erman ife G L Visit German America!
GERMANY AUSTRIA SWITZERLAND
Schwäbisch Gmünd German in Las Vegas Visit Frankenmuth Karl Marx at 200 St. Peter-Ording GL_JJcover2018.indd 1
JUNE/JULY 2018 $5.95 CANADA $7.95
4/18/2018 10:09:49 AM
GL_JJcover2018.indd 2
4/17/2018 4:00:26 PM
Marke June/July
See What You Have Missed Order a German Life Grab Bag! See What You Have Missed Order a German Life erman ife G Grab L Bag! Wagner at 200!
I
f you are new to German Life magazine and enjoy what you see, we have a special offer for you. We have a supply of back issues that are looking for good homes so we have assembled German Life “Grab Bags” f you are new to German magazine andfor just consisting of six Life (6) back issues enjoy what you (50% see, weoff have special offer forissue $19.85 oura regular back you. Weprice). have aAlthough supply of back issues that are the choice of magazine Festive Landshut! looking for good homes so we have assembled Geris ours (no special requests will be Accessibility in Germany man Life “Grab Bags” consisting of six (6) back issues Bad Mergentheim honored) we are able to choose issues Lakes of Starnberg for just $17.85 (50% off our regular back issue price). Germany’s Salt Route prior to any date you indicate (1998 to Although the choice of magazine is ours (no special To order, the issues following requests willpresent). be honored) we are complete able to choose Man's Best Swiss Friend form, indicate month and prior to any order date you indicate (1998the to present). To Germany's Tuscany year of your oldest issue, we’ll put order, complete the following order form,and indicate Visit Nördlingen Germans in Paraguay together package you. This the month and year ofayour oldest just issue,for and we’ll put Darmstadt is a great to build collection together a package justway for you. This isyour a great way to build your collection and enjoyofmore the special and enjoy more the of special content content German Life brings to you each month! German Life brings to you each month! Munich’s Beer Gardens GERMANY ■ AustRiA ■ switzERlANd
Our Annual Travel Issue!
German Life I German Life GERMANY ■ AustRiA ■ switzERlANd
New Home for Vienna Boys’ Choir!
GERMANY ■ AustRiA ■ switzERlANd
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 $5.95 CAnAdA $6.50
CVR.AugSept13.indd 1
6/12/13 2:50 PM
APRil/MAY 2013 $5.95 CAnAdA $6.50
CVR.April/May13.indd 1
2/21/13 2:52 PM
Cycling in Austria Visit Constance Germans in Namibia Germany - Land of Music!
OCTOBER/nOVEMBER 2013 $5.95 CAnAdA $6.50
CVR.Oct/NovIdeas13.indd 1
8/20/13 7:13 PM
Name _____________________________________________________________________ Address 1 _________________________________________________________________ Address 2 _________________________________________________________________ City _________________________________ State ________ Zip ____________________ Phone _______________________________________________________ Email ________________________________________________________
Number of Grab Bags: ______ x $19.85 $17.85 = _______________ (MD customers add 6% sales tax)
_______________
(Canadian orders add $10.00 shipping)
_______________
Total enclosed
_______________
Payment (check one) M VISA M Mastercard M Check/Money order Credit Card No. ______________________________________________ Expires: _____________________________________________________
Mail coupon to:
German Life Attn: Grab Bag Offer 1068 National Highway LaVale, MD 21502 (Photocopies of this page are acceptable)
Date of first issue in your collection: Month ____________________________________________ Year ___________
(We will select issues published before this date— No special request for Grab Bag packages.)
TOC.indd 1129 Marketplace.AS17.indd 62 TOC.indd Travel.indd TOC.indd 161 CoverJuneJulyCvrIdeas.indd CoverAprilMay2014.indd 2 2
4/17/2018 1:26:23 PM 6/12/2017 3:16:58 8/23/2017 2/20/2018 10:24:38 3:26:53 PM AMPM 12/4/15 2/23/17 12:09 3:42 PM PM 4/16/14 2/19/14 5:32 5:04PM PM
German Life
contents June/July 2018
departments 6
Letters
8
In Brief
10 Booknotes 12 Travel 50 Language 54
At Home
58 Yesteryears 62 Calendar
34
64
Family Research
features 16 Cologne Trade Fair—A Business Platform with a Long Tradition
34 The Lure of the North Sea
20 Swiss National Day in
38 Pforzheim
Each year many categories of world commerce descend upon Cologne and it’s big business. Alevtina Altenhof
46
New Glarus, Wisconsin
America’s Little Switzerland holds true to the Swiss roots of its ancestors. Don Heimburger
24 The Magic of
Schwäbisch Gmünd
at St. Peter-Ording
Sit back and relax in a Strandkorb and enjoy all this beautiful beach has to offer. Leah Larkin
Witness the rise of a city following the complete and utter destruction of WWII bombs. James Ullrich
42 Karl Marx at 200
The Roman Limes are just one of the fascinating aspects of this delightful city. Peter Vogt
His theories and concepts made the world think about the impoverished and the results of class struggle. Robert A. Selig
30
46 Frankenmuth
Gemütlichkeit in Las Vegas
A misunderstood dinner reservation turns into a celebration of all things German in “Sin City.” Joe Gartman
Can this city and community in Michigan possibly be more Bavarian than Bavaria? Marlene Shyer
60 Hartford Sängerbund
The Connecticut Sänderbund celebrates 160 years. Mark Jahne
COVER: Cyclists take a break in Schwäbisch Gmünd’s Marktplatz. Courtesy Fotostudio Viscom/.Siegfried Schenk. 2
TOC.indd 2
GERMAN LIFE
•
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/19/2018 5:50:31 PM
GermanLife 2.125x4.75_Layout 1 11/15/17 2:14
BAVARIAN FESTIVALS
Restoring and Preserving Our History
BAYERN TRIPS
BayernTrips.com 1.888.MUNICH.0
In the heart of the Texas Hill Country visit 17 historic one-room schools built between 1847 and 1936 by following the 120 mile Gillespie County Country Schools Driving Trail through the scenic Fredericksburg,Texas countryside. Visit our website for a tour map and information on our historic schools and community centers.
The Bavaria Specialist
STARKBIERFEST
Mar 22-31, 2019
SPRINGFEST
Apr 27-May 5, 2019
OKTOBERFEST 2019 Alpine Adventures: Sept 14-24 Romantic Road: Sept 24-30 Wiesn Kompakt: Oct 1-6
“Octoberfest (and Bavaria) were one of the most amazing
experiences of my life.
All schools listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Member of Country School Association of America.
Scott & Vonia will treat you like family. - mdh612016
TripAdvisor Member
WWW. HISTORICSCHOOLS . ORG
Lancaster Liederkranz
germanLifePrintAd-180401.indd 1
4/3/18 9:12 AM
SommerfeSt June - 2011 Lancaster, Pennsylvania Open L tOancaster the public •LRain OR Shine iederkranz Friday, June 10 – 6-11 pM
O KTOBERFESt T SommerfeS Music by: Hank Haller
SEPTEMBER 22, 23, 2018 June 21, - 2011
Saturday, June 11 – 1-11 pM Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Music by: Open public • Rain Shine Philadelphia German Brass Band & Walt Groller Come to tO ourthe fall celebration ofORtraditional
Friday, June 10song – 6-11 pM German drink, and dance! throughout thefood, Fest: Music by: Hank Haller Sponsored by the Alpenrose Schuhplatters German Food and Drink Singing & Dancing OpenJune to the11 Public Saturday, – 1-11 pM Music by: The Puppen Meister Marionettes Rain or Shine Philadelphia GermanSchuhplattler Brass Band & Walt Groller Alpenrose & Kindergruppe Dancers Liederkranz Chous and Hobby Chor throughout the Fest: Throughout theDrink Fest: German Food andDancers The Alleweil Jung Folk German&Bands • Food & Drink Singing Dancing Playground for Children Singing & Dancing Entertainment
www.germanwear.com
Short & Long Dirndls Dirndl Set (Includes Top & Apron) Lederhosen With Suspenders Boiled Wool Jackets & Sweaters Trachten Jackets & Long Coats
The Puppen Meister Marionettes
Playground & Crafts for Children Alpenrose & Kindergruppe Schuhplattler Dancers admission: Liederkranz Chous and Admission: Adults: $5 • Children: 6-15 $2Hobby Chor The Alleweil Jung Folk6-15 Dancers Adults: $6 - Children: $2 5 & under free
5 & under free Playground for Children
lancaster liederkranz admission: Lancaster Liederkranz 722 S. Chiques Manheim Adults: $5Rd., • Children: 6-15 PA $2 17554
722under S. off Chiques Rd.,west Manheim, PA 17554 (Sulunga PA 283 of Lancaster) 5 &exit free (Sulunga Exit offafter PA 283 westdaily of Lancaster) Phone: 717-898-8451 4 pm lancaster liederkranz Phone: 717-898-8451 after 4 pm Mon-Sat Visit us 722 on the web: lancasterliederkranz.com S. Chiques Rd., Manheim PA 17554 Visit us this Christkindlmarkt (Sulunga exitDecember off PA 283for west of Lancaster) and June 2019 for Sommerfest! Phone: 717-898-8451 after 4 pm daily Moreusinfo Visit on on theLancasterLiederkranz.com web: lancasterliederkranz.com
High Quality Clothing from Germany & Austria
www.germanwear.com • 888.743.6296 JUNE/JULY 2018
TOC.indd 3
•
GERMAN LIFE
3
4/17/2018 1:26:48 PM
EDITORIAL | EDITORIAL V O L U M E
2 5
N U M B E R
1
PUBLISHER Mary L. Ruddell
Celebrating Our Heritage
Immigration and immigrants. Those two words are linked to so many of our family stories which have been recounted time and time again at family reunions, family get-togethers, weddings and funerals. The stories of our great, great-great and great-great-great grandparents are interwoven throughout each family’s oral history. Stories of how they left everything they knew behind to risk their lives for a future filled with the unknown. Would they survive the journey? Would they be allowed to stay in this new homeland once they arrived? If they were allowed to stay, where would they go? What would they do? How would they earn money for food, shelter and clothing? According to the US Census Bureau, in 2014 just 2% of the US population claimed to be Native American. That’s just 2% of the entire country that can legitimately say, “This is our land. We belong here.” The rest of us (myself included—but with a great-great grandmother of Cherokee descent), came from immigrant stock. Occasionally I think to myself, “Would I even exist if someone from the Stegmaier clan had not made the journey from Germany or decided to stay in America?” And what might the future bring? Will the time come when climate change necessitates population migration from our changing coastline? Will changing weather patterns impact commercial farming and displace families due to food scarcity? Our model of society is also in a state of flux where larger social, political, religious and economic divides are occurring between the classes. Might the day come where certain groups decide this is no longer a suitable home for them or future generations and, like German “48ers,” they choose to emigrate in search of a better life elsewhere? Sure, it’s a long-shot but the “48ers” probably didn’t foresee the upheaval of the world they knew either. And that’s just one of the many, many reasons why this melting pot has been so vital and successful. This issue we take a dedicated look at Germans (and Swiss) in America. First off, Don Heimburger visits New Glarus, Wisconsin (page 20) and introduces us to this wonderful Swiss settlement that holds steadfast to its Swiss heritage. Then, Joe Gartman introduces us to the German-American community of Las Vegas (page 30) where good German food and Gemütlichkeit abound. Marlene Shyer heads to Michigan where the city of Frankenmuth (page 46) keeps Bavaria alive and well, drawing tourists from around the world. Additional travel features have Leah Larkin visiting the beaches of St. Peter-Ording (page 34), James Ullrich taking us through Pforzheim (page 38), one of Germany’s “newer” cities, rebuilt following the ravages of WWII bombing and Peter Vogt brings us the charm of Schwäbisch Gmünd (page 24). As the warmth of summer finally stretches across the country, settle back with a refreshing drink, kick back and enjoy this issue of German Life!
Mark Slider Editor
EDITOR Mark A. Slider COPY EDITORS Mary Beth Strickler, Roy Ledbetter CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Robert A. Selig, Don Heinrich Tolzmann, Sharon Hudgins, Leah Larkin, James Beidler, Peter Pabisch, Alevtina Altenhof ART DIRECTION/DESIGN Cantor Design Inc. ADVERTISING Jim Bauer M7 Media Group Tel: 610-417-9261 E-mail: bauerjim7@gmail.com CIRCULATION Matt Strickler 1068 National Highway LaVale, MD 21502 Tel: 301-729-6190 E-mail: mstrickler@germanlife.com Published by Zeitgeist Publishing, Inc. German Life (ISSN 1075–2382) is published bimonthly by Zeitgeist Publishing, Inc., 1068 National Highway, LaVale, MD 21502 Tel. 301–729–6190 www.germanlife.com Copyright© 2018 by Zeitgeist Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscription orders and information: 1–866-867-0251 (U.S. toll free) and 973–627–5162 (Canada and Foreign) One-year subscriptions are available for $24.95 (domestic) and $34.00 (Canada and all other countries). Periodicals postage paid at Cumberland, MD, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to German Life Subscription Dept., P.O. Box 3000, Denville, NJ 07834–9723, or call 1–866–867–0251 (U.S.) and 973–627–5162 (Canada and Foreign). Publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial and advertising matter. Editorial submissions must be accompanied by a selfaddressed, stamped envelope. Publisher assumes no responsibility for return or condition of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, or art. Reproduction of contents in whole or in part is prohibited without written permission from the publisher. German Life is a forum for discussion. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and management of German Life. Printed in the USA.
Web site: www.GermanLife.com Follow us on
4
Editorial.indd 4
GERMAN LIFE
•
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:28:17 PM
Crystal Brook Resort
CHRISTMAS MARKETS
Mountain Brauhaus
Rothenburg ob der Tauber - Bamberg Regensburg - Munich - Nuremberg BAYERN TRIPS
“Frommer Recommended” A favorite family owned resort destination since 1960
BayernTrips.com 1.888.MUNICH.0
3 delicious German/American choice meals served daily Comfy rooms - A/C & Cable TV Solar Heated Pool & Spa Beach Volleyball • Tennis Wi-Fi • Two Playgrounds Our Mountain Brauhaus is Authentic Bavarian Style Restaurant & Dance Hall with Live Entertainment! Which attributes to a fun, unique Atmosphere for everyone.
Christmas Classic December 1-9, 2018
Open May-February
• Call or visit us online • 430 Winter Clove Rd. PO Box 18, Round Top, NY 12473 1-800-999-7376 • www.crystalbrook.com
“This was really a DREAM TRIP for me…
I had VERY high expectations for this trip... Scott & Vonia made my dream come true.”- DiverChaz , TripAdvisor Member
germanLifePrintAd-180401.indd 2
4/3/18 9:12 AM
JUNE/JULY 2018
Editorial.indd 5
•
GERMAN LIFE
5
4/18/2018 4:27:28 PM
LETTERS | BRIEFE
HOFBRÄUHAUS IN MUNICH, GERMANY. FROM LEFT: GERMAN GUIDE, KARL, BRUCE DELLINGER, HUBERT DELLINGER AND HOLLY DELLINGER.
Memories of Detmold I was delighted to read about the Detmold Open-Air Museum in the latest issue (April/May 2018) of your excellent magazine. My son and I visited the museum in 1999 hosted by our cousins of seven generations back, Dr. Jürgen F. Zeddies and his son (now Dr.) Götz Zeddies. My wife and I visited the museum again in 2002 exploring more of the excellent exhibits from various periods of German history. What we found among the exhibits was very exciting as our great-greatgreat grandparents’ farm home was there. Listed as A14 in the guide book, it contains the museum souvenir shop, a restaurant as well as a display of the typical period farm home. It was built in 1731 by Johann Wilhelm Zeddies and Friederica Eleonora Rensehehausen in Grohnde am Weser which is carved in the wood above the front door. Close by the house is an exhibit of a barn listed as A15 from the Zeddies-Kroll farm in the Emmerthal-Kirchohsen area built about 1624. The Detmold Open-Air Museum is very interesting culturally as well as being a genealogy resource, especially if you are related in some way to the exhibits’ original owners. Oh, yes we took many pictures during both visits. Dr. Melvin L. Zeddies San Diego, CA Shared Passport Woes Sharon Hudgins’ letter in the current GL (April/May 2018) was a Yogiism (“deja vu all over again”) for us as we had the same disappointing experience. In February 2016, my wife and I planned a three-week trip for December to visit friends in Germany and booked a flight with Lufthansa. As we were going to three different areas we 6
Letters.indd 6
GERMAN LIFE
•
rented 3 apartments, rented a car, communicated the schedule with friends, purchased travel insurance, rented a phone, etc. I knew my passport was good until January, but at our hotel in Charlotte the night before the flight while checking in with Lufthansa, we were denied because of “invalid passport.” What a shock! Attempts to call the airline were fruitless as their pilots were on strike and we couldn’t speak with a human. We sadly drove back home with the repeated question, “Why? ” The next day, through a Google search we learned of the six-month requirement. Adding to our frustration was that Lufthansa had emailed us a flight departure time change earlier that fall, but no warning about the new passport requirement. When we finally contacted Lufthansa, we were told we could reschedule within a few days. A scramble for a quickie $500 passport and a new schedule limited our time to only eight days and required cancelling visits with four families. The good news was we did not lose our plane fare and were able to celebrate the 60th birthday of a friend in Augsburg. Hopefully all will go well when we return this September. Don and Neita Frank Moore, SC Two Lifetime Events Unfold in a Single Trip My ancestors on both sides of my family were German Lutherans who settled in western North Carolina in the 1750s. Although having written records of their lives in America, including their relative prominence in the Revolutionary War and the War Between the States, I had none of their lives in Germany. October 31, 2017 was the 500th
Anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, which began the Lutheran Reformation. My cousins, Holly and Bruce, and I joined a group that allowed us to participate in the celebration in Wittenberg on the anniversary day. We attended a divine service in English in the Castle Church and in German in the City Church. We enjoyed a Medieval Market in the town square and a choral concert and light show that evening. After visiting other interesting places with the group, we drove to the area that we knew was home to the Dellingers prior to their departure for America. We first visited a town named Dillingen. We were unable to search church records there as they had been transferred to Stuttgart. It was interesting to be in a town with a name similar to ours and we enjoyed the people and food. The next day we went to Oberacker where the Dellingers moved from Dillingen and lived before coming to America. It was Saturday and the village church was closed. As we were about to leave, a lady leaned out of her home’s window and asked if she could help. She spoke no English and we understood very little German. She invited us into her home, served refreshments and summoned an English speaking neighbor who retrieved records of our ancestors dating to the 1600s which we photographed. We attended worship there the next day. I don’t know which stirred the greater emotion of that trip, the celebration of the Reformation or worshiping where my forefathers worshiped four hundred years ago. Hubert L. Dellinger Jr. MD Memphis, TN Continued on page 57
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/19/2018 11:32:50 AM
Specializing in Gifts and Collectibles from Around the World • Steiff & Hermann Bears • Steinbach Nutcrackers • Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks • Swarovski Crystal • Travel Books and DVDs • Old World Dirndls & Blouses • Imported Food Specialties • Beer Steins • Lederhosen • Hummel Figurines • Music CDs and DVDs
• Dolls • Jewelry • Matryoshkas
And Much More!
To Request A Free Catalog, Please Call 1-800-644-2577
Alpenland International, Inc. 67 Alpenland Drive • PO Box 1699 Cleveland, GA 30528
www.alpenland.us
Genau wie in Deutschland (oder besser!!) GESUND & bekömmlich (Oma would approve) Call for your FREE catalog today!
Packages & Tours for Oktoberfest 2018 in Munich, Germany
Spyglass Tours & Events
1-800-723-8823 Fax: 1-905-643-9165 PO Box 207 Grimsby ON CANADA L3M 4G3 email: info@ordermybread.com www.ordermybread.ca
Looking to reach customers that share your German heritage or interests? Advertise in German Life Magazine!
OktoberfestPackages.com 20% Off Code: GermanLife
From history to making strudel, German Life focuses on all things Germany, as well as Austria and Switzerland.
Call Jim Bauer 610.417.9261 or email: bauerjim7@gmail.com JUNE/JULY 2018
Letters.indd 7
•
GERMAN LIFE
7
4/20/2018 9:29:37 AM
IN BRIEF | KURZ NOTIERT
New Viennese Museum Dedicated to Beethoven
Vienna was at the center of Ludwig van Beethoven’s life for 35 years. One of his former apartments in the city has now been converted into a new museum. The new Beethoven Museum, which opened at the end of November 2017 with two open-house days, sheds fresh light on the life and work of the great composer with the help of the latest research. Fans can look forward to a fascinatingly stage-managed visitor flow, which is structured around nuggets of information relating to Vienna’s cultural history and Beethoven’s output. The garden at the back of the building is an oasis of quiet reflection during the day. An additional bonus for visitors is that the new museum is surrounded by the wine taverns of the nineteenth district. Born in Bonn in 1770, Ludwig van Beethoven first came to Vienna as a 17-year-old to study under Mozart. He would later return to the city, making the Austrian capital his permanent home from 1792 until his death in 1827. Three apartments linked to the famous composer have long since become outposts of the Wien Museum. One of which, the apartment at Probusgasse 6 in the nineteenth district suburb of Heiligenstadt, has grown over the years from a small memorial site into the major new Beethoven Museum it is today.
