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June/July 1999
German-American Travel Favorites
Explore your heritage and uncover history at unique sites across North America
New Braunfels, Texas
Deep in the heart of Texas, New Braunfels’s German heritage is celebrated with hoopla, pride, and polka bands. Special events are called "fests," and names like Faust, Klein, and
Schmitz are as much a part of the vocabulary as bratwurst and apple strudel. This is hardly a surprise, considering a full third of New Braunfels’s 34,000 or more residents are of fourth-, fifth-, and
sixth-generation German descent.
One can hear a flood of words in perfect German pouring from the mouth of old-timers like Elenore Kohlenberg, who grew up learning the German language along with German ways. Kohlenberg's
great-grandfather immigrated to the New Braunfels area in 1846, a year after Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels in Germany founded the town. The prince came to Texas in 1844, and in 1845 he bought 1,264 acres of
fertile land about 30 miles north of San Antonio, near the Comal and Guadalupe Rivers. Among the 6,000 settlers who followed the prince were many artisans and craftsmen whose skills and strong work ethic
helped the little community flourish so fast that in a short time, New Braunfels became the center of commerce for the entire central Texas area.
Today, descendants of these early pioneers try hard to preserve as many aspects of their German heritage as they can, from Fachwerk (half-timbered) architecture to singing societies and Polka bands to Christmas customs. A variety of fests are celebrated throughout the year, but the most famous one of all is the annual Wurstfest, the New Braunfels version of the Octoberfest, in which bands, German beer and, of course sausages reign supreme.
Food and music are by far not the town's only German-connected attraction. Thanks to the efforts of preservation-minded citizens, New Braunfels can show off three historic areas: Conservation
Plaza, a museum complex consisting of eight original structures that were moved to the site; the Historic District of Grüne, a former farming village complete with an original dance hall that is still used
for concerts and dances on weekends; and last but not least, there is Downtown with its many old Fachwerk and Victorian houses.
One of New Braunfels' crowning achievements in the annals of preservation is the Sophienburg museum with its extensive archive collections that contain a wealth of historic documents
and genealogical information. The museum displays hundreds of artifacts of early life in Braunfels and has been designated the German Immigration Center by the state of Texas.
Another major attractions in New Braunfels is the Hummel Museum, which features more than 300 original paintings and drawings and a collection of figurines.
Major Fests include the annual Folkfest from May l-2, which features exhibits, arts, crafts, food, and entertainment; the annual Wurstfest from Oct.29-Nov. 7, a festival of German heritage;
the annual Polkafest in February (no date available for year 2000); the annual Weihnachtsmarkt from Nov.l9-2l, and the Grüne Christmas Market Days from Dec.4-5, where over l25 vendors sell their wares; and
the Old Grüne Market Days, every third weekend of the month.
For a complete calendar of events and other pertinent information, call the New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce at (800) 572-2626.
—Lydia Enderle Bell
Schifferstadt Architectural Museum, Frederick, Maryland
About one hour north of our nation’s capital, in Frederick, Maryland, stands one of the few authentic German-American artifacts on the east coast. The 1756 stone manor house known as the
Schifferstadt Architectural Museum represents one of the finest remaining examples of German colonial architecture in America.
The oldest house in Frederick holds the story of a German family who brought their country’s traditions with them when they immigrated to Philadelphia in 1729. By 1744 Joseph Brunner had
purchased 303 acres in Maryland for a mere 10 pounds and with the help of his son, built what is now a priceless landmark. The house, constructed using German techniques and materials, was named the
Schifferstadt after their family home near Mannheim, Germany.
Today, the Frederick County Landmarks Foundation, Inc., has preserved the monument and celebrates its German heritage with annual festivals and events. Open-hearth cooking of authentic
foods honors the most distinguished artifact of the house: a beautifully preserved five-plate iron stove dated 1756 sits proudly in its original location. A message inscribed above it in German meaning,
“where your treasure is, there is your heart,” creates a personal link to the hearts of the family that were warmed by its fire.
The two-and-a-half foot thick sandstone walls, familiar to Germans, made it easier to survive the winter months. A vaulted cellar for provisions, a kitchen fireplace hearth large enough
to stand in, and a convenient dry sink—a large stone basin placed in a windowsill used to discard water from indoors—are all examples of the protective winter construction. The roof’s kick-up, the vaulted
chimneys, and exposed half-timbering are also important in studying not simply Pennsylvania culture in Maryland but the general mix of northern American construction with German authenticity.
In the spring and summer beautiful gardens surrounding the house bloom with the herbs and vegetables that the Brunner family once grew. Through community volunteer efforts the
garden design by historian Lee Stoltzfus, thrives with rose bushes more than 100 years old. Private tours of the 18th-century garden are available, and all are welcome to the Schifferstadt Garden
and Hospitality Center.
Tours of the house are also available, and people from miles around come to annual special events at the Museum. Costumed actors entertain their guests from afar with music
and dancing, and get families involved in German holiday traditions such as Scherenschnitte, or paper-cutting. At Christmastime these three-dimensional paper-snowflakes are put on a tree that hangs
up-side-down from the ceiling meant to keep mice from eating candy adorning it. The Museum’s Oktoberfest celebration brings more than 10,000 visitors to the site that is lined with tents offering all types
of German cuisine and crafts.
The Schifferstadt Architectural Museum features a Frühlings-Fest the first weekend in April, Oktoberfest the third weekend in October, and a Christmas Craft show the fourth weekend in
November. It closes each year from December 15 to March 31. The Museum can be reached at 1110 Rosemont Avenue, Frederick, MD 21701; Tel.: (301) 663–3885.
—Kristin Knott
Frankenmuth, Michigan
Frankenmuth, Michigan, is an unusual German-American city. It was, indeed, founded by German immigrants and continues to prosper as a tourist destination by celebrating that heritage today.
But don't go to this town 85 miles north of Detroit expecting an authentic German experience. Frankenmuth is something else.
That something else is great fun. Main Street is lined with shops in Alpine-style architecture. Banners sporting the familiar blue and white Bavarian flag hang on every light pole. Local
restaurants are famous for serving good food, and beer is still brewed locally. There's a chapel replicating a famous one in Austria’s Tyrol and a Glockenspiel that tells a Brothers Grimm tale on the hour.
The calendar is packed year 'round with events including an Oktoberfest, Volksläufe, and Snowfest. This is German heritage through an American filter. Frankenmuth draws inspiration primarily from the Alpine
regions of southern Bavaria, but also from Austria, Franconia, Hamelin, and other places. The first immigrants in 1845 were primarily from Mittelfranken, in and around the towns of Neuendettelsau and
Rosstal. They were Lutherans, led by a pastor intent on bringing their faith to the native peoples of the region. The Chippewa, however, preferred their own ways and retreated west. The Franconians stayed
put in their new settlement along the Cass River, clearing the forests, planting crops, and brewing beer. Frankenmuth—meaning, “courage of the Franconians"—was one of a group of sister settlements that
include nearby Frankentrost, Frankenlust, and Frankenhilf. Fast forward a century, and you find "Michigan's Little Bavaria."
