, Switzerland. 2 March 1957. p. 7. Retrieved 17 October 2024 – via Sistema bibliotecario ticinese [it].
  53. ^ "Programmes de Télé-Monte-Carlo" [Programmes of Télé Monte-Carlo]. L'Echo de la Côte d'Azur et de la Principauté (in French). Vol. 13, no. 566. Nice, France. 2 March 1957. p. 5. ISSN 1142-3420. OCLC 472794670.
  54. ^ "Radio och TV" [Radio and TV]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Stockholm, Sweden. 3 March 1957. p. 32.
  55. ^ Thorsson & Verhage 2006, pp. 10–11.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • O'Connor, John Kennedy (2010). The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History (2nd ed.). London, United Kingdom: Carlton Books. ISBN 978-1-84732-521-1.
  • Roxburgh, Gordon (2012). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. One: The 1950s and 1960s. Prestatyn, United Kingdom: Telos Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84583-065-6.
  • Thorsson, Leif; Verhage, Martin (2006). Melodifestivalen genom tiderna : de svenska uttagningarna och internationella finalerna [Melodifestivalen through the ages: the Swedish selections and international finals] (in Swedish). Stockholm, Sweden: Premium Publishing. ISBN 91-89136-29-2.
  • "Internationaler Schlager- und Chansonwettbewerb" (Press release) (in German). ARD. Deutsches Fernsehen. ARD-Pressedienst. 21 February 1957. OCLC 183304021.
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50°08′09″N 08°40′33″E / 50.13583°N 8.67583°E / 50.13583; 8.67583