The location played a significant role in the composer’s life, as it was here that he sought deliverance—or at least respite—from his hearing difficulties. In the early nineteenth century Heiligenstadt was a self-contained wine growing village. Construction of the public baths on what is now Heiligenstädter Park brought about a change in the modest village’s fortunes. The baths were supplied by a water source that was rich in natural minerals and its purported curative properties attracted countless people looking to take the cure, including many leading figures of Viennese high society. According to documentary evidence, the house at Probusgasse 6 was where Beethoven put a devastating realization to paper. It was here that he wrote the Heiligenstadt Testament in 1802, a letter intended for his brothers, which he never sent, that expressed the despair he felt over his increasing deafness. The apartment is also where he worked on a number of his most important works, including his Second Symphony and sketched out the initial outlines of his Third Symphony, Eroica. The Beethoven Museum is located at Probusgasse 6, 1190 Vienna, Austria. For more information, visit www. wienmuseum.at Courtesy Vienna Tourist Board
Germany’s Brand Image in First Place in International Comparison In the noted branding survey, Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index (NBI) comparing 50 other nations around the world, Germany’s brand image was ranked in ��� place, followed by France, the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan. The United States, ranked top last year, came in sixth. According to Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Of��� of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB): “Germany’s top ranking in this highly competitive international environment provides added momentum and locational advantage. In 2006, when Germany hosted the FIFA World Cup, we were able to achieve the top overall ranking for the ��� time. Since then, we have always been in the top 3 after 2008 and 2014, this year 8
InBrief.indd 8
GERMAN LIFE
•
JUNE/JULY 2018
�������������������interesting contemporary art scene. The “Tourism” dimension included The NBI measures the current reputation of a nation by combining six di- questions about interest in visiting the mensions. Interviews are conducted in nation, natural beauty, historical attrac20 different nations and survey results tions, and vibrant cities. “In the Tourism dimension, Japan was combined into a ranking. This results in a representative measurement of the able to achieve a marked increase in the brand value of 50 nations in comparison. current survey. Thus Germany, although In all of the six dimensions—Exports, it had improved its scores, dropped from Governance, Culture & Heritage, People, place 9 to 10 in this part of the index the �� ce international comTourism and Immigration/ Investment— —r����� Germany scored slightly higher than last petition between destinations,” Ms. Heyear. This also applies to all measurements dorfer adds. Germany achieved above-average ratin the sub-categories of the dimensions “Tourism” and “Culture & Heritage.” ings in eight out of a total of 20 surveyed For the location factor “Culture & Heri- nations, including the BRIC countries, tage,” questions were asked about sports Brazil, Russia, India and China. Courtesy National T������ achievements, cultural heritage and an
Continued on page 14
4/19/2018 11:37:17 AM
Come Experience the Magic of Fine European Wares!
Visit America's best 100% authentic German Shop
The CHRISTMAS SLEIGH
5A East Washington Street • Middleburg, VA 20117 Telephone: (540) 687-3665 • Fax: (540) 687-3435
We ship worldwide. Order online at
www.thechristmassleigh.com
NaturalSpring Spring Natural Water
Water
RYE BREADS Travel to Germany!
RYE Taste the Difference…
German Ancestry Trips Custom Choir Tours Martin Luther Tours Christmas Market Tour Trip Planning Service
BREADS Christmas Specialties
Taste the Difference…
Year Round Specialties
Christmas Specialties Year Round Specialties
Free Brochure 1-800-724-6636
www. rondofoods.com Free Brochure 1-800-724-6636 www.rondofood.com
Phone: 281.630.6764 info@tgac-us.com, www.tgac-us.com The German American Connection
Tel: 830-997-9707
Cell: 830-889-9707
Anzeige 2012 118X61 German Life.indd 1
No Freight when you Mention this Ad
Rondo Specialty Foods No Freight when you Mention this Ad
Rondo Specialty Foods
08.02.13 11:34
Y�������� ariety of items like Dirndls, Lederhosen, Alpiner Hats, Hatpins, Beersteins, Kuckuck Clocks, Table Linens and Lace Curtains from Germany; plus many more collectibles worth the journey to Fredericksburg! Hours: Tues-Fri 11-5 • Sat 11-3
3150 N. State Hwy. 16 • Fredericksburg, TX 78624 www.newspin360.com/tour/tx/fredericksburg/kuckucksnext JUNE/JULY 2018
InBrief.indd 9
•
GERMAN LIFE
9
4/17/2018 1:40:17 PM
BOOK NOTES | BUCHNOTIZEN
{
}
Buchnotizen/Book Notes provides brief comments on recent books relating to German and German-American topics. Information as to price and ordering can be found at various Internet book sites, or at the nearest bookstore.
BY DON HEINRICH TOLZMANN Tangible Belonging: Negotiating Germanness in Twentieth Century Hungary, by John C. Swanson (University of Pittsburgh, 2017) explains what it means to be German in Hungary. The author’s thesis “is that the majority of German speakers in Hungary had—and maintained into the twentieth century—a local, tangible understanding of being German, even while confronted with numerous alternative ideas offering much more abstract forms of Germanness.” In short, their German identity was connected to a given place, specifically to a village where they lived. They defined their Germanness in terms of such places, and Swanson follows the transitions German speakers experienced before, during and after the world wars. Into the twentieth century “a sense of belonging—of being German, in this case—remained in many ways centered in the community, conforming to the rhythm of the seasons, the local holiday celebrations, and the local class divisions.” By 1920, there were 551,211 people with German as their mother tongue, or 6.9% of the total population of Hungary, but the number declined thereafter. After World War II, an estimated 220,000 Hungarian Germans were expelled to the American and Soviet zones in Germany. The remaining population numbered at most 220,000. Germanness “went underground” after the war, with the author commenting: “People moved away from being German: they tried at least in the years following 1945, to escape their ethnicity as well as their language. German speakers in Hungary (the former ‘Germans in Hungary’) became the ‘mute generation.’ They hid or abandoned any sense of Germanness in order to escape harassment.” Some moved on to urban areas, blending in as best they could. However, in 1994, more than 500,000 voted for selfgovernment for the German minority, showing that the German population in Hungary is larger than it was thought to be, and is still interested in its heritage. It is difficult to generalize about Hungarian Germans and their sense of Germanness today, as it varies from person to person. Some view themselves as being German in Hungary, while others view themselves as having a dual identity of being ethnically German and civically Hungarian. Of course, the other option has been assimilation by
trying to blend into the core culture, while maintaining a low profile with regard to Germanness. This relates to the status of ethnic Germans elsewhere who have the choice of defining themselves as Germans, as hyphenated Germans or as assimilated persons of German ancestry. Swanson’s work helps us understand the history of the Hungarian Germans and the hard times they endured, as well as the questions of ethnic identity facing German populations elsewhere after World War II. Swanson includes informative interviews with German speakers in Hungary, and features maps showing their locations throughout the past century. A lengthy bibliography (pp. 429-46) invites further reading. Quench Your Own Thirst: Business Lessons Learned Over a Beer or Two, by Jim Koch (Flatiron Books, 2015) is an autobiographical account of how the founder and brewer of Samuel Adams beer attained success in the brewing industry. Since German-American beer barons did not publish their success stories, this one is of particular interest regarding America’s German brewing heritage. A fifth-generation German-American, Koch was born in Cincinnati, a town that once had more than thirty breweries. Koch’s family had been involved in brewing going back to the Old Country, and it was his great-greatgrandfather’s beer recipe that became the basis for his highly successful brew. By 1988, his Boston Beer Co. (est. 1984) was already brewing 36,000 barrels annually, and on its way to carving out an important place in the burgeoning craft beer industry. Koch tells how he made it happen, writing: “I believed the Koch family heritage and recipe as well as my own determination to upend the beer industry might make for a good story, one that the media might notice if we had a skilled hand on deck dangling newsworthy items before their eyes.” The German dimension comes through clearly in Koch’s beer baron story, ranging from his disciplined work ethic to his focus on German brewing traditions. Topping off his success story was his acquisition in 1997 of the old Hudepohl-Schoenling Brewery in Cincinnati. His selective bibliography of business and brewing books is titled “Jim’s Bookshelf.” Entertainingly written and filled with anecdotes, Koch blends life and business lessons within a framework deeply influenced by his family’s heritage, showing how the German dimension has continued in his family.
Don Heinrich Tolzmann, Book Review Editor, has published widely on German and German-American topics, and served on the boards of many regional, national, and international organizations relating to German-American Studies: www.donheinrichtolzmann.net 10
GERMAN LIFE
Booknotes.indd 10
•
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:41:36 PM
remedy for a dismal case of melancholy. Available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and Kindle.
BÜCHEREI
305 pages illustrated with 165 photographs.
Available from Amazon and Masthof.com
Tel: 610-286-0258
“The
Share your memoirs.
A compelling family history and a true story of immigrant survival
The concept that food releases a chemical reaction enhancing our capacity for tolerance and understanding is a common thread in the stories of this book. They take us from WWII Germany to present-day Europe and America. Recipes for the dishes being served in the book are listed in the Appendix. Elisabeth Falcone was born in Berlin in March, 1945. Her family immigrated to the US in 1959.
Available at Authorhouse, local booksellers and on-line retailers. Soon available in German
Mothe
Let a German-American writer help you create a professionally written treasure of your life memoirs for your family to cherish in the years to come. Hire journalist Kellie B. Gormly to interview and craft your story. Visit www.kelliebgormly.com for additional details. Danke!
Church tou of the na historic windows Over 100 exquisit industry of ers, Phelp Authors P & John This 8-1/M English Find itnarr at from the to Spanis Excellent a
A BAVARIAN CHRISTMAS NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 8, 2018 BookNotes.indd 11
ROUNDTRIP AIR FROM DC-MUNICH SEVEN (7) NIGHTS – GASTHOF ROSE BREAKFAST DAILY TWO (2) DINNERS CHRISTMAS MARKETS & CASTLES WOODCARVER’S WORKSHOP ETTAL MONASTERY & WIES CHURCH HORSE SLEIGH TO LINDERHOF SKIING & HIKING OPTIONS TOUR SITE ADMISSIONS & MORE
BK TOURS & TRAVEL, LLC
(703) 250-3044
WRIDLEY@BKTRAVEL.COM • WWW.BKTRAVEL.COM JUNE/JULY 2018
Booknotes.indd 11
•
GERMAN LIFE
11
4/17/2018 1:42:08 PM
273 photo 240 pag
Available a Amazo
TRAVEL | REISEN
2018—A TIGHT TRAVEL MARKET BY BOB BESTOR
COURTESY LUFTHANSA.
T
he year 2018 is on track to set another record for European travel. Travel professionals report a heavy demand for the Continent, including Germany. Flights are filling fast, many river cruises are already sold out, hotel bookings are strong, trains will be crowded and rentals cars are quickly being snapped up. Here’s what to expect—along with a few travel shopping suggestions—if you plan to be part of this year’s North American invasion of Germany. Air Travel: Even during the summer season you should be able to get to Germany for less than $1,000 per person if you don’t mind one or two stops in each direction—and are willing do some fare-shopping. The majors, of course, Lufthansa, Delta, American, Air Canada and United, all have nonstop to Germany from their various North American hubs. Less expensive Condor now flies nonstop from 12 U.S. cities to Germany, and a relatively new, low-cost entry in the transatlantic air scramble is Iceland Air’s WOW brand. Their flights to Germany go by way of Reykjavik, Iceland, an enticing stopover for many travelers. A thorough search for airfares should include visits to airline websites, a check of discount online sellers such as Vayama.com and Kayak.com, and quotes from a travel agent with access to consolidator rates. For May travel, a friend booked a Lufthansa Seattle-Frankfurt business class roundtrip at a consolidator rate of just over $3,500. The same flight at Lufthansa’s website was more than $9,000. Germany Rail Travel: While German car rental prices have dropped over the past 10 years, the cost of train passes has increased well above inflation rates. In 2008, a fourdoor compact car with manual transmission for a week from a Germany downtown location was about $245. Today that same car is less than $160. A German Rail “Twin Pass” that granted four days second-class travel in one month for two persons cost $362 in 2008. Currently that same pass is $584, a 61% increase. Rail passes in the U.S. and Canada are marketed by Rail Europe, a subsidiary of the French rail company, SNCF Mobilités Group. But if all you require are a couple of rail trips, the company also sells individual tickets. For these, however, Rail Europe is not the only game in town. The German Rail website, bahn.com, frequently offers heavily-discounted point-to-point tickets that are often cheaper than Rail Europe’s prices. As this is written in mid-April, a Rail Europe search for a June one-way, second-class Mu12
Travel.indd 12
GERMAN LIFE
•
nich to Berlin fare delivered a price of $118 for two persons. The two-person price for the same 9:55 a.m. train at bahn.com came in at €44.9 ($55). In addition, clicking on the €44.9 second-class rate at bahn.com opened a window that offered a two-person, first-class fare of €59.9 ($74) vs. the Rail Europe price of $110. This same German Rail website also lists a number of regional passes, the most popular being the SchönesWochenende-Ticket (beautiful weekend) which, for €44, allows up to five persons traveling together on Saturday, Sunday and until 3 a.m. on Monday, to ride all the country’s Deutsche Bahn regional trains. The deal includes participating public transport associations, including SBahn and U-Bahn trains, trams and buses. No ICE (Inter-City Express) trains, however. The Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket (all of Germany) costs €44 and allows one to five persons a full day of secondclass travel (9 a.m. to 3 a.m.) on regional trains any day of the week. No ICE. The €23 Länder Ticket grants a full day of second-class travel for up to five persons aboard regional trains in any one of the 16 German federal states (Bavaria, Baden -Württemberg, Bremen, Hessen, Saarland, etc.) No ICE. Rental Cars in Germany: Travel by automobile offers unmatched flexibility. As one traveler noted a few years go, “there’s no freedom like being in charge of your own transportation.” This footloose travel style is surprisingly inexpensive. For example, right now the daily price of a fourdoor compact rental car in Germany is under $20 per day, including tax, on a two-week rental. A rental car in Germany is one of Europe’s best tourist transportation values. Though many travelers approach the rental car transaction with uncertainty about insurance and fear of hidden fees, with a little homework all will be well. Contrary to what some believe, the leading European rental companies do not conspire to cheat customers. They are, however, quite particular about having their cars returned in the same condition as when checked-out. The 16-page handbook, What You Should Know About Renting a Car in Europe in 2018 (free at www.gemut.com) is a mustread for the prospective European rental car customer. Two key rental car strategies: • Book early, as prices typically increase as the high travel months approach. Last-minute bookers this year will also find availability issues with certain car categories—automatics, station wagons, vans and most espe-
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:43:13 PM
THE GOLDEN PASS CLASSIC BETWEEN MONTREUX AND ZWEISIMMEN. COURTESY SWISS-IMAGE.CH/OSKAR ENANDER.
cially vans with automatic transmission. • When things go wrong at the rental counter, it’s important to have a safety net. Travelers that book directly with the rental company are on their own to resolve problems (wrong car, no car, erroneous postrental charges) with the rental car supplier. Though the major online rental agencies such as Priceline and Expedia may offer a contact phone number they are little help in this regard. When problems arise it is better to have a third-party to turn to such as Auto Europe or their outside sales agent, Gemut.com. Lodging: Overall, hotel rates in Germany are among the lowest in Western Europe. The countryside teems with pleasant, family-owned hotels priced in line with North America’s popular but charmless U.S. motel chains. For example, you can book a double room for just €110 with breakfast at one of my personal favorites, Trier’s Hotel Petrisberg, perched above the town on the river Mosel. You won’t find a friendlier welcome. Major city hotels are, of course, more expensive but still far below New York-San Francisco-London prices. For example, a double room at my Berlin headquarters for many years, the Hotel Art Nouveau, is just €79 to €129. Even a double at the famed Adlon is only €297 in June. I say “only” in the context of top hotels in other great cities: in mid-June the Plaza in New York quotes $977 per night and Claridge’s London £1,080 ($1,526). A regrettable but seemingly relentless shift in German hotel pricing is that breakfast is now seldom included in the quoted room price. This is true of almost all city hotels and increasingly in country properties as well. On the positive side is the emergence of Airbnb as a major player in the lodging business. In case you haven’t heard, this Internet service links travelers with landlords that rent houses, apartments, flats, and rooms on a shortterm basis. Through April 2017, according to the New York Times, Airbnb represented three million properties which had attracted some 150 million travelers since 2008. Families especially are finding it a reliable and less expensive alternative to hotels. Last fall, our son Andy and his family of four relied almost entirely on Airbnd during a 17-day Germany and Austria vacation. In Zell on the Mosel they paid $147 for a three-bedroom flat with kitchen. Their friendly landlords gifted them food and wine and advised on local resources. Airbnd is an option worth considering. My Germany hotel shopping bible is the latest Michelin
Red Guide. Its symbols and maps point me to the best values in several thousand German towns and cities. Sure, I check TripAdvisor but their anonymous, amateur reviewers are usually inexperienced and aren’t held to the rigorous evaluation standards and guidelines as the professional Michelin inspectors. The Red Guides are an amazing resource for locating good hotels (and restaurants) in smaller towns. Once you have selected a hotel, the next job is to book it at the best price. Your travel agent is unlikely to know anything about family hotels in small German towns and will probably charge a fee to reserve them. So you are left to the Internet. First, see if you can find a rate at the hotel’s website as a comparison base. From there it’s on to the large, online travel agencies. Though there are many brands: hotels. com, booking.com, kayak.com, priceline.com, hotwire. com, expedia.com, orbitz.com, etc., most of these website are owned by two companies, Expedia and Priceline. You’ll find their prices very similar with two exceptions; Hotwire and Priceline. Hotwire offers two ways to book. If you are willing to limit your search to neighborhood and star-category— three-star, four-star, five-star, etc.— and not know the name of the hotel until you have paid, rates can be quite attractive. For a June booking, Hotwire recently offered an unnamed 4.5-star hotel in Berlin’s Checkpoint Charlie area for $100. The same 4.5-star category near Brandenburg Gate was $121. Having used Hotwire several times I would book either with confidence. Hotwire also offers rates for specific hotels and a comparison price search for Munich’s five-star Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten yielded a three-night rate of $1149. The price at the hotel’s website was $1247 and $1226 with Booking.com. Priceline, of course, achieved fame by allowing customers to set their own hotel room prices. Users specify location, star category and then submit a bid price which is either accepted or rejected. If the bid is accepted your credit card is charged and cancellation is not possible. The website biddingtraveler.com is helpful in crafting a bidding strategy. As with Hotwire, you won’t know the identity of the hotel until you have paid. Priceline also offers rates on specific hotels but their best deals are obtained by bidding. With attention to detail and some careful planning, independent travel in Germany remains one of Europe’s great travel bargains. GL JUNE/JULY 2018
Travel.indd 13
•
GERMAN LIFE
13
4/17/2018 1:43:28 PM
IN BRIEF | KURZ NOTIERT
Continued from page 8.
AUSTRIA’S MOST POPULAR MARKETS
Austria’s cities are eclectic and fantastic. Their mix of history, culture and architecture makes each one a unique delight for visitors and some of the most livable cities in the world for residents. With warmer weather, one more attribute adds to the allure of these wonderful location—their markets. Whether it is a farmers market, flea market or potters market, markets are a feast for all senses, a celebration of colors, scents and voices. So the next time you visit one of Austria’s cities, immerse yourself in true city life with a visit to one of these markets.