Key players are the Zehnder clan, long-time residents and German-Americans, who operate two very successful restaurants, a couple of hotels, and a golf resort. In the mid-1950s the
Zehnders took a vacation trip to southern Bavaria, and the future of their home town was forever changed. They decided that what was needed to perk up their town was a theme, and why not Bavaria? One after
another, Frankenmuth merchants joined the project. Buildings were remodeled in Alpine-style, and an annual Bavarian Festival was established. In 1962 the city signed a Sister City agreement with the
Mittelfranken community of Gunzenhausen. Bronner's, long known for its Christmas shop, expanded to include a Tannenbaum section and then a Bavarian Corner. The city's historical museum was remodeled. Tourism
exploded. Today, Frankenmuth is one of the most popular tourist stops in the country.
Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland has grown into the world's largest Christmas store, and hundreds of smaller shops offer everything from cheeses to cuckoo clocks. Hungry travelers can stop
at Zehnder's of Frankenmuth, established in 1856, or walk across Main Street to the Bavarian Inn, opened in 1959. On the grounds of Bronner's is one of the town's newest attractions, the Silent Night
Memorial Chapel. It replicates the one in Oberndorf, Austria, built on the site of St. Nicholas Church in which that hymn was first sung.
This year's Bavarian Festival is June 4–6 and 10–12. For more information on this event, or where to stay and what to do, call the Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce and Convention &
Visitors Bureau, Tel.: (800)386–8696 or check out their Website at http://www.frankenmuth.org
—Susan McKee
Missouri's Wine Country
Along the river, winemaking season is underway. Grapes are harvested, crushed, and fermented; cars stream down the Weinstrasse (Wine Road) toward family-run wineries with names like Puchta and Blumenhof, and Oktoberfest beckons, just weeks away, with song, dance, and an abundance of hearty food.
If you placed this scene in Germany's Rhineland, you'd be half-right. This Rhineland is in Missouri, a short drive from St. Louis, where a cluster of villages along the
Missouri River still reflect their German origins. The similarity to Germany's landscape—winding river, limestone bluffs, rolling hills—drew immigrants in the early 19th century; this influence grew stronger
when, in the late 1830s, the Deutsche Ansiedlungs Gesellshaft zu Philadelphia (German Settlement Society of Philadelphia) set out to create a "new fatherland" here.
The result was Hermann, wine country's most important town, where Klassizismus-style (classicism-style) houses perch right on the sidewalks. Streets are named Schiller and Gutenberg, and
menus feature Wurst, Sauerbraten, and Schnitzel. The Deutschheim State Historic Site presents two early German-style homes, and a museum in the old German School displays cultural markers from Dresden pipes
and German-language sermon books to the ceramics of Michael Hoefel, a Balinger native who produced pottery here until his death in 1888.
At the edge of town you'll find Hermannhof Winery, dating to 1852. Pick up knackwurst and summer sausage in the smokehaus, visit brick-walled wine cellars, and, most importantly, sample
the wares (all of the wineries have tasting facilities).
Most people are surprised to hear that Missouri ranks among America's top ten states in wine production. They're even more surprised to discover the quality at spots such as Stone Hill,
founded in 1847 by German immigrant Michael Poeschel and set on a hill above Hermann. The largest winery in the region (before Prohibition it was the world's third-largest), Stone Hill is responsible for
almost half of Missouri's wine—and many of its awards.
Stroll through neat rows of vines at Blumenhof Winery, in tiny Dutzow, the area's oldest German settlement; gazing out at wooded bluffs, you might imagine yourself in the Blumenberg
family's ancestral farm in Germany, which gave its name to the relatively young winery (its first grapes were planted in 1979). Taste the wines; feast on old-country delights to the strains of a German band
in the Brathaus, a pavilion overlooking the chalet-style wine shop.
Leaving Blumenhof, you'll notice a sign proclaiming "Missouri Weinstrasse." It's no overstatement; dozens of wineries dot the area, from charming Adam Puchta (founded in 1855
by the eponymous German settler) and friendly Sugar Creek to major producers Montelle and Mount Pleasant. After a night at a Bed and Breakfast, and a hearty German-style breakfast, head out toting liquid
souvenirs of a trip to Germany in America's heartland.
For information on visiting Hermann, its numerous wineries, and a listing of German-American events in the area, contact Hermann Visitor Information, Tel.: (800) 932–8687.
—Rich Rubin
Leavenworth, Washington
Visitors to Leavenworth, Washington, experience the authenticity of an alpine Bavarian village that is not easily forgotten. “The little town that could” is now the nickname for the
internationally recognized travel destination that not long ago had empty storefronts and a hopeless future. The townspeople chose tourism to save their deserted railroad town, and the success of the
German-American theme is impressive.
The attention to detail and community enthusiasm in this quaint mountain town reminiscent of Bavaria are the memory makers. On Front Street lined with shops in Bavarian-style
architecture, costumed shopkeepers greet visitors with “Guten Morgen.”
From the balcony of the Enzian Inn an alpenhorn, played by Bob Johnson, wakes the town with the sounds of German heritage. Festivals conducted throughout the year celebrating the culture of Germany and Austria keep tourists coming back for more.
In the late 19th century Leavenworth was supported by a switching yard and was the division headquarters for the Great Northern Railroad. The town grew rapidly but was soon left stranded after the headquarters moved to a town 20 miles south. The final blow of the Depression withered the community’s last hope for survival.
In the 1960s the townspeople chose tourism as the way to save the economy. A year-long study conducted by the University of Washington’s Bureau of Community Development helped them plan
and prepare for a tourism locale. Leavenworth’s Autumn Leaf Festival in 1963 was the first event that celebrated a Bavarian theme. From this modest beginning, to an amazing success today, the goal of
creating an authentic replica of a Bavarian alpine village remains intact. City ordinances have been adopted to require that buildings meet appearance codes and murals adorning them match the theme of what
is inside.
Hungry travelers can pick from over 45 restaurants that in some way have adopted a European theme. Enjoy international music with the hearty German feasts at King Ludwig’s Gasthaus und
Biergarten or for a quick bite, the McDonalds promoting the vintage Bavarian theme is a must-see.
Leavenworth is also the home of the largest nutcracker collection in the world. The Nutcracker Museum was opened by Arlene Wagner in 1995 and boasts 3,028 pieces. The Leavenworth Marlin
Handbell Ringers provide German-style flair throughout the year with performances and workshops for visitors.
This year’s Autumn Leaf Festival is the last weekend in September featuring oompah music in the park, street dancing, parades, and more. Accommodations in Leavenworth are plentiful,
ranging from a romantic chateau hidden in the mountains to family hotels in town. For travel information in Leavenworth, contact the visitor’s center: Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 327, 894 Clock
Tower building, U.S. Hwy. 2, Leavenworth, WA 98826; Tel.: (509) 548-5807; Web site: http://www.leavenworth.org
—Kristin Knott
Covington, Kentucky
Traveling across the Ohio River on I-75, where the Brent Spence Bridge links Kentucky to Ohio, it’s pretty hard to miss a Glockenspiel jutting out of the landscape on the Kentucky side of the
river. The charming tower, however, is more than just a point of interest to be casually noted from the roadside. It’s one of the many German-style charms and attractions that make up Covington, Kentucky’s,
MainStrasse Village, located within minutes of the interstate and directly across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio. Though the area is often referred to as the southern side of Cincinnati, the city of
Covington, pop. 45,000, has managed find its tourism niche by capitalizing on its own German-American connections. Albeit younger and smaller than its metropolitan neighbor (Cincinnati became a city in 1789
and Covington in 1815), both are rich in German heritage. In fact, in 1763 Covington’s first landowner, though absent, was a German-born soldier, Gerhard Muse, who later traded the land for a barrel of
brandy. On the more dignified side, the name Covington was bestowed on the city in 1815 in honor of General Leonard Covington (anglicized from Kurfingthan), who descended from the nobility of Upper Alsace,
near Neu-Breisbach.