VIENNA
Naschmarkt The long esplanade covering the course of the Wien River already served as market place for dairy products as early as the 18th century. Naschmarkt, located between Kettenbrückengasse and Karlsplatz, is a premier open-air fruit and vegetable market with endless rows of stalls selling fruit, vegetables, seafood, spices, homemade pasta, pickles of all kinds, cheeses and breads this superb market can satisfy the most demanding culinary requirements. Interspersed are small bistros, as diverse and multi-cultural as the stalls and the market itself. From Asian to trendy you will �� Vienna’s hippest places to be like Deli Naschmarkt and Do-An. Opening Hours: Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mornings are the best time to absorb the market’s sights and ���� The majority of the bars, bistros etc. are open until 11 p.m., some even later. There is a �� market every Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Brunnenmarkt If you wish to explore a city off the tourist paths then Brunnenmarkt in Wien-Ottakring is a great place to experience multicultural Vienna. Brunnenmarkt, located between Thaliastraße and Ottakringer Straße, is best described as an oriental bazaar. A great number of vendors sell all varieties of goods to Vienna’s immigrant community—particularly its large Turkish population. The market dates back to 1786 when Emperor Joseph II. consented 14
InBrief.indd 14
GERMAN LIFE
•
NASCHMARKT IN VIENNA. COURTESY ÖSTERREICH WERBUNG/VOLKER PREUSSER.
to a marketplace around the fountain (“Brunnen”). In 1880 the fountain had to make way for a horse-drawn train, the market and the name remained though. Brunnenmarkt is one of Vienna’s last street markets which means that all stalls are taken down in the evening and put up again the next morning. A good time to visit is late in the afternoon when the vendors want to get rid of their goods. If you are hungry then you will ��plenty of snack stands and inns selling all kinds of ethnic food. Opening Hours: Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the bistros are open Monday to Saturday from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Karmelitermarkt The Karmelitermarkt is one of the oldest Viennese markets and forms the center of the Karmeliter quarter. A huge variety of fresh, high-quality food as well as premium service and hospitality can be experienced at this market. Opening Hours: Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the bistros are open Monday to Saturday from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Viktor-Adler-Markt An especially authentic market in Wien-Favoriten is the 125-year old Viktor-Adler-Markt offering a great variety of culinary delights including fruits and vegetables, select wines, all kinds of deli food as well as local, Turkish, Greek and Indian specialties. Row upon row of stalls create veritable lanes and alleyways, and if you visit the market in the summer it is a pleasant place to stroll around as the stalls are protected from the sun by parasols and awnings. Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. and every ��� Saturday per month from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.; inns and bistros are open Monday to Saturday 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. www.vienna.info
SALZBURG
Schrannenmarkt Schrannenmarkt was ��� held in 1906; its name has Italian roots: scranna means bench, and Schrannen were stands for meat and bread, but also warehouses. It is located opposite the Schloss Mirabell and is Austria’s third largest street market besides Naschmarkt and Brunnenmarkt in Vienna. On sale are ���� leatherwear, health foods and foodstuffs in general including everything from eel to plums. The majority of the meat and dairy products are produced by the vendors themselves— samples are available! There are also plenty of snack stalls selling everything from fried chicken to crullers. Opening Hours Thursdays from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. If Thursday is a bank holiday or the 24th or 31st of December, the market is held on Wednesday.
Kapitelmarkt Kapitelmarkt, located at the foot of Fortress Hohensalzburg, situated between the Cathedral Arcades and the old St. Peter churchyard, sells souvenirs of all kinds, gifts and tasty titbits. Opening Hours: Every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (closed from mid-November to end of January).
Hamburg Fish Market in Salzburg Once a year, the Südtirolerplatz, in front of the Salzburg train station, provides the backdrop for a typical �� market from Hamburg. Lovers of seafood will �� themselves amply catered for with salmon, scampi, rock lobster and other specialties which you can either eat at the market or prepare at home. There is also live music and entertainment at the market. Open: Every year from the end of May to the beginning of July. www.salzburg.info.
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/19/2018 5:53:11 PM
Edelweiss ... the flower of love
call toll free
Call for free pricing brochure
www.ostlingjewelry.com • 844-506-8366 • Leavenworth, WA
Harmony Museum N a t i o n a l
Landmark
HARMONYMUSEUM.ORG • 724-452-7341
German Pioneer Settlement
Learn about the communal Harmony Society Left Stuttgart for Pa. wilderness in 1804 Tour buildings and cabins they built Walk to shops, restaurants, brew pub
1-79 Exits 87-88 North of Pittsburgh
Herb & Garden Fair - June 9 In Harmony Heritage Music Festival - July 20 and 21
EUROPEAN FOOD
ADVENT CALENDARS
Eastern & Western Gourmet Food in Sonoma
Wooden Advent Calendars This snow covered chalet is truly a Christmas House! Look through the panes of Jewelry Music glass in the windows and see Santa’s Christmas Tree and stockings hung by the fire. The candles in the windows, the wreaths, and the cheerful snowman sure put you in Beer Steins the spirit of Christmas!
Paper Advent Calendars
Shop Oktoberfest Paper Advent Now! Calendars ! Winter scene of the framework houses of Rothenburg with the neighboring tower.
Winter scene of the U.S. White House. Opened windows illuminate when placed in front of a light source. Ladies Clothing
www.HandcraftedGermanGifts.com Free shipping on all orders over $49 1(800) 501.2574 |Gifts@FostersImports.com REINECKER’S BAKERY LTD
Hats and Feathers
MACEDONIA, OH 44056 1-800-441-1365
The CHRISTMAS SLEIGH Mens Clothing 5A East Washington Street Middleburg, VA 20117 Telephone: (540) 687-3665
www.ernstlicht.com Order online at 610 987 9496 www.thechristmassleigh.com
ADVENT CALENDARS InBrief.indd 15
Wooden Advent Calendars This snow covered chalet is truly a Christmas House!
EUROPEAN STYLE SOURDOUGH RYE BREAD Baked and shipped fresh daily, you can now order directly from our website, www.reineckersbakery.com Nut and Poppy Patica, Beehive Kuchen and many more German Favorites. Baked in the U.S.A.
Christmas and Easter Specials
Located at 2790 Santa Rosa Ave., Suite M, Santa Rosa, CA 95407 Germany & Switzerland Don’t miss our large selection of Schaller & Weber! Teawurst, Bratwurst, Irish Banger, Lachsschninken, Black Forest ham, German Hand-made cheese (landsberg), Bismarck herring and more… German rye bread freshly baked !!!
Stop in for your Oktoberfest needs! Call or go on-line for hours: www.europeanfoodsonoma.com
707-527-0319
JUNE/JULY 2018
Travel to Germany!
•
GERMAN LIFE
German Ancestry Trips
15
4/20/2018 9:26:19 AM
COLOGNE TRADE FAIR— A BUSINESS PLATFORM WITH A LONG TRADITION BY ALEVTINA ALTENHOF
Each year, buyers and sellers from ��������������� sectors descend upon Cologne and make decisions that drive commerce around the world.
16
Cologne.indd 16
GERMAN LIFE
•
I
t was another busy fall morning inside one of the main entrances at the Cologne Trade Fair. At nine o’clock, as soon as the spacious hall opened its doors, curious visitors flocked in to purchase their tickets for the world’s largest and most renowned food exhibition—Anuga. Neatly dressed in business suits and with fashionable bags, most of them hurried to the exhibition venues passing through a turnstile and scanning a ticket, while a few stood around in search of some information, reading signs or speaking with one of the reception ladies. As a part of a team of interpreters which regularly offers services in ten world languages during international fairs, I observed the
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:45:06 PM
TOP: KOELNMESSE TODAY. THE ATTRACTIVE EXHIBITION GROUNDS IN THE HEART OF COLOGNE. COURTESY KOELNMESSE.DE TOP RIGHT: NORTH ENTRANCE OF THE KOELNMESSE TODAY. COURTESY KOELNMESSE.DE
hustle and bustle from my workplace behind the counter. Providing visitors with some useful instructions from time to time, I felt that I was also part of this exciting event—the event which in fact has motivated me to share some interesting information about the renowned exhibition grounds through the eyes of an insider. Almost 160,000 visitors had been anticipating the tastiest trade fair in the world for two years (the previous Anuga took place in October 2015). Now across almost 300,000 square meters, over 7,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries were displaying their best products—ranging from organic, frozen and fine foods to different drinks and dairy products—all under one roof. The big trendsetter and the most significant venue for newly-launched products from the world of food, “Anuga has been continually increasing its number of visitors over the past ten years,” shared Dietmar Eiden, vicepresident of trade fair management at Koelnmesse, with a touch of pride. Since Anuga 2015 alone, the number has grown almost by half. According to him, “sixty nine percent of the visitors come from abroad, from all 192 countries.” This figure has increased owing to the fact that the renowned platform for new food products only opens its doors to a qualified trade audience, and not to coincidental passers-by who might just call in to try some new exclusive food and drink products. “Purchasers from the retail industry or online markets are especially welcome to attend the trade fair, as long as our exhibitors can profit from them,” continued Herr Eiden. Indeed, all visitors to the exhibition have to prove their trade status and visiting with children is generally discouraged. From the interpreters’ counter, every now and then I observed that members of the reception staff often have no other choice than to turn a blind eye when they spot parents with children scanning their entrance tickets to gain access to this unique world of food. But what else can you do if a mom or dad is the owner of a small business and has come here early on a Sunday morning hoping to strike some kind of a deal? If it is not their first visit to such a large-scale exhibition, some of the children will be able to guess that this “journey” from one pavilion to another and between hundreds of booths might well last for several hours. And only taking occasional breaks sitting somewhere in the corner and being offered some tasty treats or other delicacies will enable the entire family to remain happy through the day. JUNE/JULY 2018
Cologne.indd 17
•
GERMAN LIFE
17
4/17/2018 1:45:19 PM
KOELNMESSE’S MESSEHOCHHAUS TODAY. COURTESY KOELNMESSE.DE
I left my workplace to proceed to hall number 11 where I met a client to serve as interpreter for his business discussions. Interestingly, pavilion number 11 with Fine Food turned out to be my favorite at Anuga, for all kinds of fine, delicatessen foods and gourmet dishes were on display here. It is also the largest Anuga trade show to date, with almost 4000 exhibitors from such exotic countries as Georgia, Fiji or Qatar proudly showcasing their best foods and drinks. Some business negotiations at the booths take up to a couple of hours with exciting discussions. Once I accompanied two beekeepers from Ukraine who were looking for established partner companies interested in purchasing and distributing Ukranian buckwheat honey in their countries. Koelnmesse is, after all, an excellent place to bring people together and where demand and supply meet, to put it in economic language! At the end of the day I thought I knew everything about honey and its production, and had tasted so many different types. Sometimes I need a break, especially after such comprehensive talks. If the weather is nice and there is no rain, I head to the spacious Piazza to take some fresh air and drink a cup of coffee. Situated between the pavilions, this broad Boulevard acts as the central access connecting the northern and southern pavilions of the exhibition complex and is a perfect meeting point for taking a break. Seeing many people there, busily talking about their businesses even during their coffee break, shows that Koelnmesse—whether inside or outside—is a true business platform, and a very successful one. It is really hard to estimate how many business transactions are completed at the exhibition grounds in any one year, because these figures are seldom disclosed. One thing seems to be obvious, however, the Cologne Trade Fair is one of the largest drivers of industrial growth and biggest employers in Cologne. 18
Cologne.indd 18
GERMAN LIFE
•
KOELNMESSE FAÇADE AND THE TRADE FAIR TOWER IN 1928. COURTESY KOELNMESSE.DE
The Koelnmesse GmbH exhibition grounds are home to about 80 trade fairs, exhibitions and other special events annually. More than 25 different business sectors use these spacious exhibition grounds as a showroom for their products. The most popular trade fairs taking place annually or every two years include “imm” (furniture, interiors and design), photokina (photo and images), gamescom (interactive games and entertainment), IDS (for dentists), ISM (sweets and snacks), and Anuga (global food industry). Over 50,000 exhibitors from 127 countries and some 2.6 million visitors from all over the world annually converge in Cologne. Beyond that and due to the variety of locations—as well as the extremely motivated and experienced team—Koelnmesse hosts numerous special events and conferences. The Cologne trade fair also has innumerable accredited journalists, advertising and press contacts, and subsidiaries or representative offices in over 100 countries worldwide and on all continents. There is even a subsidiary of Koelnmesse in Chicago. The entire network functions so successfully at home and abroad thanks to the tremendous commitment and enthusiasm of its employees, trading partners and experts, who support and organize such great trade fairs and help
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:45:37 PM
TOP & LEFT: KOELNMESSE’S PIAZZA, A CENTRAL MEETING POINT FOR TRADE SHOW EXHIBITORS AND ATTENDEES. BOTH IMAGES COURTESY KOELNMESSE.DE
international companies globalize their businesses. Other important players in the organization of business collaboration around the globe are the German federal state of North-Rhine-Westphalia and the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. They are a driving force behind helping products “made in Germany” benefit from an excellent shared platform for boosting domestic goods at home. But other international markets are keen to present their know-how at the trade fair, and other events are also welcome to participate and receive all the assistance they might need to develop their image on stage at one of the most renowned and top-quality exhibition centers worldwide. Quality at Koelnmesse is par excellence without any doubt, no matter what: cleanliness, diversity of the catering service, or simply the quality of food! On the premises of the exhibition complex in the heart of Cologne there are around 40 cafés and snack points to choose between. There are also shopping facilities, a post office, a medical center and cash points. During some trade fairs, busy parents can leave their kids from the age of 3 at the kindergarden—also provided by the Koelnmesse. In one word, the services fit many needs, whether you are a customer or an employee. Yet it took time for Koelnmesse to create such a success story. In retrospect, the first small sample shows date back to 1924, when the 11th of May marked the official opening ceremony of the exhibition grounds in Cologne. During the first decade, the shows were organized for certain economic sectors, mostly focusing on such exclusive ones as interior decorations, household items, press and media. Between 1934 and the end of WWII, the exhibition grounds—after they had been severely destroyed by allied bombing—were partly used as a
prisoner of war camp. But by 1947, several halls had been reconstructed and were being used as exhibition space. The so-called years of the “economic miracle” (19541963) brought the Cologne Trade Fair enormous success, turning it gradually into a leading trade fair, while the following decade (1964-1973) saw years of investment in the expansion of the exhibition grounds. By the end of its sixth decade from its foundation, Koelnmesse was recognized on the international stage, and was able to organize trade fair events around the globe. During the 1990s it had grown into a leading global trade fair and established several subsidiaries abroad. Since the beginning of the 21st century, it has ranked as the fifth largest trade fair company worldwide. Now, for more than 90 years, Koelnmesse has been bringing people and markets together. And for more than 5 years, I have been part of this tremendous business platform, where the entire world meets under one roof. Visitors, exhibitors, organizers and employers alike look forward to their time here, each with their own targets, of course. I am looking forward to the next exhibition, too, from a different perspective, though. GL
Getting to Cologne Trade Fair The Cologne-Bonn International Airport is connected with over 100 destinations. Using the high-speed InterCity Express (ICE) trains, you can quickly reach other international airports: Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Brussels and Düsseldorf. The train stops at the ICE station Köln Messe-Deutz, directly in front of the exhibition grounds. JUNE/JULY 2018
Cologne.indd 19
•
GERMAN LIFE
19
4/17/2018 1:45:51 PM
SWISS NATIONAL DAY IN NEW GLARUS, WISCONSIN BY DON HEIMBURGER
�������������������������������� to celebrate in “America’s Little Switzerland.”
I
t’s a day Swiss-Americans look forward to all year. It’s always a day of food, fun, singing and dancing, and also a solemn day of remembrance and allegiance to Switzerland. In New Glarus, Wisconsin, Swiss National Day, which has been celebrated in a formal way every August 1 since 1929, in commemoration of when Switzerland first became a country, takes on a special meaning because the majority of the residents are of Swiss descent. The vibrant town, named after the eastern Swiss canton of Glarus, has a population of about 2,000 who swarm to William Tell’s Shooting Park on the edge of the village to proclaim their heritage in speeches, music, dance, Alphorn performances, yodeling, flag tossing and more. By early afternoon, William Tell’s Shooting Park is packed with cars, bench seats under the large, shady trees are filled to capacity and there are plenty of customers for the “New Glarus veal bratwurst” from a local meat market stand set up at one end of the park, sponsored by the Männerchor New Glarus. Up on the stage, emcees, Männerchor members and other performers at the Volksfest, approach the stage for 20
GERMAN LIFE
Heimburger.indd 20
•
last-minute schedule changes and conversation, as small children in colorful Swiss trachten wander through the crowd looking for their parents and giggling. Settling into comfortable folding chairs, Ernest Jaggi and his wife Theresa share they have been coming to the Swiss Day celebration since 1955. He’s been a member of both the men’s local four-part Männerchor choir and the yodeling club in town. “I like this celebration,” he smiles, “I like everything about it.” Dennis Streiff, 88, is a fourth generation Swiss-American whose mother spoke with a Swiss-German dialect, he says. He adds, as a baby he recalls the Swiss Day celebration in New Glarus as a special day. “The celebration started in the late 1920s,” he remembers. Dennis’ great grandfather, Fridolin Streiff, came to New Glarus in 1860, 15 years after the first settlers arrived in town. He’s not concerned that his ancestors came to New Glarus more than 150 years ago; he believes he’s still connected to the original settlers of the town. He says he’s been told, “A Streiff is a Streiff is a Streiff.” Marlies, 10, Brock, 8 and Barrett Brändli, 7, members of the New Glarus Kinderchor, are attending the celebration
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/19/2018 11:39:39 AM
OPPOSITE PAGE: THE NEW GLARUS MÄNNERCHOR, FOUNDED IN 1912, IS A MEN’S CHOIR FORMED TO SING FOUR-PART GERMAN-LANGUAGE MUSIC. THE GROUP CONTINUES TO PERFORM TODAY. ROW 1, LEFT TO RIGHT: HERMAN KAMMER, JOHN KONANZ. ROW 2: ARNOLD KEHRLI, SR., WILLIAM KLOSSNER, BALTZAR DUERST, JOHN THEILER, FRED SCHELTLI, HENRY Z. DUERST. ROW 3: NICHOLAS HEFTY, FRED MAURER, EMIL SCHIESS, JOHN LEUENBERGER, ERNEST HELD, SR., ERNEST GROSSENBACHER, GOTTLIEB GMUR. ROW 4: JACOB SCHACHTLER, JACOB SCHNEIDER, ERNEST MAURER, EMIL SCHWEITZER, ALBERT STRUEBIN, KARL ITTEN, FRED BEILER. COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN DIGITAL COLLECTIONS/NEW GLARUS PUBLIC LIBRARY, NEW GLARUS, WISCONSIN. MEMBERS OF THE GREEN COUNTY ALPHORNS GATHER FOR A PRACTICE BEFORE THEIR LAST STAGE APPEARANCE OF THE DAY. COURTESY DON HEIMBURGER.
in the park as part of the young group that is perpetuating the tradition of Swiss folk singing. The family lives in Monroe, 16 miles away, but their parents make the trip to add their support to the fest. Then there’s Alfred and Suzanne Zimmerman who’ve come to the festival for 12 straight years. “My three grandsons were all Cheese Day Princes at this event,” he beams. Marvin Creuzer and his wife, Sharon, say they come to the event for the accordion music, and Don Marty, who proudly proclaims he’s “100% Swiss,” comes “because there are a lot of people here with the same interests.” New Glarus has a special story to tell about how it was formed. Maintaining much of its Swiss heritage since it was founded in 1845 by 108 settlers from Glarus, Switzerland, the town is called “America’s Little Switzerland.” The settlers purchased 1,200 acres of farm and timber land bordering the Little Sugar River. So it’s not unusual at the Swiss Day celebration to walk up to someone who can tell you how far back their Swiss heritage extends. To emphasize the point about their proud Swiss heritage and one of Switzerland’s most famous products, in 1905 a proposal was presented to the people of New Glarus that Limburger cheese be “declared legal tender for the payment of all debts and a medium of exchange throughout the district.” Besides the Männerchor group, formed in 1912, which sings at the event which it also sponsors, there are a long list of participants in the festivities of the day. There’s the Jodlerklub, whose members sing, play the alphorn horns
MARLIES, 10, BROCK, 8, AND BARRETT BRÄNDLI, 7, MEMBERS OF THE NEW GLARUS KINDERCHOR, ARE HELPING TO PERPETUATE THE TRADITION OF SWISS FOLK SINGING. COURTESY DON HEIMBURGER.
JUNE/JULY 2018
Heimburger.indd 21
•
GERMAN LIFE
21
4/17/2018 1:47:02 PM
DENNIS STREIFF, 88, IS A FOURTH GENERATION SWISS-AMERICAN WHO RECALLS THE SWISS DAY CELEBRATION IN NEW GLARUS SINCE HE WAS A YOUNG BOY, AS A VERY SPECIAL DAY. HIS GREAT GRANDFATHER HELPED SETTLE THE TOWN. COURTESY DON HEIMBURGER.
and participate in the Fahnenschwingern (flag throwing) contest; and the Kinderchor formed in 1998, whose members learn songs in Swiss-German and English through oral tradition and then hone their skills at weekly rehearsals. Also participating is the Monroe, Wisconsin Swiss Singers, a group which has grown to 40 members from the south-central part of the state and even from across the state line in Illinois; the Jodelchörli Alpsteinblick; and guest soloists. The event’s closing number was presented by the Green County Alphorns. “What do I like about Volksfest?” asks Beth Zurbuchen, president and CEO of New Glarus’ Swiss Center of North America. “I grew up knowing I am a Swiss-American, as my grandfather and all my great grandparents emigrated from Switzerland,” she explains. “Attending the celebration of Swiss National Day with dappled sunlight filtering through the giant oak trees, I actually feel Swiss in America. I feel my Swiss roots growing stronger, as together we celebrate not only a shared ethnic heritage, but our shared personal histories.” “When I first had someone from Switzerland say to me ‘you are more Swiss than we are,’ I was a little taken aback. How could that be, I thought? Today, after eight years running the National Swiss Cultural/Heritage Center—that statement, which is made often by the Swiss people here, makes me smile, nod my head, and say—yes we are. And that makes me extremely proud,” she says. Peter Etter, who directs the Independence Day activities, in his spare time helps do translations for the Swiss 22
GERMAN LIFE
Heimburger.indd 22
•
A MOTHER AND HER DAUGHTER ENJOY THE WARM SUN AND THEIR SWISS TRACHTEN AT THE NEW GLARUS VOLKSFEST. COURTESY DON HEIMBURGER.
Center, works with the local Tourism Office and leads tours for the Chamber of Commerce and the Swiss Historical Village. In 1999 New Glarus was chosen as the home of the Swiss Center of North America, a cultural center dedicated to the preservation and celebration of Swiss culture. Chicago, New York and Toronto were also considered, but New Glarus was ultimately chosen because of its central location and the large concentration of Swiss-Americans in the vicinity. The center works closely with the Embassy of Switzerland in Washington, D.C. The center also features the Don Tritt collection, a oneof-a-kind resource for Swiss culture, heritage and genealogy consisting of more than 10,000 pieces. The Swiss Center also works closely with the many Swiss organizations in town to promote the Swiss Day activities. Between the Swiss-style architecture of many of the town’s buildings, the typical Swiss food served in the local restaurants and the annual, fun-filled National Swiss Day, you just can’t get much closer to Switzerland without actually living there. GL
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:47:17 PM
EVERYONE GETS A CHANCE TO PERFORM AT THE FESTIVAL, EVEN THE SMALLEST CHILDREN. COURTESY DON HEIMBURGER.
If You Go… New Glarus is 105 miles west of Milwaukee and 145 miles northwest of Chicago. Besides the unique and Swiss-style features of the downtown area, the New Glarus Brewery Company right outside of town, housed in a look-alike Swiss-style castle, was started by the ��� woman to found and operate a brewery in the U.S. Visit www.newglarusbrewing.com The New Glarus Hotel Restaurant downtown was constructed in the pre-Civil War era by Swiss immigrants in 1853 and became a center of activity for travelers and tradesman. The hotel’s main dining room was once an old opera house, and the restaurant has had only three generations of owners since it became a restaurant. Of course, cheese fondue is one of their specialties, as are Rösti, Wienerschnitzel and Sauerbraten. Visit www.newglarushotel.com The Chalet Landhaus Inn on Highway 69, which also features Swiss cuisine, is built in the traditional Swiss style and is within easy walking distance to downtown New Glarus. For more information go to www.chaletlandhaus.com. For more information on New Glarus, its attractions and its many summer festivals such as the Polkafest, Heidi Festival and Oktoberfest, go to www.swisstown.com.
SWISS TRACHTEN IS A FAMILIAR SIGHT AT SWISS INDEPENDENCE DAY. DISPLAYING THEIR SWISS FASHIONS ARE ANITA KOLLER, LEFT, AND ESTER ZGRAGGEN, WHO OWNS A EUROPEAN IMPORT SHOP IN DOWNTOWN NEW GLARUS. COURTESY DON HEIMBURGER.
JUNE/JULY 2018
Heimburger.indd 23
•
GERMAN LIFE
23
4/17/2018 1:47:34 PM
THE MAGIC OF SCHWÄBISCH GMÜND BY PETER VOGT
Explore the land of crusader ��������������� and silver.
I
t was 29 September of the year 1168, and much of the small southwest German town of Gmünd (named for the confluence of the Rems with tributary streams) lined the muddy street. The word had spread! Soon a procession on horseback came into view. Cheers arose as an imposing middle-aged man with a red beard passed—it was the Emperor himself, Frederick I, known by his byname Barbarossa. He was visiting town from his castle on the Hohenstaufen to the south. (The dynasty had adopted its Staufen name from the peak on which they built their castle—the peak resembles an inverted cup). Gmünd was the first town founded by the Staufen dynasty, about 1100 AD—before they ascended the throne. Barbarossa had strengthened Imperial power and distinguished himself accompanying his uncle Conrad II on the 114748 Crusade. Some men watching their emperor ride by might join him on the next Crusade, where Barbarossa would drown (1190) while crossing a river. A century later, Gmünd would be designated a self-ruling Free Imperial City. By then the imposing Johanniskirche (St. John’s Church) had replaced the church Barbarossa knew. Some Gmünd families—encouraged by the Staufens—were emigrating east to settle among Slavs and Magyars 24
GERMAN LIFE
Gmund_Vogt.indd 24
•
As the centuries rolled by, Gmünd would become known throughout Europe for its high quality scythes (1500s) and by the 1800s its gold and silver jewelry was widely exported. By the early 1900s electroplating silver onto glass and porcelain made the world’s finest silver overlay. Hitler had named his fateful 1941 invasion of the USSR Operation Barbarossa—ironically, the post-war “ethnic cleansing” of Germans from Eastern Europe expelled descendants of those whom Barbarossa had encouraged to settle there eight centuries earlier. The Gmünd of today (renamed Schwäbisch Gmünd in 1934 to avoid confusion with other Gmünds) is much larger (60,000 people), more diverse in industry and more diverse demographically (more than 30% lack local ancestry) than ever before. But wait—let’s go back fully 1000 years before that redhaired Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire rode into Gmünd. The frontier of the Roman Empire at its height passed just north of the present city. Called the Limes (pronounced “Lee-mes”), this 568 kilometer (353 mile) fortified border boasted 120 troop encampments and 900 watchtowers, connecting the Rhine with the Danube frontiers. This defined the Roman border, defended against attacks and unwanted immigration, but also allowed peaceful trade with barbarians to the north. The final form was built under Caesar Antonius Pius (reigned 138 to 161 AD on our modern calendar, and also built the Antonine Wall in Scotland). The western Limes segment, largely palisaded, separated Germania Magna (uncon-
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:48:44 PM
quered area inhabited by Germanic tribes) from Germania Superior (Upper Germania—i.e. upstream on the Rhine—ruled by Rome). The eastern segment of the Limes, built with stones, separated Germania Magna from another Roman province (Raetia—presently parts of Bavaria and Austria). The Raetia-Germania Superior “interstate” border ran just west of present Gmünd. The Romans built a small fort there, today called Schirenhof, where around 500 Roman infantry of the Cohors F. Raetorum (stone inscription) could guard the Rems River below and monitor signals from nearby watchtowers. This was their westernmost fort on the Raetia-Germania border. Archeologists found the fort had its own Roman-style bathhouse, burial ground and a nearby settlement housing workers, traders and family members of the troops. The fort was manned from about 150 AD to sometime after 248 AD (the youngest dated coin found). In a small victory for modern science, a tree trunk once part of the palisade survived by burial in mud below a local stream and was dated with tree rings—the oak was felled in the winter of 163-164 AD, confirming what had been suspected from history and archeology. Apparently the Romans abandoned much of the Limes for strategic or economic reasons—no evidence for local battles has been found. Alemannic peoples might have settled in this area later and before the founding of Gmünd, but evidence is lack-
OPPOSITE PAGE: SCHWÄBISCH GMÜND’S CENTRAL MARKET FEATURING A BAROQUE MERCHANT HOUSE WITH LARGER HALFTIMBERED GRAET NEARBY (OLD COURTHOUSE BUILT ON MIDDLE-AGE FOUNDATIONS). COURTESY ALEXA MANGOLD. TOP LEFT & RIGHT: THE SILVERWARE MUSEUM AT THE OTT-PAUSER FACTORY CAPTURES THE ERA OF THE GOLDSMITH AND SILVERSMITH IN SCHWÄBISCH GMÜND. COURTESY OTT-PAUSER.
THE ROMANESQUE JOHANNISKIRCHE (ST. JOHN’S CATHEDRAL) WAS RESTORED TO ITS ROMANESQUE FORM BETWEEN 1869 AND 1880. COURTESY ALEXA MANGOLD.
JUNE/JULY 2018
Gmund_Vogt.indd 25
•
GERMAN LIFE
25
4/17/2018 1:49:03 PM
SCHWÄBISCH GMÜND’S BAROQUE CITY COURTHOUSE IN BACK, AND LARGE HALF-TIMBERED ‘GRAET’ (OLD COURTHOUSE ON MIDDLE AGE FOUNDATIONS) ON THE RIGHT. COURTESY ALEXA MANGOLD.
ing. Some nine centuries would pass—did the present Gmünd area revert to forest? Some other European cities (Paris, London, Trier, Cologne) have been continuously occupied since their founding in Roman times. In any case, the German Limes and Britain’s Hadrian and Antonine walls are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites and carefully preserved. Schwäbisch Gmünd is a good base for those who want to explore the remains of this amazing feature besides strolling the streets of Barbarossa’s city. A guardian angel must have protected Gmünd from wartime destruction! The “worst”—two city towers damaged—happened on 26 November, 1525, when a Protestant army fired cannons at Catholic Gmünd, causing surrender and plunder. However, its sword-point religious conversion was soon annulled by the Holy Roman emperor. This was just one of various sectarian conflicts— triggered by the Reformation—throughout which the city stubbornly remained Catholic. It was again spared during the Napoleonic Wars, but (as a result of the Emperor siding against France) was ceded to the Kingdom of Württemberg. Cavalry from Protestant Württemberg rode into Gmünd on 9 September, 1802, to the dismay of residents. Gmünd’s 534 year-long status as a self-governing Free Imperial City ended that day. Four years later, the Holy Roman Empire itself was dissolved. No destruction in 1848 either, just short-lived euphoria followed by disappointment and emigration. World War I was not fought on German soil (although 683 Gmünders died), but the next war brought massive destruction to German cities. Schwäbisch Gmünd was 26
GERMAN LIFE
Gmund_Vogt.indd 26
•
spared Allied bombing for lack of valuable targets. However, as Allied forces invaded the disintegrating Reich, Hitler issued his infamous “Nero Decree” on 19 March, 1945. All German factories and other infrastructure were to be demolished to prevent enemy use. Fortunately saner minds prevailed—in and around town, local authorities simply hobbled factories by removing vital components. Gmünd was also to be defended. On 19 April, American artillery was shelling Mutlangen just to the north because German troops were reported present. Enter a Vichy French officer (Capitaine Paul Lemal)—also a Resistance double agent—who looked after French forced laborers working in Nazi Gmünd. As local Nazi bigwigs fled the city, Lemal conspired with police chief Piron to conscript French POWs to guard against expected looting by newly freed foreign laborers—and to hand the city over to the US Army peacefully. In fact, no shots were fired as US tanks entered Gmünd on 20 April. Lemal became a local hero and was honored repeatedly in post-war years. Ferreting out Nazis, denazification and keeping order were early US occupation goals. However, the Cold War with the USSR soon began, culminating in nuclear-tipped Pershing II missiles deployed by 1983 near Gmünd, facing distant Soviet missiles aimed at Western Europe. Moving around in local forests, these mobile launch batteries were a déjà vu of German V-2 batteries 40 years earlier. After endless but peaceful protests by locals, and the Gorbachev-Reagan IRBM (intermediate range ballistic missile) accords, the missiles were removed in 1987. The long US military presence in Schwäbisch Gmünd
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:49:19 PM
THE DESIGN OF THE GOLD AND SILVER FORUM CAPTURES SCHWÄBISCH GMÜND’S HISTORY OF JEWELRY PRODUCTION. THE BUILDING HOUSES SPACE FOR BUSINESSES AND REGIONAL ARTISTS AS WELL AS EXHIBITIONS AND A RESTAURANT. COURTESY ALEXA MANGOLD.
JUNE/JULY 2018
Gmund_Vogt.indd 27
•
GERMAN LIFE
27
4/17/2018 1:49:30 PM
17TH CENTURY ST. SALVATOR CHAPEL, CREATED FROM EARLIER CAVE. COURTESY ALEXA MANGOLD.
ended in May, 1991. GMÜND BESIEGED BY A PROTESTANT ARMY (1546). ORIGINAL: only to be quarried for The World War I era STAEDTISCHES MUSEUM SCHWÄBISCH GMÜND building stone. The barracks, once housHohenstaufen castle, ing Nazi officer traindating from 1070 AD, ing, and then the US suffered a similar fate 56th Field Artillery once it fell (1525 AD) Brigade, later served as in the Peasants’ War, a University of Maryits stones scavenged land satellite campus over the next two cen(1991-2002). turies and repurposed The link between the in nearby Göppingen. US and Gmünd lives (Well-preserved ruins on, notably in paintings of another Staufen casby Emanuel Gottlieb tle (1194 AD) remainLeutze (1816-1868), topped by solar panarguably the most faels—on the Rechberg.) mous Gmünd-AmeriIn Gmünd itself the can. Brought to the US by his immigrant parents, young Baroque style arrived late (1750s-80s) but caused much Leutze became an itinerant portrait artist in Maryland rebuilding of the old, notably the patrician houses lining and Virginia. He then returned to Germany to study art the present market. The Romanesque Johanniskirche had for 20 years. The failed 1848 revolutions helped inspire been ‘modernized’ with Gothic and Baroque additions. one of the most iconic paintings of US history: WashingMeanwhile, progressive 19th century demolition of the ton Crossing the Delaware. Another Leutze work adorns old city wall and its 23 towers and half-towers spared only the US Capitol—a giant nostalgic mural celebrating westtoday’s six towers and small remnants of the wall. Surward expansion. Although dead for 150 years, Leutze still prising is that already in the early 1800s many residents has fans—the Gmünd Leutze Club plans a US study tour wanted to save these icons—but were overruled because this year to commemorate his death. space was needed for new industry and because the walls As visitors we love the small historic cores of old citand towers had become unsafe. ies—with whatever remains of ancient structures. While Today, the surviving architectural legacy is carefully Schwäbisch Gmünd survived wartime destruction, premaintained. Tourists can visit the reconstructed foundaserving old structures, ruins and archeologic remains just tions of both of the Roman-era Schirenhof bathhouse and for their historic and nostalgic values is a rather modern the Romanesque-era Hohenstaufen castle. The latter venconcept. The Roman fort was abandoned after 248 AD, ue is used for reenactments—including fake swordfights but its ruins (before the 19th century popularly associated bound to entertain young audiences—from the time of with Attila the Hun) survived well into historic Gmünd— Barbarossa. Already in 1869-1880, the Johanniskirche 28
GERMAN LIFE
Gmund_Vogt.indd 28
•
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:49:52 PM
GOTHIC HOLY CROSS MINSTER (MÜNSTER), BUILT 1315-1521. COURTESY JOHANNES SCHÜLE.
was restored to its Romanesque form. Look carefully at younger buildings—for example, the Glockenturm (bell tower) repurposed after the original two Minster towers collapsed in 1497—and you may see stone foundations from the Middle Ages. While the city promotes increased tourism, most tourists appreciate that Gmünd is generally not overrun. Good hotels are found in the old town. Staying there, you can follow history and architecture on foot—explained on numbered panels—from the time of Staufen emperors to US Army/NATO deployment and modern industry. The Middle Age expulsion of Jews, 17th century witch executions and Nazi crimes are covered. The two ancient cathedrals are timeless treasures—wander through them with quiet contemplation. You can easily walk to other structures spanning eight centuries in age. For lunch, you might grab a Döner Kebab from a Turkish-German roadside stand. If weather permits, spend a few hours strolling through the new (2014) 80-acre garden-park along the Rems. Just behind the railway station you should walk up a steep path taken by pilgrims for centuries—the fourteen stations of the cross—to a unique pair of chapels partly hewn from sandstone—by enlarging existing caves—in the 17th century. Weather too wet or cold? Visit the Ott-Pauser’sche Museum, a former jewelry
and silverware factory full of 1850-1900 era tools and machinery. Rooms look like the craftsmen had just left. There’s a jewelry museum—even a corner where kids can make their own jewelry. A 17th century fountain in the central market is a perfect meeting spot. Outside town stretches a rolling tapestry of fields and woods—not endless suburban sprawl. Enjoy this bucolic scenery by foot, bicycle or car! To the south, the three wooded Kaiserberge (‘Imperial peaks’- Rechberg, Hohenstaufen and Stuifen) rise 1200 feet above their surroundings. I think of ancient cities as “palimpsests”—parchments with writing, and underneath, still partly legible, partly erased, some previous writing. Parchment was, like land still is, very valuable! Many centuries have imprinted their history and changing architecture to make the Schwäbisch Gmünd you see today. Okay, so the most recent “writing” (post-World War II) totally dominates, but let bygone centuries speak to you throughout the old town. And who knows what might still be excavated below your feet? As you head back, full of memories, to your Gmünd hotel room for the night, you might hear someone say “Gut’s Nächtle,” Schwäbisch for Gute Nacht or “Good Night.” Yes, Schwäbisch is descended from what those barbarian Alemannic tribes spoke, those who settled south of the Limes after the Romans pulled out. GL JUNE/JULY 2018
Gmund_Vogt.indd 29
•
GERMAN LIFE
29
4/17/2018 1:50:03 PM
GEMÜTLICHKEIT IN LAS VEGAS BY JOE GARTMAN PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY PATRICIA GARTMAN
Unassuming and unexpected. W���������������������
T
raveling the world can be expensive and time-consuming. If you’re willing to use your imagination, though, you can scratch your travel itch for less money and time in Las Vegas where you can: stand on the observation deck of the “Eiffel Tower” at the Paris Las Vegas hotel; take a gondola ride with a singing gondolier at the Venetian; visit Lake Como at the Bellagio; or salute the Statue of Liberty and admire the Manhattan skyline at the New York-New York hotel. Themed resorts will whisk you to ancient Egypt, the South Pacific, medieval England, Basin Street in New Orleans and much more. Perhaps one day some far-sighted entrepreneur will open a 5000 room hotel-casino in the shape of King Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein Castle (Ludwig, if he were still around, would probably be delighted), but for now Germany and Austria are sadly under-represented in Sin City. Yet I did find my own bit of German culture (and more) simply by looking for a good dinner. Sometimes a little absentmindedness leads to serendipitous results. I’d heard there was a German-American club in Las Vegas, and that once a week they serve a traditional German meal; so I called and made a reservation. I think I must have been a bit over-anxious (well, they were serv30
LaVegas.indd 30
GERMAN LIFE
•
ing schnitzel!), because I somehow got it into my head that dinner was on Friday; so on Friday my wife Patricia and I arrived right on time. We were surprised that there were just a few cars in the lot. The clubhouse appeared to be a half-timbered, gabled, Bavarian-style building, very neat and tidy, with daffodilfilled window-boxes and a large sign reading “GermanAmerican Social Club of Nevada” on the façade. The Alpine effect was quite fetching, and especially noticeable, because next door, sharing the roomy parking lot, was a Mexican seafood restaurant in a faux Spanish-Colonial building, whose roofline was rather startlingly edged with green neon. Spiky yucca plants edged the lot, and in the fading evening light I could see palm trees above the low silhouettes of the surrounding businesses. A perfectly ordinary Vegas tableau. “Freundschaft für alle” read the sign above the front door of the clubhouse. It turned out that the weekly dinner at the club is every Saturday night, and the only people there on this Friday were enjoying a friendly card game. However, the bar was open and over a nice pilsner I met the assistant bar manager, Mike O’Brien. Despite having a name that might (just possibly) suggest another
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:50:58 PM
OPPOSITE PAGE: REVENUES FROM FOOD AND THE BAR PLUS A MODEST MEMBERSHIP FEE HELPED THE CLUB PURCHASE THE BUILDING AND PAY FOR RENOVATIONS. THE GERMAN AMERICAN CLUB OF LAS VEGAS PROVIDES A BIT OF BAVARIA IN THE DESERT.
ethnic identity, Mike has been an active member of the club for sixteen years, serving on several boards of directors and, at various times, as bar manager, bartender and maintenance man. And that is just as it should be, as the club’s president, Steve Oldham, explained to me. “The club is open to anyone over 18 years old who meets the requirements of the by-laws, which include a commitment to preserving German culture, language and customs.” (I still think it was Mike O’Brien’s influence that caused everyone at the club to dress in green and eat corned-beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day, though!) The club was founded in 1971 by a small group of people determined to maintain their German roots in the Nevada desert. For ten years they held meetings, gatherings and celebrations in rented or borrowed locations around Las Vegas. As the group grew, they were able to buy the current clubhouse in 1981, but making the mortgage payments was a difficult challenge. One of the early members, Christiana Weasel, told me that since many members worked in the hospitality industry—this is Vegas, after all—they had the expertise to provide popular Saturday night dinner events as well as having a full-service bar in the club. The club bought the building and paid for its renovation with food and drink revenues and a modest
GERMAN-AMERICAN CLUB INSIGNIA.