The MainStrasse village, which encompasses about five square blocks, is made of up of restored 18th- and 19th-century structures that are now home to more than
40 shops, restaurants, and beer gardens. Meant for strolling, cobblestone walkways reminiscent of those in villages throughout Germany lead to the shops and sites such as Goebel Park, named after William
Goebel, a German-American elected Governor of Kentucky in 1900. In the park a German-Gothic Glockenspiel plays a 43-bell carillon on the hour, complete with mechanical figurines that enact the German folk
tale “The Pied Piper of Hamelin.” Legend also plays a role at the Goose Girl Fountain, which stands a few blocks away. The fountain’s figure—a girl holding two geese—plays homage to Covington’s
agricultural past and the staying power of the German folktale “The Goose Girl,” told by the Brothers Grimm. The Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau is located within the village, where an
introductory film about the area is given in both English and German. A visit to the village can take up an afternoon or an entire day, especially during events such as the Mai Fest and the Klosterman Family
Octoberfest in September, each of which draw crowds of more than 300,000. Yet sites such as the Mutter-Gottes-Kirche (Mother of God Church), an architectural wonder built by Covington’s German Catholics in
1842, are not to be missed. Adjacent to the village is Jillian’s: a brew pub and entertainment complex that occupies the former Bavarian Brewing Co., which in 1896 produced 32,000 barrels of beer annually.
For a list of upcoming events—and there are many—contact the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau at Tel.: (800) STAY-NKY or check its Web site at http://www.nkycvb.com, or contact the MainStrasse Village Association at Tel.: (513) 357–MAIN. To read more about the city’s German
roots try Covington’s German Heritage, by Don Heinrich Tolzmann, published by Heritage Books, Inc. To order call: (800) 398–7709.
—Angela T. Koenig
New Harmony, Indiana
Quietly basking on the banks of Indiana's Wabash River, New Harmony is another small Midwestern town with its basketball hoops and Victorian main street and Kiwanis Club that meets on
Thursday. But turn down a leafy street and another Indiana emerges. Austere unpainted frame houses with kitchen gardens of remarkable order sit primly beside hulking Germanic brick buildings. Log
cabins cluster together. At the edge of the flood plain, groups of people stream into a gleaming porcelain structure, as modern as a spacecraft ready to lift off. Sounds of Tibetan chanting drift down the
street.
Early in the 19th century when most of Indiana was still a vast untamed forest, New Harmony was the site of remarkable utopian experiments—"a chimera in the wilderness," as historian Anne Taylor called it.
The frontier town was founded in 1814 by 800 German Swabian communalists, one of the Pietist sects that arose in the ferment of the Protestant Reformation. The Harmonists, as they came to be
called, labored in the wilderness while awaiting the end of the world and the Second Coming. Led by a charismatic leader, Father Joseph Rapp, the celibate communalists intended "to make of the wild
country fertile fields and gardens of pleasure," as Rapp wrote.
In 10 years the Harmonists cleared and planted thousands of acres. When Indiana was still virgin forest and canebrake, an immaculate brick and frame town that included 180
buildings and two immense churches from tended fields and vineyards. "There's a Swabian saying," Dr. Don Pitzer, a tall white-haired expert on American communal societies told me, "'Work,
work, work, and die.'"
The Harmonists had the only steam engine in the region, six mills, a printing press, as well as a distillery, brewery, and winery, though they themselves seldom drank. They made shoes,
brick, rope, and textiles, including silk from their silkworms. They traded with 24 states and 10 foreign countries from one of the most remote places in the country. While most frontier Americans barely had
money for the coarsest goods, thousands of identically-clad Harmonists marched to field and workshop to the sound of French horns and Swabian hymns. "They made the wilderness smile," one visitor,
William Hebert, wrote.
The Harmonists had not found life on the Wabash to be without problems. River transport was erratic with periodic low water. Indiana markets didn't grow as fast as they anticipated, and
their relations with their Indiana neighbors were less than harmonious. Malaria in the low-lying river valley was a constant problem.
The Harmonists decided to move to a healthier location, closer to Eastern markets. They found a willing buyer in Robert Owen, a wealthy Scottish industrialist known for progressive labor
practices. For $150,000, Owen bought the town, lock, stock, and barrel.
When the day arrived for the Harmonists to turn over their town and move East, they marched onto the waiting steamboats, once again to the melodious tones of French horns and their favorite Swabian hymns.
The only written record they left behind was scrawled by an anonymous Harmonist under a staircase in Dormitory No. 2, which still can be seen on the rough wood, "In the 24th of May,
1824, we have departed. Lord with thy great help and goodness, in body and soul, protect us."
If You Go
New Harmony is a nationally renowned historic site and spiritual retreat, with dozens of Harmonist buildings as well as a number of contemporary structures designed by modernist
luminaries such as Philip Johnson and Richard Meier.
Information can be obtained from Historic New Harmony, P. O. Box 579, New Harmony, IN 47631; Tel.: (800) 231-2168.
—Douglas Wissing
New Ulm, Minnesota
Travelers in Minnesota looking for a town with an authentic German feel need look no farther than New Ulm. Located in the heart of the Minnesota River Valley 90 miles southwest of the
Minneapolis/Saint Paul area, New Ulm gets its German feel from heritage dating back to the town's original founding. Six German immigrants living in Chicago in the early 1850s joined forces to form the
Chicago Land Association, which then sought to establish a town near a navigable river. After failing to find a suitable location in Iowa and Michigan, the association sent explorers to Minnesota; there, on
prairie land between the Minnesota woods and the Cottonwood River, the explorers found the area described to them as "the most beautiful townsite in the entire state."
The town’s early settlers endured much hardship, including the Dakota conflict of 1862 and the grasshopper infestation of 1870. Placed in the path of fires and cyclones, the town was rebuilt
numerous times. Turner Hall, for example, was originally constructed in 1857 for community and gymnastic use; it burned down during the Dakota conflict. The originally wooden hall was rebuilt using brick in
1865 and today again hosts gymanastics training for area schools. In 1978 the hall was placed on the Registry of Historic Buildings.
The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity was likewise destroyed during the Dakota conflict by settlers, who wanted to prevent it being used as a barricade by the Indians. A second building, built in
1869, was destroyed by a tornado in 1881. By 1890 the cornerstone was laid for the present building and in 1893 the steeple was added. The German baroque architectural influence is visible in the dark colors
and gold ornamentation of the interior decoration.
Two monuments in New Ulm also grab a visitor’s attention. The German Bohemian Immigrant Monument, dedicated in 1991, lists by surname on its granite pedestal more than 350 of the first
German families that lived in New Ulm. Infused with strong images of kinship, work ethic, and a love of celebration, the monument shows what the typical German settler family might have looked like.
The 102-foot-tall Hermann monument, built in 1897, stands in memory of Hermann of the Cherusci’s victory over three Roman legions of Varus in A.D. 9. The victory liberated the Germans from
Rome and made Hermann a legend. Construction stopped on the Hermann monument shortly after its dedication, but its incomplete state draws rather than discourages visitors year after year. Surrounding the
Hermann Monument is the Hermann Heights Park, overlooking New Ulm and the scenic Minnesota River Valley.
Besides hosting historic monuments, the town revels in numerous German-oriented festivities. Polka bands, singing groups, and gnomes will come out this summer for the 25th annual Heritagefest from July 9 to 11 and 16 to 18; come fall Oktoberfest will be celebrated from October 1 to 3 and 8 to 10. During the holidays there will be a German Christmas in German Park. Visitors looking for a distinctly German experience in America's heartland will not leave disappointed.
For information, contact Tel.: (888) 4-NEWULM or check Web site: http://www.ic.new-ulm.mn.us
—David Levesque and Heidi Whitesell
Roberts Cove, Acadia Parish, Louisiana
Many will be surprised to find an Oktoberfest-type celebration—Germanfest—in an eight-parish area called Acadia in Louisiana, a state known best for its French culture. Roberts Cove, a small
community of about 500 people named for Benjamin Robert, the original owner of a Spanish land grant, is surrounded by Cajun and Creole French traditions. Yet the townspeople have managed to preserve a way of
life typical to the community’s German heritage against the leveling effects of time, politics, and other cultures.
In the early 1880s Father Peter Leonhard Thevis, a former German priest, led the first settlers to Roberts Cove, escaping the devastating effects of wars, forced military service, and
the anti-Catholic laws of Otto von Bismarck’s Germany. By the end of 1882 Roberts Cove had grown to about 85 people. Situated on prairie lands, surrounded by woods and bayous, it was chosen for its proximity
to the area's first railroad. Adapting to the environment, the industrious settlers were among the first to cultivate rice on large plots of land. Many of their descendants today continue to raise rice,
cattle, and soybeans.
In the early years the first congregation established a church and a school. A chapel constructed in 1890 remains the oldest structure at Roberts Cove, and the constituents’ devotion to their
faith remains the community's strongest bond. St. Leo’s, the present church, is the only public building. Roberts Cove hosts no city hall, shops, bars, or even a filling station.
Until World War I the language of communication and instruction was German. Although the community still sings German hymns, songs, and Christmas carols, only the oldest residents still speak
the language with some regularity.
Recognizing the value of their traditions, Roberts Cove residents have chosen to share their unique heritage. In 1995 the small community recruited 600 volunteers to put together a two-day
festival—Germanfest—that entertained about 15,000 people on its first try. The enormously popular event drew so much praise from visitors and the media for its organization, diversity of entertainment, and
great atmosphere that it has grown every year since.
The organizers, insisting that it be a display of their heritage, do not allow rides or the usual fair distractions. Visitors are treated to German musical entertainment, including folk
singing and dancing under a huge tent at the church yard, and typical German foods prepared by local families. In addition, the townspeople demonstrate their handicrafts and customs, such as the thrashing of
rice and tatting (an almost lost art of needlework). Handmade items are for purchase and a display of their historic background can be found in the Roberts Cove museum.
The atmosphere at Germanfest is so pleasant and the experience so different that most people, while saying "Auf Wiedersehen," are already looking forward to the
next year's celebration. The event falls on the first weekend in October, which in 1999 is October 3–4. For more information on this unique community and its festival, contact the Roberts Cove Germanfest
Association, Tel.: (318) 334–8354; Fax: (318) 334–5950; Web: http://members.aol.com/germanfest/
—Ebba Schoonover
Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada
Named after the great German author, explorer, and scientist, Baron Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859), the town of Humboldt (pop. 5,000) traces the origins of its name to 1876 when the
Humboldt Telegraph Station and stagecoach depot opened, the central point between Winnipeg and Edmonton. The Canadian government was anxious to populate the region, and colonization rights to 50 townships in
the Humboldt area were granted to the German-American Land Company of Minnesota.
The first expedition of settlers arrived in 1902 under the leadership of Rev. Bruno Doerfler, OSB, a Benedictine monk from St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, who wanted to establish
a monastery. Development grew with the arrival of the railroad in 1905, and some 8,000 German Catholics came to live in St. Peter's Colony before the outbreak of World War I.
The first Benedictine abbey in Canada was established at nearby Muenster (named after the celebrated city in Westphalia). St. Peter's Abbey became better known as St. Peter's College, a boys'
high school and first- and second-year university (now a co-ed junior college). Education for young women was provided by the Ursuline Sisters at St. Ursula Academy, Bruno, who came from motherhouses in
Germany. The Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth, who came from Austria, opened the first hospital in Humboldt in 1912.
Many thriving parish churches were built in Humboldt and the surrounding area, including the central house of worship, St. Peter's Cathedral at Muenster. Now a heritage building, the
impressive wood-frame cathedral is beautifully decorated with paintings by the renowned German artist, Count Berthold von Imhoff.
Humboldt became the commercial and business center for the area, though many light industries were established in the district by enterprising German businessmen. Known as "The Mustard
Capital of the World" for successfully growing the valuable crop, Humboldt and its district continues as one of the most prosperous areas on the Canadian prairies, thanks largely to the industrious
German influence.
Humboldt is not all work and prayer. "A Little Bit of Germany in the Heart of the Prairies" was adopted as Humboldt's slogan when the tourism theme was introduced in 1989. Under the
guidance of tourism director Ruth Wilson, the Munich native manages three stages of development: German architecture, cottage industries, and cultural festivals.
Hosted by Humboldt and District German Heritage Society, major events in 1999 include: Sommerfest, July 4–11: a week of entertainment including a Volkswagen parade and show, arts and crafts
exhibits, Bierfest, a sanctioned 6.2-mile Volksmarch, and fine German-Canadian food, drink, and music; Polkafest, July 24–25: Three popular polka orchestras provide 12 continuous hours of great music,
followed by a Sunday Polkamass.; and Oktoberfest, Oct. 17–23: Accordionfest and Volkswalk.
For information, contact the Humboldt Willkommen Center, 601 Main St., Humboldt, Sask. S0K 2A0 Canada; Tel: (306) 682–3444.
—Don Telfer
The Federal Republic at 50—
A Milestone in German History
By John Dornberg
The Federal Republic of Germany is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Five decades may seem like merely a footnote in the annals of a people and nation whose recorded history goes back almost 12 centuries, but in Germany's case they mark one of its
most important epochs. The Bundesrepublik Deutschland has endured longer than any other political entity intended to unify the diverse German tribes and give them a sense of statehood—longer than the Kaiser Reich of 1871 to 1918, the Weimar Republic, Hitler's Third Reich, or even the Communist-run East German Democratic Republic, which made it to age 41 before going out of business in October 1990.
It is the first real and most durable democracy Germany has ever had, and it has given Germans the longest period of peace, rule by law not men, economic prosperity, social justice, and
international respect they have ever enjoyed.
The official date of birth is May 23, 1949. That was when the Grundgesetz (Basic Law) postwar Germany's constitution, was promulgated and the Federal Republic, comprising the territory of the American, British, and French occupation zones, was formally founded.