JUNE/JULY 2018
LaVegas.indd 31
•
GERMAN LIFE
31
4/17/2018 1:51:11 PM
FRIDAY NIGHT CARD PLAYERS AT THE GERMAN-AMERICAN CLUB.
membership fee. Nothing much has changed in that regard. The clubhouse has had another major makeover during the last couple of years—new roof, new paint, new floor and much more—with virtually all the labor donated by members. Volunteers still prepare the Saturday night dinners and run the bar operation. The club capitalizes on the Las Vegas community of musicians and other performers for regular entertainment events: everything from jazz nights to big band performances to cabaret can regularly be found at the club. And, even on Sunday morning when the club is closed, those who crave some good German pop music can listen to long-time club member Silvia Brunn’s popular radio program, “The German Show” on AM 1400 at 10:00 a.m. Under the aegis of the main club, various groups of members pursue their own special interests. The Karnevalsgesellschaft (calling themselves the “Las Vegas Vagabonds”) celebrate Karneval-style events with traditional clothing and ceremonies; the Las Vegas Schützen (shooters) meet to practice and compete in indoor air-rifle marksmanship once a month; and then there is Die Lustigen Bayerischen Schuhplattler (“The Funny Bavarian Shoe-Slappers”), who practice their traditional dance steps weekly and perform regularly at festivals and events. Something is going on at the club most nights. There might be a variety talent contest, or a Sunday afternoon Heimatabend featuring folkloric performances from anywhere in the world, or just a Friday night gathering for cards and potluck dining. Oktoberfest and Maifest are both, of course, causes for great celebration. The public is invited for Oktoberfest, and in recent years the club has staged events at larger pub32
LaVegas.indd 32
GERMAN LIFE
•
lic venues as well as the clubhouse, to accommodate the crowds. Oktoberfest may be the bigger draw, but Maifest is just as festive. There’s music and dancing, (led by the Schuhplattlers, of course), traditional costumes, games, German beer and great food at both events. Las Vegas happens to be the annual locale, in early January, for the GAMGA gala: the German American Mardi Gras Association’s celebration of Karneval, Fasching, Fastnacht or what-you-will. It’s a big party in party town, held in one of the hotel-casinos, with attendees from all over the world—and the club’s “Las Vegas Vagabonds” are always part of the action. But what really impressed me that Friday night (when we wandered into the club expecting a schnitzel dinner and found we were twenty-four hours early) was the warmth of the greeting we received. We came back for several Saturday dinners, for the food, certainly; but also for the sense of welcome we found. That’s a rare feeling in a city as transient and outlandish as Las Vegas, and perhaps that’s why we joined. The club has a tradition: when a member passes away, the club members gather and release a flight of balloons as a send-off for the departed. And recently, after the balloons disappeared high in the desert air, I turned and looked at the Alpine chalet with its gabled roof and flower boxes, surrounded by palm trees and yucca plants, with its Mexican seafood restaurant neighbor, and I thought: the Gemütlichkeit is real, though the setting is a bit surreal. If someone finally does build that 5000 room Neuschwanstein-themed resort, with a dozen posh eateries “inspired” by famous chefs, I’ll bet they’ll never equal the club’s Saturday night dinners. And anyway—every once in a while, just for a change, what’s wrong with stepping next door for a fish taco? GL
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:51:22 PM
MEN’S MAIFEST STEIN-HOLDING CONTEST.
German-American Social Club of Nevada 1110 East Lake Mead Boulevard, North Las Vegas, NV 89030 (702) 649-8503 www.germanamericanclubnv.com
Other Tastes of Germany in Las Vegas Hofbräuhaus Las Vegas: Claiming to be “a perfect re-creation” of the Hofbräuhaus in Munich, this restaurant/beerhall is a franchisee of the original. It opened in 2004 across from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, just east of Las Vegas Boulevard—“the Strip.” It’s big, crowded and lively with well-organized jollity, familystyle tables, and a separate indoor beer garden complete with full-grown chestnut trees. There is a large menu of traditional German cuisine, daily live music, and a year-round program of events, in-
cluding Oktoberfest, of course. 4510 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89169 (702) 853-2337 www.hofbrauhauslasvegas.com Beerhaus at the Park: The Park is an urban “outdoor dining and entertainment district” (as the developers describe it), located in front of the T-Mobile Arena, and between the Monte Carlo and New YorkNew York Hotel/Casinos. Opened in 2015, there are trees, walkways, fountains and modern sculptures, including a 40-foot dancing woman. There are also several restaurants, including the Beerhaus, which features German and American style bar food (bratwurst, roast pork sandwiches, roasted potatoes, pretzels, fried pickles, etc.) and a large selection of draft beers. There are bar trivia games, and live music Thursday—Sunday evenings. 3782 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas,
THE SCHUHPLATTLERS CELEBRATE MAIFEST AT THE CLUB.
Nevada 89109 (702) 692-2337 www.theparkvegas.com Café Berlin: Owner Karina Bechtold, born in Berlin, came to Las Vegas on vacation with her husband, fell in love with the city and six years ago opened Café Berlin. Featuring “real traditional German food” including dishes whose recipes came “from Grandma,” the menu includes salads, soups, schnitzels, sausages, rouladen, sauerbraten and much more, with sides like pan-fried potatoes, potato salad, spätzle, etc. German beers including Warsteiner Dunkel and Weissbier are featured. Open for lunch and dinner. 4850 W. Sunset Rd 4850, Suite 100105, Las Vegas, Nevada 89118 (702) 875-4605 www.cafeberlinlv.com German Bread Bakery: You can �� dozens of kinds of breads and brötchen (rolls) at this family bakery, along with pastries like poppy-seed ��� mohnkuchen, jelly��� donuts called “berliners,” apple and cherry strudel, and much more. Of course there are cakes as well: cheesecake, beesting, apple crumb, Black Forest and more. Open since 2011, there are two locations: 2237 N. Rampart Blvd, Las Vegas (Summerlin), Nevada, 89128 (702) 233-2733 9255 S. Eastern Ave, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89123 (702)648-0077 www.germanbreadbakerylasvegas.com JUNE/JULY 2018
LaVegas.indd 33
•
GERMAN LIFE
33
4/17/2018 1:51:44 PM
THE LURE OF THE NORTH SEA AT ST. PETER-ORDING BY LEAH LARKIN
Settle into a Strandkorb, take in the salt air and enjoy beach life along the coast of the North Sea.
R
ain pelted down in torrents. A wild wind whipped across the sands and sea. Waves crashed ferociously on the shore. Welcome to the North Sea. Our visit last September was planned as a beach break with dips in the sea, sunning and relaxing on one of those ubiquitous Strandkorbs (hooded wicker beach chairs), walking and pedaling amongst the dunes. We had not expected hot sun, palm trees and beach vendors peddling pineapple and coconut slices. But, we hadn’t planned for harsh Arctic-like conditions either. “September is normally ‘schön’ (beautiful),” a woman at the St. Peter-Ording tourist office told me. “But the weather has changed so much. We no longer know what to expect.” Ever since friend Ingrid told me about meeting her future husband on a nude beach in this North Sea resort, St. Peter-Ording has beckoned me. That was ages ago, but I have wanted to experience the North Sea, not necessarily, however, the nude beaches for which the area is renowned. During the many years I lived in Germany, it seemed friends were often heading north for their beach break, not south to the French Riviera. What was the attraction? I had to find out. Sylt is the chic, expensive North Sea island resort. St. Peter-Ording with a 12-kilometer long beach offers lower prices and lots of family attractions. There are other resorts, as well as other islands. They all have an intriguing, magnetic appeal. When the rains stop, and they do, bundle up, walk along the beach, feel the invigorating wind in your face, the salty spray of the sea. Look down and marvel at nature’s artistic formations in the sand. When the tides are out, venture 34
GERMAN LIFE
Larkin_Sea.indd 34
•
onto the mud flats. Watch birds, kite surfers and dogs. Take a nap in a comfortable Strandkorb. Stop for refreshment at one of the beach restaurants high on wooden stilt-like structures. We were able to do all of the above, for at least short periods of time. We had hoped to bicycle (there are rental facilities everywhere) but were discouraged by the wind. The sun did peek out a few brief times. When it did, I quickly reached for my camera. Even without sun, there are some grand, artsy photo opps on the North Sea. St. Peter-Ording is on the western edge of the Eiderstadt peninsula with more exposure than other resorts, meaning more wind. Those fierce winds are actually an attraction for some— surfers and kite surfers. We watched and marveled at many of the latter as they soared across the sea and into the air at great speeds. The town is divided into four parts: Ording, Bad, Dorf and Bohl. You can easily bike to all, or take a free bus with the Kurkarte, tourist card provided by hotels and landlords. The card also entitles you to free beach access (2 euro without the card). We stayed in a Gasthaus in Ording, a quiet residential area along the beach. Dorf and Bohl are other residential areas with more guest houses as well as homes of locals. Both also offer easy beach access, lots of bicycle lanes and camping areas. Most of the action (shops, restaurants and the DünenTherme) is in Bad, the center of St.Peter-Ording. The unique North Sea climate is touted for its health benefits, as well as a cure for many ailments, particularly respiratory diseases. Dünen-Therme in the center of Bad is a state-ofthe art health and wellness center offering a wide variety
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:53:25 PM
of health and beauty treatments, from mineral baths to massages, saunas and facials. Thalasso cures with sea water, algae and mud are also included in its menu. The Therme has a gym, a large outdoor heated swimming pool with a turbo slide and an indoor sea water pool with a wave machine. It is the perfect place to escape the inclement weather for a day of pampering. Since our planned beach break was short, we preferred to brave the elements and stay outdoors. We did lots of walking, following routes on the trail map from the tourist office. There are endless possibilities: on the beach, along the elevated walkways atop the dunes, in the neighboring forests. Our best walk was an evening stroll when the sun actually appeared. We parked in a Strandkorb and watched a splendid sunset. During a daytime walk, we did get wet—totally soaked when the sky opened up and we were a long way from our cozy Gasthaus. That was when we discovered Zweite Heimat (Second Home), a wonderful, welcoming hotel and restaurant on the other side of a dune next to the sea. We ducked inside to take refuge. The name is perfect. The homey yet elegant ambience soothed our drenched souls. We made reservations for dinner later that night. It was the best meal of our stay. Fish are a favorite with us, and the North Sea offers plenty. At Zweite Heimat we savored a gourmet meal with Scholle (plaice). For more fish, we followed a tourist office recommendation and drove to a mini shopping center and the Räucherscheune, a fish restaurant and shop specializing in fish smoked on the premises. We both ordered fish soup, a hearty concoction with fat chunks of different fish, followed by smoked salmon. While the bounty of the North Sea is a plus for fish lov-
OPPOSITE PAGE: ST. PETER-ORDING OFFERS VISITORS SOME 12 KILOMETERS OF BEACH TO EXPLORE AND ENJOY. COURTESY SANKT PETER ORDING TOURISM. ©TZ SPO THIS PAGE TOP: FOR A BREAK FROM THE SUN, SAND AND SURF, THE WESTKÜSTENPARK & ROBBARIUM GIVES KIDS A CHANCE TO PLAY AND LEARN ABOUT ANIMALS AND NATURE CONSERVATION. COURTESY SANKT PETER-ORDING TOURISM. ©TZ SPO. THIS PAGE BOTTOM: DINING SEASIDE. COURTESY SANKT PETERORDING TOURISM. ©TZ SPO.
ers, St. Peter-Ording is paradise for dog lovers and their canines. Germany has always been dog friendly, with wellbehaved pooches often sleeping peacefully under restaurant tables while their owners dine. St. Peter-Ording goes the extra mile. The tourist office even has a brochure, Urlaub mit Hund (Vacation with dog). The resort has 50 dog service stations which provide free disposal bags for dog droppings and receptacles for the waste. Many JUNE/JULY 2018
Larkin_Sea.indd 35
•
GERMAN LIFE
35
4/17/2018 1:53:38 PM
THE EVER-POPULAR NORTH SEA STRANDKORB OFFERS SHELTER FROM THE WIND. COURTESY LEAH LARKIN.
restaurants have dog water stations. Dogs are permitted almost everywhere, including in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park, on the beaches and in restaurants. Most hotels accept dogs. Our Gasthaus has special rooms for guests with dogs. There are even certain marked beach areas (Hundeauslaufzonen) where dogs can romp in the surf and run on the beach leash free. Special Strandkorb sections are reserved for those with dogs. And, special FKK (Freikörper-Kultur, free body culture) sections reserved for nudists, more precisely those who like to shed their clothes at the sea, including my friend Ingrid. Germans do not make a big deal about nudity, and North Sea beaches commonly have sections for bare bodies. We had not intended to skinny dip among the nudists, nor was I searching for a naked husband-to-be. Yet I had hoped for a swim with bathing suit. No way. We
did spot one courageous non-nude soul swimming in the chilly water (17° C/62° F). No swim, but as mentioned, interesting walks including one on the mudflats when the tides recede. St. PeterOrding visitors need another tourist office brochure: Gehzeiten or walking times. This is a daily schedule of times of high and low tides, each lasting six hours. It is important to heed the times lest one been caught walking far from shore when the tides come in, or swimming when tides recede. The currents can be very strong, cautions the brochure. “Waters recede very fast with power. They can take people with them. Every year people need to be rescued,” said Wilhelm Rosenberg, owner of our Gasthaus. St. Peter-Ording belonged to Denmark until 1867 when it became part of Prussia. Its wandering dunes posed great problems for residents WATER SPORTS JUST ADD TO SANKT PETER ORDING’S ALLURE. COURTESY SANKT PETER-ORDING TOURISM. ©TZ SPO.
36
GERMAN LIFE
Larkin_Sea.indd 36
•
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:54:01 PM
If You Go: Pension Nackhörn, comfortable accommodations close to beach, Kirchenstrasse 16, St. Peter-Ording, +49 ( 0) 4682201429, www.nackhoern.dr Hotel Zweite Heimat, classy, cozy hotel adjacent to dune and beach with an excellent restaurant, Am Deich 41, St. Peter-Ording, +49 (0) 486347890, hotel-zweiteheimat.de Räucherscheune������������ estaurant, Im Gewerbegebiet, St. Peter- Ording, +49 (0) 4863- 3421.
THE PIER EXTENDS 1095 METERS TO THE SEA AND IS A BEAUTIFUL SPOT TO ENJOY THE SANKT PETER-ORDING SUNSET. COURTESY SANKT PETER-ORDING TOURISM. ©TZ SPO.
in the earlier part of the 19th century. Twice parishioners had to shovel their way to church. The Danish king ordered the planting of permanent vegetation to alleviate the problem. The town’s first hotel was built in 1877, marking the beginning of its popularity as a beach resort. Its healthy climate—the high levels of salts and iodine in its air—added to its popularity. An iodine spring was discovered in 1953. More Kur (spa) facilities were built. St. Peter-Ording attracts many regular, repeat guests. Residents of Hamburg, just an hour and 45 minutes away by car, often come for the weekend. Many come for
health reasons. In addition to the Dünen Therme, many hotels have a spa. Before settling in St.Peter-Ording, Rosenberg ran a large hotel in Würzburg. “I wanted something smaller. This is perfect.” He even likes the climate. “I don’t like hot summers,” he said. Although the weather during our visit was not what we had expected, we were not devastated. That wild, bracing climate had elements of excitement. The North Sea and St.Peter-Ording beaches are uniquely fascinating—definitely not the Med, but not without allure. GL
ST. PETER-ORDING OFFERS GERMAN FAMILIES A MORE AFFORDABLE BEACH DESTINATION. COURTESY SANKT PETER-ORDING TOURISM. ©TZ SPO.
JUNE/JULY 2018
Larkin_Sea.indd 37
•
GERMAN LIFE
37
4/17/2018 1:54:11 PM
PFORZHEIM BY JAMES ULLRICH
Destroyed by Allied bombing, Pforzheim started anew as the remains of the city’s former self silently keep watch.
N
estled in a valley at the gateway to the Black Forest lies an unusual monument to one of the Second World War’s forgotten victims. The memorial, set high on a hill overlooking a bustling urban center, doesn’t mark the resting place of a person. Rather, it marks the resting place of a historic city and many of its inhabitants, obliterated in a single night of fire. The thriving community it overlooks hums with modern life, but the memory of one horrible night is never far from its collective consciousness. Pforzheim is not on the tourist route, nor is it a place visitors seek for the historic half-timbered medieval ambience of places like Rothenburg or Dinkelsbühl. Located in a valley at the gateway to the Black Forest, Pforzheim hums along with 21st century energy. It exhibits all the traits of the modern German metropolis: focused efficiency, cultural diversity and economic prosperity. With a population of 120,000 souls, the streets buzz with the coming and going of immigrants in headscarves, professionals in suits and scruffy students attending the city’s well-respected university. Department stores and eateries crowd the main drag of the central shopping district. Placards advertising the museum of the “Historic Medieval Golden City of Pforzheim” can be seen hanging from light posts, evoking a mental image of cobbles and spires. That image clashes with the harsh, boxy concrete architecture dominating the environs. There is no gold to be seen nor anything predating the grim post-war
38
GERMAN LIFE
Pforzheim.indd 38
•
aesthetics. Something does not seem quite right. In the distance, a hill topped with gleaming metal blades casts a metaphorical shadow over the town. A visit to the museum reveals that, once upon a time, Pforzheim was every bit the wealthy medieval powerhouse its local historians claim. The early settlers were Romans who recognized the geographical advantages of this spot. The post-Roman community traded timber from the Black Forest until the early Middle Ages. For hundreds of years afterward, the city was synonymous with expert craftsmanship, packed with skilled workers creating intricate mechanical devices and beautifully detailed jewelry. The medieval craftsmen’s particular skill with gold earned Pforzheim the nickname “the Golden City.” Prosperity came. A university was chartered, soaring churches were consecrated and fine private homes were constructed. The turbulence of the Reformation came, as did a succession of emperors, wars and economic cycles. Through it all, compact Pforzheim’s workshops kept humming and its prosperity continued more or less unabated. Even the arrival of Nazism seemed like another historical chapter whose drama would come and go without significant impact on the fortunes of the Golden City. But history had other plans. Far away in Berlin, a decision was made that placed the little city at the gateway to the Black Forest directly on a path of destruction. With Germany’s war fortunes taking a turn for the worse, Pforzheim’s workshops were ordered to refocus their
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:55:13 PM
THE REMAINS OF THE DEVASTATED CITY WERE PUSHED TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CITY WHERE THEY BECAME THE WALLBERG. GLEAMING SPIRES FEATURING IMAGES OF THE OLD CITY MEMORIALIZE THE LIVES AND CITY LOST ON FEBRUARY 23, 1945. COURTESY JAMES ULLRICH. OPPOSITE PAGE: ITS SERENE RIVERSIDE VIEWS WOULD CONTRAST SHARPLY WITH A SIMILAR VIEW FROM 1945 WHEN PFORZHEIM WAS SUBJECTED TO ONE OF THE MOST INTENSIVE BOMBING CAMPAIGNS OF WWII. COURTESY TMBW/MENDE.
JUNE/JULY 2018
Pforzheim.indd 39
•
GERMAN LIFE
39
4/17/2018 1:55:24 PM
DECISION MAKERS OPTED TO NOT REBUILD PFORZHEIM IN ITS PREVIOUS HISTORIC STYLE FOLLOWING ITS NEAR TOTAL DESTRUCTION IN THE BOMBING OF FEBRUARY 23, 1945. COURTESY TMBW/MENDE.
work for the Fatherland’s defense. Craftsmen applied their mechanical skills to create precision instruments for airplanes, submarines and bombs. As 1945 began, the Allies’ systematic demolition of Germany’s industrial capacity was moving ever deeper into the Fatherland’s interior. British attention was drawn to the city’s important role in the German war machine. Unfortunately for Pforzheim, it held a reputation among Allied intelligence as a “workshop city,” meaning much of the work was done in small private spaces and homes rather than easily targeted industrial suburbs. Deep inside the planning chambers of RAF Headquarters in London, Pforzheim was circled on a map and identified as a “must-destroy” target. Orders were issued and bombers were armed. The 55,000 residents of the Golden City went to bed as usual on the frigid night of February 23, 1945 unaware of what was coming. High above in the clear winter sky, RAF bombers laden with incendiaries swept eastward over the Black Forest. Minutes later bombs rained down on the spires and cobbles, unleashing an inferno that swept through the historic city. Hemmed in by the valley, the firestorm incinerated buildings and people alike. In a mere twenty minutes, 90% of the city was reduced to ash and nearly 18,000 people, a third of the population, perished. The glow in the valley was seen for miles away as the fires burned until dawn. Following the assault there was little time for sentimentality. Thousands of survivors were homeless and the postwar rebuilding proceeded with typical German efficiency. The smoldering remains of the original town were bulldozed into a pile just outside the city limits, a literal sweeping of the past to make way for the new. The pile was covered with turf and left to settle into the earth as Germany looked forward. Turkish immigrants were brought in to construct a new 40
GERMAN LIFE
Pforzheim.indd 40
•
city on the ruins of the old one. The destruction was so complete that the city had little choice but to rebuild from scratch. A decision was taken to build in the “new” style, rather than follow the model of other cities that faithfully reconstructed their historic environs. This decision was not just about practicality; it was also a reflection of the city’s collective psychological need to leave the profound trauma of February 23rd in the past. The university was reestablished. Commerce returned. It took until 1975 for the population to reach 100,000. A busy, urban feel began to regenerate as life took hold again. Decades passed while the artificial hill, called the Wallberg, loomed silently in the distance. The hill on the outskirts of town bears no traces of its tragic origin. Gradually the Earth blanketed the ruins with grass, as if assisting the new city’s efforts to bury the past and move forward. It became known as a place for fine views of the valley and the forest beyond. Soaring bladelike silver towers were placed atop the Wallberg, each bearing photos and descriptions of the city’s destruction as a memorial to those who perished. They tell the story of a city turned to ash in an almost biblical warning of the cost of total war, lest we forget. On a sunny day the blades glint brilliantly like bayonets on the end of a rifle. Every February 23rd a remembrance ceremony is held there to commemorate the thousands who lost their lives in a storm of fire on that frigid night. It used to be well attended when those who recalled the old city and its destruction could still climb the hill. That generation has largely passed away now. To many locals’ despair, the ceremony atop the Wallberg becomes shorter every year. Today the cobbles and spires of historic Pforzheim are long gone. The Golden City’s glory days and wartime trauma are now firmly in the past. Modern Pforzheim is an energetic city that offers urban living on a human scale. It has become an administrative center for the smaller
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:56:30 PM
PFORZHEIM’S SCHMUCKMUSEUM IS THE ONLY MUSEUM IN THE WORLD DEDICATED TO JEWELRY. COURTESY SCHMUCKWELTEN PFORZHEIM.
A STATUE OF OTTO VON BISMARCK KEEPS WATCH OVER PFORZHEIM’S STADTGARTEN. COURTESY TMBW/MENDE.
WILDPARK PFORZHEIM
communities around it. Commerce is flourishing. Cultural institutions such as the city’s orchestra, archaeological site, zoo and renowned jewelry museum draw visitors. A classy art nouveau tower was added near the train station and a few historic buildings were nicely restored to add more aesthetic charm to the vicinity. Many nature buffs are drawn to the easy Black Forest access not unlike the Roman settlers 2,000 years prior. The city’s historic reputation for precision engineering has returned, bolstered by the Timex Group’s 2006 decision to engineer a line of high-end watches meeting the highest six-sigma standards in Pforzheim. This reputation was further enhanced by the founding of the Goldsmith and Watchmaking Vocational School, the only school of its kind in Europe. In many ways, it’s a microcosm of 21st century Germany: Multicultural, educated, and industrious—but living alongside tangible reminders of the trauma of war. In
2002, for instance, the economy was booming and plans were made for the construction of a sleek new shopping center to replace the decaying 1970’s edifice. Work was temporarily halted after the discovery of a 500 pound unexploded bomb, one of many that pummeled the city on the fateful night. A visit to the City Museum offers a fascinating insight into the full story of this place: the Roman founding and medieval heyday; the tragic RAF assault and the patient rebuilding; the fine golden trinkets and the Wallberg. It’s a cross the city will bear for all time: a narrative of success punctuated by profound tragedy. This is a place to learn and live and work, swathed in the sober post-war architecture necessitated by its hasty rebuilding. It may lack historical charm, but the Golden City’s phoenix-like resurrection from the ashes remains a point of deep pride for the citizenry, and speaks volumes about the indomitability of the German spirit. GL JUNE/JULY 2018
Pforzheim.indd 41
•
GERMAN LIFE
41
4/19/2018 11:40:45 AM
KARL MARX AT 200 BY ROBERT A. SELIG
Looking back at the man who contemplated the root causes of poverty and how class struggle shapes societies.
A PORTRAIT OF KARL MARX FROM 1875. COURTESY WIKIPEDIA/INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL HISTORY IN AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS/ JOHN JABEZ EDWIN MAYAL.
S
ocial historians often characterize the 18th century as poverty lay in cooperative banks as institutions to create the age of poor people, beggars and petty criminals, and increase private property that in turn would lift the nevertheless, the concept most of us have of the 18th poor peasants out of their destitution. (see “Friedrich Wilcentury is one of opulence, splendid baroque helm Raiffeisen and his Raiffeisenbank” in GL palaces, and ornately uniformed soldiers. ConApril/May 2018). Cooperative people’s banks, versely, that of the 19th century is often domior Vorschussvereine, where subscribers could make nated by slums and poverty, by Charles Dickens’ small deposits to obtain credit, also formed the David Copperfield, the orphans in Les Misérables approach propagated by Franz Hermann Schuland emaciated weavers of Silesia. Why is that so? ze-Delitzsch (1808-1883) in his efforts to assist The percentage of poor and destitute segments small tradesmen and artisans in their struggle to as part of the overall populace was not that much survive the juggernaut of industrialization. Once smaller in the 17th and 18th centuries than it again, augmenting private property became the was in the 19th century. But the absolute numway to escape poverty. Schulze-Delitzsch too ber of poor folks increased, and as poverty beappreciated the social dimension of Christ’s came more visible, society’s attitude regarding teaching, and like Raiffeisen rejected alms as a the poor and poverty changed, and continues to means to alleviate poverty. Rather these two men shape our attitudes. Catholic Church theology THE FIRST VOLUME OF wanted to provide assistance so that people could regarded poverty as a God-given state with beg- MARX’ DAS KAPITAL. help themselves, lift themselves up by their bootgars providing opportunities to do good deeds, COURTESY WIKIPEDIA/ straps—Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe. and Protestant ethic looked upon poverty as a ZENTRALBIBLIOTHEK But what was to be done with those poor who had moral failure, and thus neither of them considZÜRICH. not even a small core of property, be that a piece ered it its duty to address the roots of poverty of land or a one-man shop, that could serve as the by altering, if not overthrowing, the social order by either core to which more property could be added and eventualevolutionary or revolutionary means. ly—hopefully—lift the owner out of his poverty? The answer The attack on the root causes of poverty during the first provided by Karl Marx was as simple as it was revolutionary: half of the 19th century took two divergent approaches abolish private property as the root of all evil, and, while you in Germany, developed and formulated by men born the are at it, throw out religion as a factor in economics as well. same year: Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen (1818-1888) and Religion and economics must not mix, there could be no Karl Marx (1818-1883). Growing from an all-encomplace for religious concepts as a force in economic policies, passing Christian worldview, Raiffeisen’s solution to rural be that as a driver of growth via hard work since that lead un42
MARX.indd 42
GERMAN LIFE
•
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:58:01 PM
THE BIRTHPLACE OF KARL MARX AT BRÜCKENSTRASSE 664 (NOW BRÜCKENSTRASSE 10) IN TRIER, GERMANY. COURTESY WIKIPEDIA/ BERTHOLD WERNER.
told thousands into workhouses and debtor’s prisons, or as hindrances to growth when it asked the poor to accept their state as God-given and hope for a better life in the hereafter. Whether we like it or not, Marx is one of those (fill in the blank) Germans whose ideas exerted a profound and lasting influence on world history. Karl Marx was born on 5 May 1818, when Henriette Marx, née Pressburg (1788-1863) gave birth to a little boy in their home in Brückenstrasse 664 in Trier. The second son and third of nine children of Henriette and Heinrich Marx (1777-1838), the boy grew up in a secular, largely non-religious, home. Though Henriette’s grandfather had been a rabbi in Nijmegen in the Netherlands, and both Heinrich’s father, grandfather and older brother had been rabbis in Trier, Karl’s father Herschel changed his name to Heinrich when he had himself baptized (either in 1817 or 1818) into the Lutheran Church. Heinrich’s decision had less to do with his religious convictions, he was more interested in the ideas of Immanuel Kant and Voltaire than Martin Luther’s search for salvation, than with his desire to practice law, which he could not as long as he professed the Jewish faith. Karl and his siblings were also baptized into the Lutheran Church in August 1824, his mother in November 1825. In October 1835, Marx enrolled in the University of Bonn where Karl wanted to study philosophy and literature, contrary to his father’s wishes, who wanted his eldest son to become an attorney. In October 1836, he followed his father’s wishes and enrolled in the School of Law at University of Berlin, but continued to drift toward philosophy, particularly the ideas of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831). Marx, like other Young Hegelians such as Ludwig Feuerbach (1804-1872), Bruno Bauer (1809-1882) or Bauer’s brother-in-law Adolf Friedrich Rutenberg (1808-1869), rejected Hegel’s idealist meta-
BORN THE SAME YEAR AS MARX, FRIEDRICH WILHELM RAIFFEISEN HAD A CONTRASTING VIEW ON THE CAUSES OF POVERTY WHICH LED TO HIS COOPERATIVE BANKING SYSTEM THAT EMPOWERED THE RURAL POOR TO LIFT THEMSELVES UP BY THE BOOTSTRAPS. COURTESY WIKIPEDIA.
physics (the search for “What is there?” “What is it like?” Questions of existence vs perception of objects, space vs time) but he came to embrace Hegel’s dialectal method, meaning that world historical processes progress through conflict between theses and anti-theses. Hegel’s dialectics would later form one of the bases of Marx’ philosophy. When his father died in 1838, Marx was forced to seek income as a writer but found time to complete his doctoral thesis, The Difference Between the Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature. Since Marx’ conclusion— philosophy is superior to religion—turned out to be too controversial for the University of Berlin, he submitted it to the more liberal University of Jena, which awarded him a PhD in April 1841. Unwilling to change his political views, Marx dropped the thought of pursuing an academic career and moved to Cologne in 1842, where he became a writer for the Rheinische Zeitung. Already closely watched by the Prussian government, the paper was forced to shut down in 1843 when Tsar Nicholas I complained about its reporting on Russia. In October of the same year, Marx and his wife Jenny von Westphalen (1814-1881), a childhood friend whom he had married in June 1843 after a seven-year engagement, moved to Paris, where Marx became co-editor of the Deutsch-Französische Jahrbücher (German-French Annuals). The only issue of the Jahrbücher ever published (in February 1844) contained a seminal essay by Marx “Zur Judenfrage” (“On the Jewish Question”). At this point of his career he did not argue for the abolition of religion as such, but rather for the emancipation of the individual from religion in a secular state, a state that postulated no religious requirements for a person’s participation in the political, economic or social life of the state. Religious convictions or Jewish emancipation became ultimately irrelevant since an individual could be both spiritually and JUNE/JULY 2018
MARX.indd 43
•
GERMAN LIFE
43
4/17/2018 1:58:30 PM
MARX IMMERSED HIMSELF IN THE WRITINGS OF ECONOMIST ADAM SMITH AND FRENCH SOCIALIST CLAUDE HENRI DE SAINT-SIMON AND FORMED THE FRAMEWORK OF WHAT WOULD BECOME MARXISM. SMITH (LEFT) AND SAINTSIMON (RIGHT) COURTESY WIKIPEDIA.
politically free in the secular state he lived in yet continue to be bound to material limits to his freedom by his economic status, by the economic inequality pervasive in society. Put differently, Jewish emancipation, the removal of legal obstacles that had forced his father to convert to Christianity, replaced one religion with another but did not address the more fundamental question of economic inequality. His second meeting with Friedrich Engels (1820-1895) in Paris on 28 August 1844, changed both their lives. Engels had met Marx on his way to Manchester in England where he was to work in one of his father’s textile mills. Marx published Engels’ account of the horrors of the slums of Manchester in the Rheinische Zeitung and later in the Deutsch-Französische Jahrbücher. Engels’s idea that the working class would lead the revolution against the bourgeoisie as society advanced toward socialism, which he espoused in his The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844, confirmed and reinforced Marx’s belief, already formulated in his “Zur Judenfrage,” that the proletariat, the impoverished and exploited poor industrial workers without any property and therefore with nothing to lose, constituted the societal force whose revolution would end social inequality and eventually lead to socialism and communism. By late 1844, Marx had identified the major components of his political economy, but he still needed to weave them into a coherent body of thought. While living in Paris, Marx had immersed himself in the writings of economists such as Adam Smith (1723-1790) and French socialists such as Claude Henri St. Simon (1760-1825), which completed the ideological framework of a new economic theory that became known as Marxism and which he would expound in detail in his three-volume Das Kapital in 1867-1883. The earliest attempt to define what he came to call scientific socialism came in 1844 in his Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts. In the process of developing the manuscript Marx realized that he needed to base his interpretation of the economy, capital and capitalism on a materialistic world view. This realization led him 44
MARX.indd 44
GERMAN LIFE
•
FRIEDRICH ENGELS IN 1868. BOTH ENGLES AND MARX SHARED VIEWS THAT THE POOR, WORKING CLASS WOULD REBEL AGAINST THE BOURGEOISIE AND MOVE SOCIETY TOWARD SOCIALISM. COURTESY WIKIPEDIA/GEORGE LESTER.
to develop the concept of historical materialism. Idealism and philosophy had put abstract reality above the physical world, but ideas by themselves do not change the world. The world is changed only by actual, physical, material activity and practice. Or, as he put it in his Theses on Feuerbach, written in 1845 but not published in full until 1932. Thesis 11 states that “philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways, the point is to change it.” Put differently, this meant the idea that fundamental changes in political history were caused by corresponding economic struggle between ruling and oppressed classes. It is in this interpretation of historical change, of structural transformations in society as the result of a fight between opposites, that Marx integrated Hegel’s dialectics into his philosophy—but with a fundamental difference. If Hegel had interpreted progress as a struggle between ideas, Marx saw historical and societal progress as a struggle between economic classes. History progressed goaldirected, in stages that reflected the economic reality of the times, e.g. slave-owners v slaves, knights v peasants, bourgeois v proletariat. Every struggle between economic classes would bring about a new economic system, a new thesis, which inevitably would have its antithesis as the haves faced off with the have-nots. This struggle, however, would come to an end when the proletarian havenots defeated and destroyed the capitalists, since the most important result of this revolution, and the new society that would result from it, would be the abolition of what humans had fought over for millenia: private property, the most obvious manifestation of the material world. Concurrently Marx had adapted his view of religion in human life and society as well. Placing religion into his model of historical materialism, Marx now argued that any religion, like everything else, grew out of, and reflected, the social and economic structure and reality of the society where it was practiced. But understanding the origins and use, or abuse, of religion was only meaningful in connection with historical materialism: once the underlying struc-
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:58:30 PM
tures that had given rise to religion were removed, religion as a force in human life and society would inevitably collapse and disappear by itself. In his 1843 Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right he had argued that the primary function of religion was the preservation of the political and economic status quo and thus of economic inequality. “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions.” By February 1845, French authorities had expelled Marx upon the request of Prussia, which was incensed over his writings in the radical German-language Vorwärts! Marx now made his home in Brussels, Belgium, but had to promise authorities not to publish on current politics. In mid-July, Marx and Engels, who had joined Marx in Brussels in April, visited England, and Marx began work on German Ideology, his most thorough exposé of historical materialism, once again published only in 1932. But by the mid-1840s the time had come for Marx to stop interpreting the world and move on to develop and expound his ideas of how to change it. In The Poverty of Philosophy of 1847, Marx tackled the question of the theory and tactics of a revolutionary proletarian movement head-on. In contrast to Utopian Socialists, who believed that people had to be persuaded one at a time, Marx, as a Scientific Socialist, presupposed that people are most likely to act in accordance with their economic interests. The conclusion he drew from this was that to be successful, any movement had to appeal to a whole class, e.g. slaves, peasants, or, in his case, the working class, by pointing out to its members how their material interests would be best served. Since the capitalists would hardly surrender without a fight, the proletariat, the working poor, who already knew what their problems were, had to be shown an alternative to the existing society that would mobilize them to work to change that society. Marx was convinced that once conditions were right, the Socialist Revolution, just like the French and American Revolutions and other revolutions before them, would break out inevitably. This sociological model of the conditions for a revolution to break out can be applied to other revolutions, viz. the American Revolution: Grievances, e.g. the Intolerable Acts, leadership, e.g. the First and Second Continental Congress, sparks, e.g. Lexington and Concord, and a vision of the new society that was to emerge from that revolution, e.g. the writings of the French Enlightenment, of Montesquieu and Voltaire. In 1847 there it was only a short step to Marx’ most famous opus, the Manifest of the Communist Party. Written in cooperation with Engels beginning in December 1847, it was published in German in London on 21 February. It opened with the famous line that still serves as the foundation of Marxism: “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles,” and ends with the call for revolution: “The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends
can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Working Men of All Countries, Unite!” The next day, 22 February 1848, the first barricades went up in Paris as the largely middle-class opposition to King Louis Philippe took to the streets. From France a wave of revolutions swept across Europe, reaching Germany in March. True to his model of historical development through consecutive economic stages, Marx urged the working classes to support the political goals of the bourgeoisie, such as a German nation-state, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly. He believed that 1848 was the time when the bourgeoisie would overthrow the feudal monarchy, a necessary developmental step before the proletariat in turn could overthrow the bourgeoiscapitalist society. In the Spring of 1848, Marx moved to Cologne where he began publishing the daily Neue Rheinische Zeitung on 1 June. Less than a year later the revolution was crushed by Prussian troops and on 16 May 1849 Marx was ordered to leave the country. His first stop was Paris; when French authorities expelled him as well he moved to London with his family in August 1849. Marx spent the rest of his life in London, devoting his time to research and work on Das Kapital. The little income he drew from working as a correspondent for newspapers such as Horace Greeley’s New York Daily Tribune between 1852 and 1863 was not sufficient to feed his growing family, and he came to rely ever more on the generosity of Engels and the Dutch relatives of his mother— who refused to give him any money when he visited the 74-year-old woman in August 1862. The financial success of his A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy in 1859, however, provided Marx with the means to work on the three-volume study Das Kapital, the first volume of which appeared in 1867. Marx died in London in 14 March 1883 and was buried in Highgate Cemetery (East) in an area reserved for agnostics and atheists. Fewer than a dozen mourners attended his funeral. Marx had assumed, correctly, that people would always work to further their economic interests first, but, one could argue, drew the wrong conclusions from this. Human nature tends to always look out for oneself first. Most people work from the conviction that “their material interests would be best served” through the acquisition of just what Marx wanted to abolish: private property. In this respect, the solutions to poverty put forth by his fellow Germans at the same time turned out to be more realistic. In December 1848, Raiffeisen helped found the Flammersfelder Assistance Association for the Support of indigent Farmer, and Schulze-Delitzsch founded the first of many Vorschussvereine in his hometown of Delitzsch in 1850. In structures and make-up appropriate for the 21st century, both organizations based on the concept of mutual help and assistance but with the goal of creating private property, are still flourishing more than 150 years after their founding. GL JUNE/JULY 2018
MARX.indd 45
•
GERMAN LIFE
45
4/17/2018 1:58:34 PM
FRANKENMUTH BY MARLENE SHYER
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY FRANKENMUTH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
Can the American version of Bavaria be even more Bavarian than the German?
TOP: FRANKENMUTH’S BAVARIAN FESTIVAL CELEBRATES ITS 60TH ANNIVERSARY JUNE 7-10, 2018. PHOTO/JAMES SELESKA. A PRETZEL VENDOR IS JUST ANOTHER REMINDER THAT IT IS DIFFICULT TO STRAY FAR FROM FRANKENMUTH’S VERSION OF BAVARIA.
46
GERMAN LIFE
Frankenmuth.indd 46
•
T
here is virtually no dirndl-free zone in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Even the Germans who come to the United States to visit the city have remarked that the American version is more Bavarian than Bavaria. Everywhere one turns looks like a picture postcard sent from Hansel and Gretel; there are chalets festooned with flowers, signs that read Willkommen and a pretzel vendor with his wares piled on a stick. Nearby, a horse and carriage waits for riders. And what other United States post office is decorated with painted Hummel figures? These symbols of another time and place help to attract the nearly three million people who visit here every year to join the camera-ready town of approximately 5000 residents. They come and come back from as far away as China, and even include an unlikely busload of ladies who recently arrived for a long weekend from Fort Worth, Texas. A ninety-five-year-old gentleman from the nearby community of Saint Clair Shores remarked, “I come every year seven or eight times. We celebrate every family birthday here and have for years.” “It’s the Gemütlichkeit,” claims Dorothy Zehnder, the matriarch of the family that seems to own a part of everything that’s important in town. Her hotel, bought with her deceased husband, “Tiny,” is the s-p-r-a-w-l-in-g Bavarian Inn Lodge, run by her daughter, Judy, its president. The Bavarian Inn Restaurant, a shuttle-bus ride away, is also theirs. At ninety-five, Dorothy has written three cookbooks and still works in the kitchen six days a week. Twelve hundred seats and a staff of 450 means there’s no waiting for tables and there’s no waiting for music, either. An accordionist is always nearby.
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 1:59:48 PM
THE BAVARIAN INN LODGE OF FRANKENMUTH.