But this "baby" had an extraordinarily long gestation and its capital was as unsuited as anyone could imagine: Bonn, a sleepy, provincial university town on the banks of the Rhine,
popular in the late 19th century among tycoons as a place to build ornate retirement mansions. It was nicknamed "Pension-opolis" before World War I and counted 130 retired millionaires among its
residents. Snide digs about it made the rounds into the 1970s: "Half as big as Chicago's main cemetery but twice as dead," or "The only place on earth where Great Britain has Her Majesty's
diplomatic mission in a cornfield."
The Federal Republic's origins were the developing rift over the future status of defeated Nazi Germany between the winners of World War II. In their initial euphoria of victory, America,
Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union were agreed on preserving one Germany, albeit under military administrations in their respective occupation zones. Former German states would be reestablished with
democratic governments. Elections were held in most of them in 1946. But supreme authority was to remain with the Berlin-based four-power Allied Control Council.
Vetoes that sabotaged preservation of Germany's economic and administrative unity were soon the rule rather than the exception.
The 1945 Potsdam Conference decided that reparations should be handled on a zonal basis, each victor taking for himself what he needed and wanted. There was an understanding that the Soviet
Union was entitled to around $10 billion, mainly in the form of dismantled German factories and goods. To compensate the Soviets for the lack of industrial facilities in their zone, the United States and Great
Britain agreed to turn over to the Russians 10 percent of the equipment confiscated in the American and British zones plus 15 percent of the production. In exchange, the USSR was to deliver food and raw
materials, such as brown coal, from eastern Germany to the western zones.
In practice, however, each occupying power went its own way. The French refused to cooperate at all. In fact, Charles de Gaulle kept demanding annexation of various parts of Germany. The
United States and Great Britain were opposed to reparations in principle. The Soviets dismantled just about everything that could be moved. Moreover, just like the French, they did not inform the American and
British authorities what they were doing. Nor did they deliver the promised food and raw materials. Instead they kept sending more "commissions" to select additional equipment to be dismantled.
This led to numerous clashes. In Berlin in January 1946, for example, Americans and Russians tangled, with guns drawn, when the Russians tried to confiscate 12 locomotives being used in a
railroad yard of the American sector.
"We couldn't go on that way," said General Lucius D. Clay, the U.S. military governor. "Soviet practice meant that we and the British were paying, indirectly, for deliveries
to Russia. When my repeated warnings brought no results, I halted deliveries from our zone." As Clay wrote many years later, that "was the beginning of the split."
In May 1946 he advised President Harry S. Truman to end the reparations program, suggesting instead that America help to rebuild Germany to prevent economic chaos and political
disorder. In September James F. Byrnes, then U.S. secretary of state, outlined Washington's new policy. "America favors the economic unity of Germany," he said, "but if we cannot obtain complete
unity, then we are for the greatest amount of unity we can get." This policy led to merger of the American and British occupation zones—Bizonia—on January 1, 1947. A bizonal Economic Council was
established in Frankfurt with a professor of economics, Ludwig Erhard, as its director.
The arguments over reparations continued. As the Russians became more stubborn, the United States and Great Britain moved toward closer cooperation with the Germans in their zones. By
December 1947, when the four foreign ministers met in London, an open break was inevitable: Vyacheslav Molotov, the Soviet representative, delivered an insulting attack on the United States, claiming that
America had enriched itself during the war whereas Russia had suffered more than anyone at the hands of the Germans.
The gap kept growing during the next months, widened by the ideological issues of the escalating Cold War.
Moscow-backed Communist governments had taken power in the East European countries, and as Winston Churchill had warned in a March 1946 speech at Fulton, Missouri: "An iron curtain has
descended on the Continent." In the Soviet zone the Communist-dominated Socialist Unity Party (SED), a 1946 "shotgun marriage" between the Communists and Social Democrats, controlled nearly all
the governments. Just like America and Britain had sent Washington and London-trained German émigrés as administrators to their zones, with the aim of remaking those areas in the Anglo-American image, so the
Russians had sent in Moscow-trained German Communist exiles with the same goal.
In early 1948 the dispute focused on plans for a currency reform to prime Germany's economy. The old Reichsmark was worthless. American cigarettes were the currency; black market barter boomed; food was severely rationed and tens of thousands of Germans depended on CARE packages from the United States; stores were empty and factories not producing. Only a new monetary system would pull it from the brink. Although the Russians agreed with this in principle, they insisted on printing the banknotes, for which the old plates were in their hands. The United States and Britain refused to go along.
On March 20, 1948, the argument got so heated that Marshal Vasily Sokolovsky, the Soviet military governor, walked out of the Allied Control Council.
The Americans and British were determined to go ahead. New money called the Deutsche Mark was hurriedly engraved and printed in the United States, and millions of bills
were shipped to Germany. After persuading the French to cooperate, the D-mark was introduced as the only legal currency in the three Western zones on June 20, 1948. Economically it turned the tide, albeit helped
by Ludwig Erhard, the West's economic "czar," who ignored Allied orders and used the opportunity to end rationing and lift price controls, thus launching the market economy that became the base for the Wirtschaftswunder (Economic Miracle).
Germany had two currencies and the Russians were furious. They not only refused to recognize the D-mark in their zone but banned it in Berlin which, they maintained, is "on the
territory of the Soviet zone and economically part of that zone." Actually, by terms of the Potsdam Agreements, Berlin was a separate legal entity divided into four occupation sectors. In effect the Soviets
were denying the Western powers the right to do in their sectors what they pleased. The Americans, British, and French went ahead and introduced the D-mark in West Berlin as well. The Soviets responded by
printing their own money and by blocking Western access to Berlin over land routes on June 24. Thus began the Berlin Blockade, finally broken by the 11-months-long Berlin Airlift.
The widely accepted popular view is that currency reform and the blockade triggered the founding of the Federal Republic and Germany's division. But to many Western policymakers, notably
President Truman and Secretary of State George C. Marshall, division had become inevitable many months before the spring of 1948.
The Russians knew it too and were trying to stop it. "The aim of the Soviet blockade, was actually political—to prevent creation of a separate West Germany which was already taking
shape," says Christoph Klessmann, professor of modern history at Potsdam University. "But the result was just the opposite. Russia's belligerent behavior merely reinforced the position of those Western
decision-makers who regarded cooperation with the Kremlin as illusory and who were arguing for containment of Soviet influence."
In fact on June 7, 1948, two weeks before the blockade, at a six-power conference in London, Britain, France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, and Belgium, under pressure from the United States,
had already adopted a resolution formally calling on the western Germans to found a separate state. The suggestion met with resistance among most German political leaders who feared that this would lead to
Germany's long-term and possibly irreversible division.
But America, Britain, and France were adamant. At a July 1, 1948, meeting in Frankfurt the three western military governors—Clay, Sir Brian Robertson, and General Pierre Koenig—instructed
the 11 prime ministers of the West German states to convene an assembly for drafting a democratic, federate constitution, subsequently to be ratified by a plebiscite.
The German leaders balked and ten days later, at Koblenz, made a counter proposal. Instead of a separate state and constitution, they voted for a provisional government with a Grundgesetz,
a Basic Law, which should be drafted by a Parliamentarischer Rat, a Parliamentary Council, and composed of delegates from the state legislatures. This Basic Law, they said, should be ratified by
the existing state governments. Clay, Robertson, and Koenig vetoed the Koblenz resolution and ordered the Germans to "think again."