As is the music of the Glockenspiel, which sounds four times a day on the premises. The Bavarian Inn Restaurant and the one owned by Tiny’s brother Wally Zehnder, Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth, are known far and wide for their exalted chicken dinners. (205,500 chickens served annually at the Bavarian Inn alone.) Open every day except Christmas, this dish is the city’s Meisterwerk. Dorothy Zehnder explained that the recipe in both restaurants is pretty much the same but difficult to duplicate in a home kitchen. By popular demand, here is an approximation of the process as used for more than seventy-five years: The chicken is boiled (yes, boiled) first. Then it’s immediately put in an ice bath. When cold it goes into an egg wash and coated with a mix of bread and cracker crumbs and finally fried in vegetable oil. The pieces of dark and light meat are served (after an appetizer of noodle soup) with side dishes. They vary slightly seasonally but usually include: cranberry salad, coleslaw, mashed potatoes, gravy, pasta-and-chicken salad, noodles, stuffing and veggies. Various desserts are offered but highly recommended is the tart-tangy cranberry sorbet. A dinner for two including a glass of wine runs approximately $55. There are many other dining choices in town, including The Old Christmas Station, formerly a corner tavern and
now a local favorite, and Prost Wine Bar and Charcuterie. This new spot has a cozy chandeliered gazebo outside and is a good place for lunch: one specialty is a baked avocado and crab salad, but the locally-made Jagdwurst is popular here too. For a good brat with two types of mustard, there’s Tiffany’s on South Main Street or at Fischer Platz. This is a casual outside café with an evening oompah band that plays lively and eclectic music. Watching the enthusiastic dancers go to it on a Saturday night is a free floor show. Joining them is even better exercise. In Frankenmuth there always seems to be time to celebrate. There is a general air of revelry wherever one goes as festivals celebrating music, crafts, lobsters, snow, scarecrows, autos, you-name-it, pop up all year, mostly on weekends. Parades, races, contests of every imaginable variety, dancing demonstrations by the local Mädchen and Jungen to familiar German songs inevitably feature the bright blue color associated with the flag of Bavaria. Frankenmuth’s Oktoberfest is the only one sanctioned by the German government outside Germany. It is held in September, lest a Michigan October be too chilly, and thousands attend. What is the origin for this passion for Schnitzel, Lederhosen and all things German in the American Heartland? It has its roots in the middle of the 19th
THIS YEAR WILL MARK THE SECOND YEAR THE BAVARIAN FESTIVAL WILL BE HELD IN DOWNTOWN FRANKENMUTH. PHOTO: JAMES SELESKA.
JUNE/JULY 2018
Frankenmuth.indd 47
•
GERMAN LIFE
47
4/17/2018 2:00:02 PM
ZEHNDER’S SPLASH VILLAGE HOTEL AND WATER PARK.
century, when a German missionary in the Midwest sent a plea for assistance and Wilhelm Loehe, a pastor in the village of Neuendettelsau in Bavaria, responded. This devout Lutheran conceived the “mission colony,” a better life for emigrating farmers, and named it Frankenmuth, the “Franken” representing the Province of Franconia and “Muth,” the German word for courage. Farmers arrived in 1845, most sailing to America from Bremerhaven by way of Nuremberg, and enduring a great deal of misery during the fifty days spent onboard ship. Hardships continued as they made their way west to their 680 acres of forest on the banks of the Cass River. The original fifteen colonists purchased Indian Reservation land from the Federal Government and attempted unsuccessfully to proselytize the Chippewa Indians to the Lutheran religion. Their small chapel originated in a log cabin they built and used for worship, meetings and a school. Later it became St. Lorenz, now a stately church with almost 5,000 members and a school with 500 students. One Sunday a month is devoted to a service in German, simultaneously beamed to parishioners in both languages on television monitors left and right of the altar. At this service, the hymns are also in German. Today, all the kingdoms of Germany are represented in the city. There is a historical museum displaying artifacts from each period of its evolution from Theocracy to Democracy, with letters preserved for centuries, an axe here, a crucifix there, hand-embroidered tablecloths or bed coverings, a crocheted purse, and so on. Also interesting are the white plaster-cast statues of current residents. In Frankenmuth one hears, “It’s a family town” pretty often and sure enough, another Zehnder enterprise is the Splash Village Hotel and Water Park. This popular all-season attraction has recently been updated with the addition of Atrium Park and new guest rooms. Ever popular as well is the enlarged, aptly-named lower “Fun” level of the Bavar48
GERMAN LIFE
Frankenmuth.indd 48
•
ian Inn Lodge. Here is a sprawling all-weather complex of swimming pools, billiard tables, an indoor mini golf course and electronic games, the local kid-magnets. Outside, they will love the corn maze, the petting zoo at Grandpa Tiny’s farm and Jellystone Park and mini-golf. Everyone, young and old, will likely enjoy a one-hour cruise. Captain Jene Quirin adds a historical narrative as the Bavarian Belle, a paddlewheel riverboat, makes its way along the Cass River while his two sons crew. This river flooded the town every year until a dam was built regulating the flow. Now, with the addition of the fish ladder, fish attempting to travel upstream are supported and able to spawn. Fishing is very popular, especially for walleye and bass and so are kayaking, rafting and canoeing. Another river activity is an electric-powered boat tour that can include a wine and chocolate tasting experience. Frankenmuth FunShips, courtesy of Eric and Melissa Fielbrandt, offer the chocolate candy made here, pairing each with a specific selection of Michigan wine. The Peach and Honey Cinnamon, a dessert wine, is a best seller. On dry land, there are many one-of-a-kind stores, including Willi’s, newly purchased by the Gere family, who continue selling the countless variety of sausages famous here since 1934. These authentic wursts and cold cuts are made from recipes handed down from sausage-makers in Kassel, Germany. The oldest shop in town that features similar smokehouse and other traditional meat products is Kern’s, family owned since 1949. Both offer cheeses, desserts and other “go-withs” and both take online orders. Nearby, the Frankenmuth Woolen Mill sells everything wool, including raw batting, fiber, bedding (made locally) as well as cotton quilts, pillows and comforters. Thirty-two other boutiques are found at the River Place Shops, where retailers are clustered at an outdoor mall and include the new Cherry Republic, where all the merchandise has to do with yes, cherries, and a recent addition, N’Orlins. This
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 2:00:10 PM
FISHING, KAYAKING AND RAFTING ARE POPULAR ON FRANKENMUTH’S CASS RIVER.
FRANKENMUTH BREWERY HAS BEEN IN OPERATION SINCE 1862 AND WAS ONCE CALLED THE CASS RIVER BREWERY.
new place is a café serving coffee and New Orleans-style Beignets. The Grand Traverse Distillery in this complex makes “ultra-premium spirits” using local ingredients. Find vodka and whiskeys here and, in the near future, gin will also be available. Whether you celebrate Christmas or your name is Scrooge, it’s impossible not to check out Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland, The World’s Largest Christmas Store.” It’s been selling everything imaginable to do with St. Nick since 1958; John Wayne is said to have ordered a Santa Claus suit here. Getting from one end of this fantasy place to another will take some tolerance for sparkle. There are almost two football fields’ worth of wall-to-wall decoration here. The ornaments have classifications, such as “penguins” or “religious” or “wreaths” and there are designated shelves for items in various languages. The prices? You can buy a green garland for four dollars or a lighted, elaborate outdoor display for $10,000. A life-sized stuffed tiger (presumably for the popular Detroit Tigers) is $1100. Christmas carols play on loudspeakers all year. Times are very good in Frankenmuth now, unlike the days during and immediately after the Second World War. There is no question that the allegiance was always to the United States and there are photos here and a memorial to the veterans who fought for America in that and all the other wars since. It is no surprise then that one does not hear much German spoken in the city these days, either in
FRANKEMUTH’S ST. LORENZ CHURCH.
the local Franconian dialect or in High German. English predominates everywhere. The younger generations have lost some of the town’s native language, but there are efforts to reignite interest in preserving it, with schools and the church doing their best to save or relearn that part of the city’s heritage. So, one is more likely to hear “See you later,” than “Auf Wiedersehen,” but also, very often, “Tchüss!” instead of “’bye,” or “ciao” as a reminder to keep things a bit German here forever. For more information on Frankenmuth, visit www. frankenmuth.org GL JUNE/JULY 2018
Frankenmuth.indd 49
•
GERMAN LIFE
49
4/17/2018 2:00:26 PM
LANGUAGE | SPRACHE
DOLLAR…WOHER KOMMT DAS WORT? VON PETER PABISCH
W
enn man den hatte etwa die Größe des Ursprung des Talers. Am bekanntesten Wortes Dollar wurde in Europa der in Lexika oder jüngst im Maria-Theresien-Taler, Internet sucht, findet man den Frauen noch heute den ersten Hinweis, dass es als Halskettenanhänger sich um ein deutsches Wort tragen. Er kostet etwa 40 handelt. So weit, so gut. bis 45 US-Dollar. Im deutschen DUDEN Aber warum Dollar und liest man schlicht, dass es nicht Taler? Die Antwort sich um eine amerikanische ist einfach. Das Wort Währungseinheit handelt, kommt aus dem Bayrischdie es auch dem Namen nach Österreichischen, vielleicht in Kanada, Australien, usw. auch aus dem Fränkischen gibt. Nun existiert jedoch – auf alle Fälle aus dem im Hochdeutschen, also in Oberdeutschen, und ist der offiziellen deutschen älter als das Hochdeutsch Sprache, kein Wort, das der Standardsprache. Wenn Dollar heißt – außer eben einige Geschichtsquellen der hier betrachteten behaupten, das Wort Münze. Die müsste jedoch Dollar sei Niederdeutsch, TALER heißen, das ist A JOACHIMSTHALER OF THE KINGDOM OF BOHEMIA. dann ist das anzuzweifeln, die hochdeutsche Fügung. COURTESY WIKIPEDIA/BERLIN GEORGE. obwohl sich in einigen Es steht allerdings auch, niederdeutschen Wörtern dass der Taler eine in das „a“ zu „o“ verdunkelt, Joachimsthal des heutigen Böhmens geförderte und aber nie so oft und so alltäglich wie im Oberdeutschen. gemünzte Geldart sei. Er wurde Joachimst(h)aler genannt, Hier sagt man niemals „Wasser“ sondern „Wossa“, aber zu „T(h)aler“ abgekürzt und sein Münzwert, d. h. niemals „Maler“ sondern „Mola“, niemals „Vater“ sein Silbergehalt im Verhältnis zu seinem Gewicht, sei sehr sondern „Vota“. Dabei wird meist die Nebensilbe auch günstig, also gut gewesen. vollautend ausgesprochen – wie im Althochdeutschen, Danach liest man viel über die Geschichte des Talers an daher wird „Taler“ zu „Tola“ oder „Dollar“. Das betonte sich und wird darauf verwiesen, dass Salzminen oft sehr „r“ am Schluss des Wortes ist u. U. eine Neubildung wohlhabend waren und über ihre eigenen Silbererzstätten im Amerikanischen. Das „T“ am Anfang wird im sowie Münzämter – heute würde man sagen Banken – und Hochduetschen aspiriert, also mit „h“ ausgesprochen; ihre eigenen Prägungszentren verfügten. So wurden die dieses „h“ fällt im Bairisch-Österreichischen meist weg ersten Taler im Inntal gemünzt, wo die Region um Hall und das „T“ kann auch wie stimmhaft „D“ klingen. in Tirol Salz abbaute, aber auch Silber vorfand. Zuerst, im Die Handelsleute sprachen mit der Bevölkerung meist 15. und 16. Jhd., fand man das Silber noch in den Alpen bayrisch oder österreichisch, ja waren selbst Landsleute. entlang dem Inntal, aber so bald es ausgeschöpft war, Sie sprachen mit der Obrigkeit auch hochdeutsch, aber zog man ab dem 17. Jhd. nördlicher ins Joachimsthal. selbst diese konnte oft beide Sprachen. So blieb die Die höchste Herrschaft dieser Lande war das Haus bayrisch-österreichische Fassung „Dollar“ im Umlauf Habsburg, in dessen Reich die Sonne nicht unterging, und setzte sich gegenüber der hochdeutschen „Taler“ im wenn es auch bald im 16. Jahrhundert in eine spanische Alltag durch. und eine österreichische Landeshälfte geteilt wurde. Viele Einwanderer in die USA waren Deutsche, darunter Durch diese weltweite Herrschaft gelangten Währungen viele Ober- oder Mitteldeutsche, die ihre Umgangssprache über alle Kontinente. Zwischen Europa und Amerika weiterpflegten. Die alte Sitz der USA lag bis zum Jahre behauptete sich später der Dollar und wurde von der 1800 in Philadelphia, wo viele Deutsche besonders ab ersten Regierung der Vereinigten Staaten zur offiziellen 1683 etwa in Germantown lebten, gar nicht zu reden Geldwährung erklärt. Der ursprüngliche Silberdollar vom umliegenden Pennsylvania und Ohio, wo vor allem
50
GERMAN LIFE
Language.indd 50
•
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 2:06:14 PM
TOWER OF HASEGG CASTLE LOCATED IN HALL IN TYROL AND FAMOUS FOR MINTING SILVER THALERS. COURTESY AUSTRIAN NATIONAL TOURIST OFFICE/TRUMLER.
Pennsylvania Dutch (=Deutsch) gesprochen wurde (und noch wird) und nicht Hochdeutsch. Deutsch in allen möglichen Dialekten wurde weiters im 18. und 19. Jhd. in den USA gesprochen - und New York hatte um 1900 die drittgrößte deutsche Bevölkerung in der Welt hinter Berlin und Wien. Die meisten Deutschen sprachen jedoch, wie erwähnt, ihre Dialekte, doch ihre amerikanischen Mitbürger, die kein Deutsch verstanden, hielten einfach fest, dass sie deutsch sprachen. Dollar blieb jedoch ein alltägliches Wort im Geldverkehr und im Handelswesen. Niemand kann heute nachvollziehen, warum sich „Dollar“ und nicht „Taler“ als Währungswort durchgesetzt hat. Das wäre einmal eine genaue Studie wert. Für unsere Darstellung gilt, dass es sich um ein Dialektwort aus dem Bayrischen handelt und dass die Bevölkerung zu Geld neigte, das auch seinem Wert entsprach. Ein Dollar entsprach einem soliden Silbergehalt, er war etwas wert und kam so in guten Umlauf. Bei vielen anderen Münzen wurde am Silbergehalt gespart und ihre Wertschätzung fiel dadurch ab. Daher kann man auch so manches Brauchtum in den
deutschen Ursprungsgebieten davon ableiten. „Bauer, es gilt!“ entsprach einer mündlichen Vereinbarung mit Handschlag, die den Handel gültig machte. Bauern legten jedem Getreidesack, den sie dem Müller zusandten noch ein oder zwei Schaufeln Getreide über dem Gewicht hinzu, damit sie nicht als unehrlich bezeichnet werden könnten. „Ehrlich währt am längsten!“ galt als Grundsatz, der sich in bäuerlichen Kreisen besonders durchsetzte. Diese Auffassung unterliegt dem ursprünglichen Silberwert des Dollars. Schließlich hat er sich als Weltwährung bis heute führend behauptet, obwohl der Dollar hauptsächlich als Geldnote bekannt ist. Die besprochene Silbermünze gilt heute als historisch, kostet aber durch den Silbergehalt viel mehr als einen Papierdollar. So belegt der Dollar silberhell den tragenden deutschen, hier den bayrischen Einfluss auf die amerikanische Wirtschaft , wenn doch weitere Evidenzstudien zur sicheren Beweisführung dessen nötig wären. Wer immer beim nächsten Oktoberfest, das aus Bayern stammt, sein Bier trinkt, möge daran denken, dass er es mit ursprünglich bayrisch-deutschem Geld aus derselben Weltecke bezahlt hat . . . JUNE/JULY 2018
Language.indd 51
•
GERMAN LIFE
51
4/17/2018 2:06:26 PM
LANGUAGE | SPRACHE
DOLLAR…WHERE DOES THE WORD COME FROM? BY PETER PABISCH
M
any an encyclopedia and the Internet state that its power between Europe and America; and “the dollar” the “dollar” is a German word. Alright! The was declared the official currency by the first American German dictionary Duden defines it simply as government in the late 1700s. The original silver dollar the word for an American currency which also exists by was about the size of the Taler. Best known in Europe was name in Canada, Australia, a. s. f. Yet, we find no such the Maria-Theresien-Taler, which is carried by women as word in the German realm that is written as “dollar,” exa pendant for a necklace even today. It is worth about 40 cept for the American version. It should be called “Tato 45 US dollars. ler” in standard German But why has the term not dollar or dolar, which “dollar” been successful, is dialect. And we further and not “Taler”? The find that the “Taler” was answer is simple. The coined in Bohemia in the word stems from Bavariantownship of JoachimstAustrian, a German hal. The coin was called language much older “Joachimst(h)aler,” but than Standard German everybody called it by the (Upper Franconian may shortened “T(h)aler.” The also dovetail into it but value of the coin was conin any case it is an Upper tained in its silver content German expression). When relative to its total weight. some historical sources It was lucrative and high in claim the word “dollar” value compared to other as Low German, then we coins in existence. have our doubts, although As to the history of the in some Low German Taler, it is pointed out that words the vowel “a” can be salt mines happened to be darkened to “o”, but this prosperous and had their pronunciation is not even own silver coin production close to the one in spoken and centers—just like Upper German, thus banks. The first Taler were in Bavarian. In Bavaria, minted in the valley of nobody says “Wasser” but the river Inn, the Inntal, “Wossa,” not “Maler” where the region around (painter) but “Mola,” nor Hall in Tyrol mined salt. “Vater” but “Vota.” In At first (in the 15th and addition, the second syllable 16th century), silver was has a full sounding vowel, A WOODCUT CIRCA 1548 DEPICTING SILVER MINING IN found in the Alps along like in “Tola” or “dollar.” the river Inn, where salt was JOACHIMSTHAL. COURTESY WIKIPEDIA/DEUTSCHE FOTOTHEK. The stressed “r” at the end found as well. As soon as the of “dollar” is more likely an mines began to become exhausted, the silver production American prevalence. The “t” at the beginning of “Taler” moved to Joachimsthal from the 16th and 17th century in Standard German is a plosive with an “h” added, thus onward. The highest political authority of these countries T-h-aler. Not so in Bavarian-Austrian where the “t” does not have this wind-like “h” to it and can even sound like a was the House of Habsburg—in whose empire the voiced “d,” thus “dollar.” Merchants spoke in vernacular sun did not set (although it split into an Austrian and with the population—they spoke Standard German with a Spanish part of the family, in the 1500s). It was due the nobility leaders, but even they were bilingual. Thus, the to this global government that currencies gained access Bavarian-Austrian version of “Dolar” or “Dollar” remained over all the continents. Soon the Taler or dollar claimed
52
GERMAN LIFE
Language.indd 52
•
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 2:06:37 PM
Take the Road Less T raveled in Europe
We travel to places the big tour buses skip. Why share your Trip of a Lifetime with 45 strangers? American-owned European Focus creates and leads custom-designed tours for singles, families or groups of friends with common interests. Family history tours, small towns or big cities, Christmas Markets, you name it, we’ve done it or will do it just for you.
Start your journey today. 941-706-4508
www.europeanfocus.com | email: info@europeanfocus.com
the popular version and clearly succeeded over the Standard German form “Taler” in everyday communication. Many immigrants to the United Stated were German, among them many from Middle or Upper Germany where the regional languages are spoken to this day. The old seat of government and official business of the original colonies and the newly formed United States of America was centered in Philadelphia until 1800. Many Germans lived in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood as well as the remainder of Pennsylvania and Ohio. Here mainly Pennsylvania Dutch (Deutsch) was used and not Standard German. German in a variety of other dialects and regional forms was found and spoken in the United States in the 18th and 19th century. Around 1900, New York had the third largest German population in the world after Berlin and Vienna. Yet, most Germans spoke their regional dialects or languages, as mentioned. The fellow American citizens who did not speak German simply asserted that those Germans spoke German—without any distinction. The Bavarian-Austrian “dollar,” however, remained to be the ruling everyday word in commerce and trade. Today nobody can explain why the expression “dollar” won the battle over Standard German—we are still waiting for a comprehensive explanation. For this article the claim that dollar stems from a Bavarian base, has to
suffice. Also the dollar was a good currency, worth its silver, and thus preferred by the population, ultimately for good. The silver content of the dollar guaranteed its spread in population circles. With other coins one could find a fierce decline in the percentage of silver content versus cheaper metals, and people did not opt for them. From this appreciation of the dollar we can deduce certain habits in the original German regions. A handshake was enough—the equivalent to an oral agreement that the deal was sealed. Farmers would add one or two extra shovelfuls of corn to each already correctly weighed bag they sent to the miller, in order to forego a bad name for themselves. “Honesty has to prevail,” was their principle especially in rural circles. And this attitude was applied to the value of silver in the dollar. It has contributed to the fact that the dollar can claim its leading position among world currencies, although it is mostly known as a money note today. The former silver coin has kept only its historical meaning. Thus the dollar demonstrates clearly its German or (more precisely) its Bavarian influence on the American economy, even though further studies could be recommended to assure this claim totally. When you drink a beer at the next Oktoberfest, another Bavarian introduction to this country, be aware that you paid for it in dollars, coming from the same neck of the woods. GL JUNE/JULY 2018
Language.indd 53
•
GERMAN LIFE
53
4/17/2018 2:06:47 PM
AT HOME | ZU HAUSE
DÖNER KEBAB MEAT BEING SLICED OFF A ROTISSERIE AT THE ISTANBUL RESTAURANT IN COLOGNE, GERMANY. COURTESY SHARON HUDGINS.