They thought for two days and backed down on some of the points but insisted that the Basic Law be provisional in nature. To ensure this they staunchly opposed ratification by plebiscite.
The Allies, preoccupied with the Berlin Airlift, compromised.
As preparations for the meeting started, the Bavarians got into the act, "we were hoping to strengthen our influence on the convention and produce a constitution that would be in
our interests," as Hans Ehard, then Bavaria's Christian Democratic (CDU/CSU) prime minister, explained many years later. Ehard, known for his role as prosecutor in the trial of Adolf Hitler after the 1923
Munich "Beerhall Putsch," and most other conservative Bavarian leaders wanted a permanent confederate-style constitution for a Western-oriented country that the five Soviet Zone states could join at
some later time—nothing provisional but a loose union, based on the territories of former principalities and kingdoms, whose governments would have far more powers than any central administration.
It was in keeping with the old dream of an independent Bavaria, which had only reluctantly joined the Prussian-dominated Kaiser Reich, and also consistent with some of the ideas circulating
in Munich during the first few months after World War II when General George S. Patton was Bavaria's military governor. Among these were Patton's proposals for creating a Danube Monarchy made up of Bavaria,
Austria, and Hungary under the Wittelsbach dynasty. The project was still-born: Patton was sacked in October 1945 because of his leniency toward Nazis. Crown Prince Rupprecht, then 76, rejected the throne that
his father, King Ludwig III, had never formally abdicated after fleeing Munich in November 1918 when revolutionaries proclaimed a republic.
The other state officials were invited to a two-weeks-long "preparatory conference with free exchange of ideas"—on Herrenchiemsee Island in the Bavarian Alps, where King
Ludwig II had built his replica of Versailles palace. Indeed, had there been guest rooms in in that ornate building, the Bavarians would surely have used it as the venue. They made do with the Altes Schloss,
the Old Castle on the island, built in the 12th century and reconstructed in Baroque style at the turn of the 17th to 18th century.
Ehard rolled out the red carpet and made it a gala event, especially given the strictures of the times.
In addition to room and board, the hosts provided each delegate with a daily liter of Hofbräu beer, a half bottle of Franconian wine, and three cigars or 12 American cigarettes. The latter
were still worth a fortune that summer, despite introduction of the D-mark in June.
"Herrenchiemsee was a conscious choice in our attempt to increase Bavaria's influence on the outcome of the main conference," Ehard noted many years later. The alpine environment
and historical surroundings in which nothing had been destroyed, the sheer beauty of the place, and its isolation helped to dispel memories of the war and the occupation.
Whereas the south German states under American and French occupation sent elected political leaders, the northern ones from the British zone dispatched mainly top-ranking bureaucrats. Though
invited, the eastern states were not allowed by the Soviets to send delegations. Anton Pfeiffer, then chief of Ehard's chancellery and in later years West Germany's ambassador to Belgium, chaired the opening
session. He began by presenting his draft of a future constitution, though careful to describe it as a "private position paper." It was rejected as the basis for discussion by the other participants.
They debated 13 days and almost 13 nights, and most of the sessions were held outdoors.
"Though they did get on each other's nerves, it never came to a crisis. Only the mosquitoes were a problem that summer," recalls Franz Heubl, then 24 and responsible for keeping
pencils sharpened, in later years a minister in Bavarian cabinets.
One debate at Herrenchiemsee was over where the convention itself should be held, for choice of the site seemed like a pre-decision on West Germany's future capital. Konrad Adenauer, then
leader of the CDU in the British zone, proposed Bonn. He had been lord mayor of nearby Cologne from 1917 to 1933 and lived in Rhöndorf across the Rhine. But there were other candidates: Frankfurt, Karlsruhe,
Celle, Lübeck, and Koblenz. At one point Carlo Schmid suggested putting up barracks on the demarcation line between the American, British, and French occupation zones.
On August 17 the decision was made for Bonn, partly because its supporters claimed it had not been destroyed during the war. Actually its old quarter was a rubble heap from a 1944
air raid, but the southern edges of town and the nearby resort of Bad Godesberg were undamaged. With only two weeks to go, officials were hard put to provide suitable facilities for the Parliamentary Council.
The main venues were the 1912 neo-Renaissance Alexander Koenig Museum of Zoology and the Paedagogische Akademie, a former teachers' college designed in 1930 in pure Bauhaus style.
The Council was made up of 65 voting delegates plus five non-voting West Berliners. Since party politics already played a role, they were divided according to party lines: 27 CDU/
CSU; 27 SPD; five Free Democrats (FDP); two each from the right-wing Deutsche Partei (German Party), Zentrum (Catholic Center), and the Communist Party (KPD). The CDU/CSU and SPD had
the two key offices: Adenauer as president of the council itself, Carlo Schmid as chairman of its central committee.
The opening ceremony on September 1, 1948, was in the foyer of the huge Koenig Museum, decorated with the state flags amidst a collection of exotic stuffed animals that curators had not had
time to remove: bears, chimpanzees, gorillas, elephants, giraffes, and zebras. As Carlo Schmid wrote in his memoirs: "Rarely have an act of state and a new phase in a nation's history taken place in more
bizarre surroundings. We felt a little lost."
There were other bizarre aspects, such as no communications because the French had barred "export" from their zone of a telephone switchboard with 15 trunk lines and 150
extensions. Committee, state delegation, and party caucus sessions were at the Pedagogical Academy where deputies, experts, staff, and clerks met in classrooms. Delegates and staffers lived spartanly in boarding
houses and student dormitories
Moreover it all took much longer than expected. Theodor Heuss, the Weimar Republic journalist, writer, and statesman, who was the leader of the FDP and representing Württemberg, hoped to be
back in Stuttgart in eight weeks, because his wife was very ill. But the constitutional convention lasted eight months and was often threatened by failure because of disagreements.
Deliberations and debates over the nearly 140 articles in the original Grundgesetz focused on five key issues: how to build on the 1919 Weimar constitution but avoid the mistakes that had
weakened the Weimar Republic; unitary versus decentralized government with strong rights for the states; division of powers between the legislative and executive branches; an independent judiciary, and making it
as provisional as possible and as the Western Allies would permit. Military government experts and advisers took an active part, the Americans, British, and French trying to influence the document according to
their own national viewpoints and governmental traditions. Whereas, for example, the system of a chancellor elected by parliament was the British, French, and also German experience, the strong position of the
states vis-à-vis the central government was an American and southern German product, though also to the liking of the French who feared a centrally run German Reich.
Finally, on May 8, 1949, exactly four years after VE Day and while the Berlin Airlift was still on, the delegates took a vote on the draft: 53 from the CDU, SPD, and FDP were in
favor; 12 including six of the eight deputies from the CSU, the CDU's Bavarian wing; the Catholic Center; DP, and the KPD opposed. On May 10, following an all-day debate that lasted until midnight, the Council
also voted 33 to 29 in favor of Bonn as seat of the future government. The Allies gave their approval on May 12, and Adenauer promulgated the Basic Law at a ceremonial session of the Parliamentarischer Rat on
May 23, by law the actual birth date of the Federal Republic.
But more had to be done before there could be a functioning government. The Grundgesetz had to be ratified by the 11 state legislatures. During June and July all did so except Bavaria's,
which rejected it as too centralistic. In fact, an oddity of the Federal Republic's history is that Bavaria never did ratify the Basic Law.
National elections were held on August 14 with 78.5 percent of eligible voters casting a ballot. The Christian Democrats won 139 of the 402 Bundestag seats; the
Social Democrats got 131; Free Democrats won 52; the remaining 80 were divided among six minor parties, including 17 for the Communists. On September 7 the Bundestag and Bundesrat, parliament's
upper house representing the states, convened for their constituent sessions in the auditorium of the Pedagogical Academy. Five days later the Bundesversammlung (Federal Assembly), composed of the
Bundestag and an equal number of delegates from the states, elected Theodor Heuss as West Germany's first president. And on September 15 the Bundestag elected Konrad Adenauer as chancellor by a narrow margin of
just one vote—his own. One week later the three Western occupation powers recognized the establishment of the Federal Republic.
In East Germany, meanwhile, the Soviet occupation authorities and Communist state officials retaliated by establishing their own government. A constitution had been drafted at a so-called
People's Congress in May and the German Democratic Republic was proclaimed on October 7, 1949.
One issue, though, remained unsettled: Bonn as the seat of government. Surveys during the August election campaign had shown that most West Germans were opposed, and opposition grew after
Adenauer became chancellor because it looked as if he wanted to have the capital just across the river from the villa in Rhöndorf where he had lived since the Nazis had deposed him as mayor of Cologne in
1933. Thus the "capital question" arose again. The Bundestag took a vote on November 3, 1949, deciding by 200 to 176 to stay where it was.
As Johne Le Carré later remarked in his novel A Small Town in Germany: "Probably no other people but the Germans could have elected a chancellor and then put the
country's capital at his front door."
For the first 25 years the Federal Republic's capital was as provisional as the founders had wanted its constitution and government to be. Members of parliament, government
departments, foreign diplomats, and journalists were in virtually temporary quarters, in some cases even barracks. Shepherds tended their flocks on the parliament building lawn for decades. Official limousines
were often caught in traffic jams caused by farmers' tractors. Though Palais Schaumburg, one of those 19th-century millionaires' villas, became the chancellor's official seat and residence in 1949,
Adenauer never lived in it and commuted by car-ferry each day from Rhöndorf. Not until Chancellor Willy Brandt launched his realistic Ostpolitik in the early 1970s and the two Germanys became members of the United Nations, de facto recognizing each other, did West Germans resign themselves to Bonn and start developing it into a proper capital, believing that it had become permanent because division seemed irreversible.
But then history took an unexpected turn. The Communist German Democratic Republic imploded, and in October 1990 the five eastern states joined the Federal Republic under terms of the Basic
Law. One June 30, 1991, the Bundestag voted 338 to 320 margin to make Berlin reunited Germany's capital.
It is an irony of history that on the occasion of its 50th birthday the Bonn Republic will actually become the Berlin Republic. On the day itself—May 23—the Bundestag will hold its first plenary session in
Berlin's reconstructed Reichstag building and the Bundesversammlung, the Federal Assembly will elect the next president of Germany there.
Contributing editor John Dornberg writes from Munich.
German-American Yesteryears
By Robert A. Selig
Johannes Kelpius: "The Maddest of Good Men"
Within a year of graduation at age 16 from the University of Altdorf in 1689 in Germany (then known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation), Johannes Kelpius joined the Chapter of
Perfection, a community of 40 mystics founded by Johann Jacob Zimmermann in anticipation of the end of the world predicted for 1694. Zimmermann's group was rooted in Pietism, a Protestant movement that
stressed individual spiritual growth through Bible study, prayer, and meditation.
When William Penn's agents offered them land, Kelpius led the group to Philadelphia in February 1694. They settled atop the Wissahickon River where the 40 men dressed in flowing white
robes built a log "tabernacle" of 40 square feet with 40 tiny cells. Here they watched the stars for signs of the Second Coming, taught school, and practiced faith healing, as well as their mystic
and cabalistic rites derived from the Essenes.
Kelpius dug a cave for himself nearby where he conducted alchemistic experiments, composed hymns, and meditated. The world did not end in 1694, and when Kelpius died in 1708, group
membership had fallen below the mystical number of 40. With the death of his successor, Conrad Matthai, in 1748, the experiment ended. But in his 1872 poem "The Pennsylvania Pilgrim," John
Greenleaf Whittier still remembered Kelpius the mystic:
Painful Kelpius from his hermit den,
By Wissahickon, the maddest of good men.
Then Came the Brunswickers
Most Americans know Britain's 30,000 German auxiliaries collectively as "Hessians," and almost 17,000 of these soldiers did indeed come from Hesse-Cassel. The next largest group,
some 5,700 officers and men (including reinforcements sent later), served in units provided by Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, the first German ruler to sign a contract with King George III on
January 9, 1776, seven months before the Declaration of Independence.
The first division of Brunswickers commanded by Baron Friedrich Adolf von Riedesel left Europe in February 1776 and arrived in Quebec City on June 1; the second division joined them in
September, just in time for winter quarters.
The campaign of 1777 saw them attached to the corps of British General "Johnny" Burgoyne. His forces took Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence, but in August at Bennington
the Brunswickers were defeated at Bennington; at Saratoga in late October they became Horatio Gates's prisoners. Most of the "Convention Army" marched into prison camps in the south where they
remained until they were exchanged late in the war. After the war almost 2,000 Brunswickers, to whom Duke Charles had given the option of staying, remained in Britain's last American colony, comprising 4
percent of the male population in Lower Canada in 1783.
Money Matters
The Dollar derives its name from the High-German Taler, short for Joachimstaler after St. Joachimstal (Jáchymov) in northeast Bohemia, where this silver coin was first minted in 1515. In the days before charge cards and personal checks, purity and weight mattered. When the taler became an official coin of the Empire in 1566, the Reichstaler was valued at 72 Kreuzers and weighed 25.98 grams. In the late 17th century it traded at 90 kreuzers and was replaced by the Konventionstaler at 120 kreuzers in mid-18th century, when its silver weight was reduced to 23.38 grams.
All countries knew a large silver coin as their equivalent of the taler, called a crown in England, an écu in France, and tallero in Italy. In the New World it was known as a piece of eight, a
Spanish milled dollar or a pillar dollar. At the time of the American Revolution, half the coins in circulation in the rebellious colonies were Spanish talers. When Congress established the taler as the
official currency in 1785, it kept its German name, but its symbol became the $—from the pillar with a band wrapped around it found on the reverse of a piece of eight.
Bernhard Stroh’s Brewery
When Bernhard Stroh founded the Lion Brewery in Detroit in 1850, his family had been brewing beer for generations: Berhard's grandfather Johann Peter was brewing in Kirn in the
Rhineland-Palatinate as early as 1775. Twenty-six-year-old Bernhard left home in 1848 for a German settlement in Brazil, yet by the summer of 1849 he was in the United States on his way to Chicago. When the
steamer stopped in Detroit, Bernhard liked what he saw there and decided to stay.
The light-colored beer he produced at 57 Catherine Street found a niche in a market dominated by darker, English-style beers, and the company prospered. The senior Stroh died in June 1882, but
led by his eldest son, Bernhard Jr., Stroh's was the largest of some 23 breweries in Detroit by the turn of the century, pouring out 50,000 barrels a year.
The brewery survived Prohibition by making near beer, soft drinks, and ice cream. After Prohibition ended in May of 1933 sales rebounded quickly, reaching 439,000 barrels in 1934 and
surpassing one million in 1953. The third-largest brewer in the 1980s, Stroh's market share has since fallen to 7 percent, and 150 years after its founding, industry analysts are now predicting the sale of
America's largest family-owned brewery.
Released from Military Obligations
Emigration always requires meeting certain legal conditions: Birth certificates, passports, and health certificates being among the most important prerequisites. Additionally, young men
desiring to emigrate from countries with the draft may be required to produce evidence that they have either fulfilled their military obligations or have been released from them before permission to leave is
granted.
The Freilassungsschein (Military Release Form) reproduced here was issued to Johann Jacob Friedrich Ott, born August 10, 1842, in Wulkenzin in the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, though the certificate was issued in Neubrandenburg in the Kingdom of Prussia. Ott was not Prussian, but as Mecklenburg did not have its own military, draftees had to serve their time in the Prussian army. The date, November 1863, may provide a clue as to why Ott decided to leave. Domestically the Prussian parliament and Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck were locked in a constitutional conflict over the length of military service (two or three years), though what was really at stake was the question as to whether King William I was bound by the stipulations of the constitution. Abroad, war with Denmark seemed imminent and, indeed, broke out within a few months: as good a time as any for 21-year-old Ott to try and get away to America.
Marking Milestones
When it comes to celebrating birthdays, many Germans have adopted the American tune “Happy Birthday” to sing to the guest of honor. Yet, many also stick to the German rendition of “Hoch soll er leben!…,”
or singing three cheers.
With this issue, two significant birthdays could give rise to either song: This year the Federal Republic of Germany will turn 50, its official birthday being May 23, 1949, when
Germany’s constitution—the Grundgesetz, or Basic Law—was pronounced.
Another birthday to celebrate is German Life’s, as we begin our fifth year of publication. We have dedicated readers to thank for GL’s growth and success since its
inception. Coinciding with our anniversary, we conducted a readership survey, and this is a good opportunity to tell you a little bit about yourselves.
The average German Life reader has known Germany largely as a peaceful democracy and prosperous economic powerhouse. For, according to our survey, he or she was born generally just before or around the same time as the Federal Republic.
Of course, some of you lived during World War II, and some of you arrived into a world dominated by the Cold War. Regardless, today you share a strong interest in history—which is topic number one
of what you like to see in these pages, followed closely by culture and travel.
German history speaks for many of you to your own German heritage—another commonalty among GL readers. The German-American identity finds expression in this issue through our first-ever composite presentation of travel destinations in North America. Each site features towns with historical buildings or monuments and a German festival for almost every season of the year. So if you miss a summer or fall event, you’ll still have time to enjoy a holiday festivity—whether in Maryland, Missouri, Washington, Louisiana, Michigan, Texas, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, or Saskatchewan, Canada.
Chances are you’ll want to bring the family or a friend to visit these locations, and our survey indicates that GL connects you to someone who might want to go: On average, two
people besides yourself usually read or look through your copy of the magazine. Your generosity with the magazine notwithstanding, you spend on your own an average of two hours reading it, a kind of thoroughness
we appreciate.
On the occasion of German Life’s fifth anniversary, we thank you for your loyal support. Let’s give a birthday nod to Germany as we sing three cheers and look to the years to
come.
LETTERS
Garden Delight
I gladly saw your note about this year’s Magdeburg BUGA in the In Brief department of the April/May ’99 issue. I would like to point out, however, that to say the Bundesgartenschau is held
annually in Magdeburg is not quite correct. It is true that the BUGA is held annually. Yet it is a traveling exhibit and is in a different city each year. In 1985/86 it was in Berlin and added a wonderful
recreational park to the city with romantic walkways and lakes. There was an emphasis on educational subjects, which included lectures on honey and milk production or flora and fauna tours. Any traveler to
Germany who has the opportunity to visit the BUGA should not miss this event.
Inga Nye
Nashville, TN
The Real Truth
The article “In Goethe’s Footsteps: Leipzig, Wetzlar, Weimar” (April/May ’99) contains a mistranslation of the title of Goethe’s autobiography when Dichtung und Wahrheit is rendered Poetry and Truth. (In fact, Dichtung und Wahrheit has for too long been misinterpreted as Poetry and Truth in most books of world literature.) Although the first meaning of Dichtung is “poetry” in every German-English dictionary, the second meaning—also always given—is “fiction.” And that was the meaning Goethe intended to apply in his title because, as he himself said: “Nobody is able to write an absolutely objective autobiography of himself (herself).”
Herbert Schellenberger
Professor of German and History, Retired
Venice, FL
Linguistic Ties
Memories of my childhood came back as I read your article “Plattdeutsch-Niederdeutsch-Low German” (Language, Feb./Mar. ’99).
At age nine, I accompanied my grandmother back to the village where she was raised in northern Germany. I spent a year in Schleswig-Holstein near Rendsburg living with my uncle and
attending the local school where my aunt was a teacher. My grandmother had left Germany in 1923 at age 18. In 1967 I returned with her for an extended yearlong visit with her family.
I remember the confusion I experienced as a child in trying to learn two German languages at once. There was the High German used in school and the Low German used at home. Add to this
confusion that my grandmother spoke the Low German of 40 years earlier. The language had changed a bit during the time she was gone. Her brothers said she spoke an old-fashioned Low German.
I still find Low German to be a beautiful language. It’s softer and smoother that High German. It’s a very pretty language to listen to. Unfortunately, I don’t have the opportunity to
hear or speak it as much as High German. Still, on my last visit this past summer, it was nice to be in my cousins home, listening once again to family speak in this language I remember from my year living
in Germany.
Thank you for a well-written article and for reminding us that Low German is a language worth preserving.
Susan Lewek
Petaluma, CA
Ancestral Origins
I found the article on Germans in Hungary (“Ungarland ist’s Reichste Land,” Feb./Mar. ’99) and the ensuing letters (April/May ’99) very thought provoking, as well as enjoyable.
My family came to America from the border towns of Lentsch, Gross Kunzendorf, and Ziegenhals in Neisse County of Upper Silesia, which is now in Poland. I have always wanted to learn more
about the region. I would be interested to know if there are any Silesian organizations in the United States or Germany.
Thank you for your informative magazine and for piquing my ancestral interest once again.
William Schubert
Columbus, OH
In Appreciation
I have been a subscriber of German Life for a couple of years now. Your magazine is to be commended for its high literary quality. Its articles are scholarly, interesting, and well written. I
particularly appreciate that the magazine features both German history and contemporary issues. I especially enjoyed the February/March issue, which covered everything from the influence of German gymnastics
on American education to plans for the proposed American Embassy in Berlin.
As a first generation American of early 20th-century German immigrants, I can only say, “Vielen Dank und viel Erfolg in der Zukunft.”
Sylvia Rulff Gott
El Cerrito, CA
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