H
alf a century ago, no one in Germany would have predicted that a meat dish from Turkey would become one of the best-selling “fast foods” in Germany. But in the 1960s thousands of so-called “guest workers” from Turkey began arriving in West Germany to fill low-wage jobs as Germany’s postwar economy began to grow and the need for more workers increased. Many of them stayed in Germany, raising families there and, in time, opening small businesses of their own, often to serve the local Turkish communities, from big cities like Berlin to small towns in rural areas. Nostalgia for a taste of “home,” combined with good business acumen, led many Turks to open street stands and small cafés serving döner kebabs—stacks of seasoned mutton or lamb pieces cooked on a vertical spit rotating next to a charcoal fire. (Hence the term “döner,” which means “turning.”) The cooked meat is then sliced from the top of the spit to the bottom and tucked inside a splitopen, yeasty flatbread, or nestled inside a wrap of very thin flatbread, along with some shredded lettuce and cabbage, sliced onions, tomatoes and cucumbers, a choice of garlicky yogurt sauce or spicy red pepper sauce, and an optional sprinkling of dried hot pepper flakes to kick up the taste. This Turkish-German equivalent of America’s hamburger has become so successful that there are thousands of street stands and small restaurants selling döner kebabs in Germany today. Four thousand of them are located in Berlin, where the whole trend started when döner kebabs sold by enterprising Turks became popular there in the early 1970s. And throughout Germany, locals and tourists alike now consume a total of 400 tons of döner meat
54
AtHome.indd 54
GERMAN LIFE
•
AS THE WORLD TURNS: THE CULT OF DÖNER KEBABS IN GERMANY BY SHARON HUDGINS made into 3 million sandwiches every day! In the decade since Turks brought this treat to Germany, the method, meat, and places to eat döner kebabs have inevitably changed. The heat source has evolved from charcoal to safer and more convenient gas flames or electric coils. The meats have morphed, too, from traditional mutton and lamb to turkey, chicken and beef or veal. And instead of stacking thick slices of fresh meat onto the vertical spit, many purveyors of döner kebabs now buy industrially made “cones” of ground beef and lamb mixed into a paste with water, bread crumbs and seasonings, then shaped into big cylinders, frozen, and shipped to kebab shops all over the country. But lovers of “real” Turkish-German döner kebabs—including me—consider the ground-meat versions to be inferior. We eat only at places that sell yaprak döner (“leaf döner”) made with whole cuts of meat stacked one atop the other. Today some of the larger kebab shops have three vertical rotisseries—one with lamb or veal, one with chicken or turkey, and one with the cheaper ground-meat concoction. And they also offer a choice of the döner meat, with all the trimmings, tucked inside a pocket of round Turkish pide bread, or rolled up inside a big thin flatbread (a sandwich called dürüm), or served on a plate along with a large helping of french fries or rice, a lettuce-tomato-cucumber salad, and a portion of garlic-flavored yogurt sauce on the side. There are even “vegetarian döner” sandwiches made with grilled or raw vegetables and salty sheep’s cheese. And once I saw a sign for a “Dönerburger,” where the meat and all the garnishes were served on a standard hamburger bun. I wonder if they substitute ketchup and mayonnaise for the red sauce and yogurt sauce!
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 2:07:44 PM
Even in the current era, when immigration from Islamic countries is a hot-button issue, this dish from Turkey remains a favorite across German political, social and cultural lines—a combo of meat, vegetables and sauces loved by almost everyone, from rich to poor, sophisticated to rustic. People eat döner kebabs at street stands and in small restaurants, and order them as a convenient takeout food, too. But hardly anyone makes döner kebabs at home, because it’s difficult to replicate the special taste and texture of the stacked meat cooked on a restaurant’s large vertical rotisserie.
Sure, you can now buy real döner kebab machines on Amazon for $360 to $895 (plus a hefty shipping fee). Or you can get a smaller, vertical electric grill, for $70, for your home kitchen, or even use the horizontal rotisserie attachment on a barbecue grill. But if you don’t have any of those gadgets, use this recipe I developed in my own kitchen by putting together the best ideas and techniques from Turkish sources and YouTube videos. Marinated overnight, threaded onto skewers, baked in a hot oven, and sliced vertically, the meat looks and tastes surprisingly like an authentic Turkish-German döner kebab.
CLASSIC DÖNER KEBAB SANDWICH IN GERMANY, WITH THE MEAT AND GARNISHES TUCKED INSIDE A TURKISH PIDE BREAD. COURTESY SHARON HUDGINS.
RECIPES NOTES BEFORE YOU BEGIN: It’s best to make the Yogurt Sauce and Spicy Red Pepper Sauce a couple of days in advance, for the ���� to meld—and to marinate the meat at least 6 hours, even up to 24 hours, before you cook it. So plan ahead! This recipe uses an oven-roasting method for cooking the chicken, but if you have a rotisserie attachment for your barbecue grill, use it following that appliance’s instructions. The meat will taste even smokier, like classic döner kebabs.
CHICKEN DÖNER KEBABS You will need 4 long metal skewers (at least 12 inches long) and a deep, rectangular baking pan large enough for all the skewers to lie across the pan, supported by the rims, without the meat touching the bottom of the pan. The pan collects the basting juices from the chicken during roasting. Meat: 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (6 to 8 thighs)* Olive oil for basting
2 teaspoons dried thyme 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons ground allspice 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Accompaniments: Turkish pide (or Greek pita) bread, or Turkish yufka or lavash (thin flatbread wraps) Shredded iceberg lettuce *(You can also use turkey thighs or Shredded cabbage (green and red) �������������������� Sliced onions (white and red) but cooking times will vary. Beef and Sliced tomatoes lamb will need to be basted more freChopped or thinly sliced quently, too.) cucumbers Yogurt Sauce (see recipe) Marinade: Spicy Red Pepper Sauce 1 cup plain yogurt (see recipe) 1 tablespoon olive oil Aleppo pepper or dried hot red 1 tablespoon lemon juice pepper flakes (sprinkling spice) 3 large garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon smoked paprika ● Wash the chicken and pat dry with pa2 teaspoons dried oregano per towels. Trim off most of the fat and
pound the thickest parts of the thighs with a kitchen mallet to ���� slightly. ● Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the chicken and use your hands to mix it with the marinade until all pieces are well coated. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 6 hours, up to 24 hours. ● Preheat the oven to 425°F. Remove the chicken from the bowl and pat it dry with paper towels to remove excess marinade. (Discard any leftover marinade in the bowl.) Divide the chicken pieces into 2 equal-size groups. ● Place 2 of the skewers side by side, about 2 inches apart, on a work surface. Working with 1 chicken thigh at a time, fold the meat in half and thread it onto the 2 parallel skewers, keeping them about 2 inches apart. Continue this process—pushing each chicken piece tightly up against the other— until all the chicken from one group is threaded onto the 2 parallel skewers. JUNE/JULY 2018
AtHome.indd 55
•
GERMAN LIFE
55
4/17/2018 2:07:56 PM
AT HOME | ZU HAUSE Repeat with the remaining 2 skewers and the other group of chicken. ● Line the baking pan with aluminum foil, and lay the two sets of skewers across the pan, with the ends of the skewers propped on the rims of the pan’s 2 shorter sides. The meat should be suspended above the bottom of the pan without touching it. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the chicken. ● Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes, or until the top of the chicken is golden and even a bit charred. Baste with some of the pan juices, then turn the skewers over and bake for 20 to 25 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the meat. ● Remove from the oven, baste the chicken again with pan juices or a bit more olive oil, and let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Then, holding the skewers upright, slice the meat thinly, from top to bottom, with a sharp, serrated knife. ● To serve: Heat the bread ���� on both sides, on a griddle. Then split open the pide bread horizontally, and stuff it with some of the chicken, then the lettuce, tomatoes, and any of the other raw vegetables of your choice. Drizzle some of the Yogurt Sauce and/or Spicy Red Pepper Sauce over the vegetables, and sprinkle Aleppo pepper over the top, for added kick. (If using yufka or lavash ��� ead, place the chicken, vegetables, and sauce(s) on the center of the bread, sprinkle with Aleppo pepper, and roll it up into a cylindrical wrap with one end of the roll tucked in and the other end open.) ● Makes 6 servings.
YOGURT SAUCE Known as çaçik in Turkish (tzatziki in Greek), this garlicky yogurt sauce is a classic accompaniment to döner kebabs and many other dishes in the Eastern Mediterranean. 2 cups plain (unflavored) full-fat yogurt 4 to 6 large garlic cloves, squeezed through a press 56
AtHome.indd 56
GERMAN LIFE
•
A COLORFUL “DÖNERTELLER” IN GERMANY, WITH THE MEAT AND GARNISHES SERVED ON A PLATE. COURTESY SHARON HUDGINS.
2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste) ● Whisk all the ingredients together well and refrigerate for a few hours for the ���� to fully develop. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. (Keep leftover sauce refrigerated.) ● Makes approximately 2 cups.
1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon sweet (mild) paprika 1 to 2 teaspoons dried hot red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon ground cumin ● Pulse the bell pepper, fresh hot red peppers, garlic and salt together in a food processor to make a coarse, thick mixture. Add the tomato, olive oil, and lemon juice, and process until all the ingredients are well combined, but not totally puréed. The sauce should not be completely smooth.
NOTE: For a thicker sauce, use strained yogurt, sold in the U.S. as “Greek yo● Transfer to a medium saucepan. Add gurt.” Many cooks add a small or medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and the paprika, hot red pepper ��� and shredded. Use your hands to squeeze cumin. the liquid out of the shredded cucumber before adding it to the yogurt mixture. ● Cook over medium-high heat for 5 to In different regions of Turkey, cooks also 10 minutes, stirring constantly to pre������������������� vent burning, until some of the liquid has reduced and the sauce has become thicker. Taste and add more salt if desired. SPICY RED PEPPER SAUCE You can vary the hot-spiciness of this ● Cool completely, at room temperature, sauce to your own taste by using more or less of the fresh hot red peppers and then keep in a tightly covered jar in ������������ the refrigerator for up to 1 week. This sauce is even better when made 2 to 3 days before using, so the ���� can 1 large red bell pepper, seeded, ripen. Serve at room temperature. deveined, and coarsely chopped 3 large fresh hot red peppers (such ● Makes approximately 1-1/4 cups. as ripe red jalapeños), seeded and coarsely chopped 6 to 8 large garlic cloves, coarsely Döner kebabs are Sharon Hudgins’ chopped favorite street food in Germany. For 1/2 teaspoon salt more of her articles and recipes, see 1 medium red tomato, quartered www.sharonhudgins.com 1 tablespoon olive oil
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 2:08:11 PM
Continued from page 6 On von Braun As the son of a German scientist, Dr. Richard Guenther, who was brought to the US after WWII under “Project Paperclip” (that was its official name), I enjoyed Peter Vogt’s article about Dr. von Braun in the April/May 2018 issue. He deserved the adulation of the American public given his success with the popular rocket program, but there was more to “Paperclip” than the rocket scientists. He was also fortunate to be in southern Germany to surrender to the Americans. My father’s and my route to America, however, was more circuitous. At war’s end he was a communications specialist with Siemens in Berlin. The Russians occupied our house, but pretty much left us alone due to his and my grandmother’s Russian fluency. Knowing he had to get out of chaotic Berlin, he first signed with the British, later switched to the USA, which had been late to the game due to the perceived danger of possibly taking in Nazis. The competition between the occupying forces amid the fluid situation in Germany before creation of the zones is well-documented by Clarence G. Lasby in a 1971 book entitled Project Paperclip. (Google the title for review & excerpts). The total number of German experts he documents was 642. The largest number of 260 were sponsored by the Air Force, with the Army taking 210, of which my father was part, specifically a group of 24 that “were of more exceptional caliber than any single group of imported under Paperclip”(page 251). One of the group, Dr. Georg Goubau, saved at least two years with his research on microwave techniques. My father, working for AT&T and RCA, contributed to the development of communications satellites. I am disturbed by more recent books that scurrilously describe them as “Nazi scientists” dwelling negatively on the program. Conversely, Lasby chronicles positive contributions to the US economy in dollar terms, e.g. an estimated savings of $30 million to Air Force development programs (page 263). The overwhelming number of them, ex-
cept for those choosing to return to Germany became US citizens. Bernhard Guenther The Villages, FL Augsburg Clarifications As a subscriber beginning with your very first issue, I have long enjoyed and valued reading about Germanic places that I have visited as well as places that are new to me. Also, as a non-German who married into a Bavarian family originally from Augsburg, I have particularly enjoyed German Life’s articles about that wonderful city which is too often overshadowed by nearby Munich. Accordingly, I was glad to read the most recent article “Augsburg— Gateway to the Alps” in your February/March 2018 issue. However, I want to clarify some information from that article. Specifically, readers will be misinformed by the statements, “When, under Emperor Augustus, the Romans conquered the foothills of the Alps around the 8th century B.C., they founded a garrison camp. Soon it was turned into a settlement called Augusta Vindelicorum, obviously named after its founding father.” Actually, Augustus lived much later than the time indicated, in fact from about 63 B.C. to about 14 A.D. And rather than turning into a settlement “soon” after the 8th century B.C., Augusta Vindelicorum wasn’t founded until 15 B.C. It was in 1985, therefore, when my wife and I took in numerous events commemorating Augsburg’s 2000th anniversary. The article also misleads when it states that the City Hall’s impressive Golden Hall (Goldener Saal) was “built during the Golden Age together with the neighboring Perlach Tower.” While the City Hall (Rathaus) with its Golden Hall (where my wife’s parents were married) was indeed constructed between 1615 and 1624 by the master architect Elias Holl during Augsburg’s “Golden Age,” the Perlach Tower (Perlach Turm) actually dates to the 10th century, when it was erected as a watchtower for the city. Holl is credited, however, with adding the top portion of the Tower,
which one can climb and even see the distant Alps when a flag is flown to signify a sufficiently clear day. The Perlach Tower, incidentally, is the site of Augsburg’s annual celebration of St. Michael’s Day, September 29th. One of the day’s favorite activities, which my wife and I have enjoyed watching, is the audience’s counting the number of times a figure of the devil is stabbed by the mechanical figure of St. Michael, who is known in Augsburg’s BavarianSwabian dialect as “Turamichele” or “Tower-Michael.” Only on that day is the figure of St. Michael displayed in an alcove of the Tower’s exterior. I’d like to add one more point to your February/March article. I found it curious that while there was discussion of both Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his great-grandfather, Franz, who had lived in Augsburg’s Fuggerei social settlement (as did a cousin of my mother-in-law), there was no mention of Wolfgang’s father, Leopold Mozart, other than in the generic reference to Wolfgang’s “famous family.” Not only was Leopold an accomplished violinist, composer, and author in his own right but he was also born in Augsburg. One can visit his birth-house there, now the Mozart-Haus Museum, which was not mentioned in the article. Following renovations in the 1980s and 1990s, people can view nine rooms of exhibits on three floors with instruments, documents, paintings, and other memorabilia of Leopold’s life and times. This museum adds much to those who are interested in the fuller Mozart history as well as Augsburg’s history. Mike Lindsay Eau Claire, WI
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK... German Life welcomes your thoughts, comments and experiences. You can send your letters to us by traditional mail or electronically. Our mailing address is: German Life Attn: Letters to the Editor 1068 National Highway LaVale, MD 21502 You can also send your thoughts via email to: mslider@germanlife.com. Please include “Letters to the Editor” in the Subject line. We look forward to hearing from you! JUNE/JULY 2018
AtHome.indd 57
•
GERMAN LIFE
57
4/17/2018 2:14:09 PM
YESTER BY BARBARA SELIG AND MARY SELIG
Andrew Erkenbrecher (July 4, 1821 – January 4, 1885)
A prominent Cincinnati businessman, Andrew Erkenbrecher became best known as the founder of the Cincinnati Zoological Garden. Born in Heilgersdorf near Coburg, he was the son of Henry and Catharine (Rauscher) Erkenbrecher. His father was a weaver by trade and his mother “a woman of remarkable energy and determination.” Andrew attended school in the village and immigrated to the United States in 1836 with his parents and sister when he was fifteen. Like so many other Germans at that time the family settled in Cincinnati. He and his father first found employment working for a spice merchant, Carl Reemelin, but Andrew moved on to working at the confectioner shop of John Meyers. He also worked as a farm laborer and carefully saved his money until he was able to branch out on his own at the age of twenty-two. He built a small grain mill and added a starch factory. The latter business became the foundation of his success and he soon built a larger starch factory in Morrow, Ohio. Sadly in 1860 the factory burned and in an age of no insurance he had to start over. It took him six years to rebuild, locating the new factory in St. Bernard on a canal. He was an inventive man and was able to innovate changes and improvements to his business. His product took top honors at expositions held in Vienna, Bremen and Philadelphia and his reputation and success grew. In his private life Erkenbrecher was married twice, first to Amanda Meyers (1825-1866) with whom he had four children and after Amanda’s death he married Matilda Cunningham (1838-1911) with whom he had one son. One of his passions was birds and he hoped to establish the birds of his homeland in his new home to improve the environment and make it more like Europe. He was president of the Cincinnati chapter of the Society for the Acclimatization of Birds. What was not well understood at the time was the importance of native species and the danger of introducing non-native plants and animals to places where they did not belong, problems that we are facing the serious environmental consequences of to this day. But his motives were pure, although misplaced. In 1872, there was an infestation of caterpillars in Cincinnati which destroyed any living green plant or tree. Erkenbrecher and his group decided to bring insect-eating birds from Europe to solve the problem and purchased and 58
GERMAN LIFE
Yesteryears.indd 58
•
brought almost one thousand European birds to Cincinnati. These included English larks, nightingales, German bullfinches, bobolinks, goldfinches, linnets, orioles, robins, starlings and many other varieties. The birds were held in captivity to help them acclimate until they were released in May 1873. The public was fascinated and Erkenbrecher and other like-minded citizens founded the Zoological Society of Cincinnati in 1873. When the zoo opened its gates on sixty-five acres of Avondale cow pasture known as Blakely Woods in 1875 it was only the second zoo created in the U.S. Erkenbrecher served as the zoo’s first president and while the initial collection was limited (eight monkeys, two grizzly bears, three deer, six raccoons, two elk, a buffalo, hyena, tiger, alligator, circus elephant and 400 birds) the zoo was immensely popular as a gathering spot with dances and many other forms of popular entertainment. Educating the public was also an important part of their mission and remains so to this day. Shortly thereafter Erkenbrecher’s health began to fail and he died after one last trip to Europe at the age of 63. His legacy lives on at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden which now houses a collection of 500 animals and 3,000 plant species. It hosts 1.5 million visitors a year and is known for its successful breeding programs. A statue of Erkenbrecher can be found on the grounds. Although he was not around to see it, an unintended consequence of the European birds came in 1901, when the sparrow was noted to be the only bird within the city limits of Cincinnati. There was such an abundance that police officers were told to shoot them or scare them away. The problem was not solved until the introduction of the automobile. With no horse manure to find seeds in, the sparrow population declined by itself.
Friedrich (Fred) Wolfgang Beckey (January 14, 1923 – October 30, 2017)
A self-proclaimed climber and author, Fred Beckey was born in Düsseldorf in 1923. His father Klaus was a surgeon and his mother Marta Maria was an opera singer. When Fred was only two the family, including his brother Helmut, immigrated to the United States and settled in Seattle. When Fred showed an early interest in climbing his parents enrolled him in the Boy Scouts and later The Seattle Mountaineers, where he learned rope climbing. He started seriously climbing as a
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/19/2018 11:42:04 AM
Y E A R S youth, often in the company of his brother. His climbing career lasted seven decades and it became the central focus of his life. He eschewed the demands of wife, children and professional career to be able to devote his life to his true passion. He also loved to ski and during World War II served in the Army’s 10th Mountain Division based in Colorado. At the war’s end he enrolled in the University of Washington and got a degree in business administration. His first book, Climbers Guide to the Cascade and Olympic Mountains of Washington, was published in 1949, the same year he graduated. Beckey was known as a bit of a rebel. He much preferred climbing either alone or with a small group and he sought neither fortune nor fame. Exploring new routes, he made more first ascents than any other climber in the United States. There are Beckey routes in most of the states west of the Mississippi. Climbers often consider these routes the best and most aesthetic routes. Beckey loved the physical challenge of climbing in addition to the beauty of nature and the almost spiritual experience it gave him. In spite of his many years of climbing he never experienced major injuries, which many attributed to his incredible skill. In one unfortunate incident in 1955, while climbing in the Himalayas, his tentmate fell ill and Beckey left him to get help. When the man was rescued by other climbers, Beckey was denounced for leaving his partner behind. When the first American team assault to climb Mount Everest was assembled in 1963 Beckey, a natural choice, was not asked to join. Most of Beckey’s climbs were in the U.S. and Canada, and in all he would write twelve guidebooks. His name adorns both Beckey Spire in Sedona, Arizona, which he climbed in 1970, and Mount Beckey, an 8,500 foot peak in the Cathedral Mountains of Alaska, which he climbed in 1996. There is a documentary about his life called, Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey.
Johannes “John” von Wicht (February 3, 1888 – January 20, 1970)
John Von Wicht, also known as John G. F. von Wicht, was born Februay 3, 1888, in Malente, Schleswig‐Holstein. His father, a pastor, moved the family to Oldenburg after ill health forced him from his positon. After finishing school John was apprenticed to a local painter and decorator. The appreciation he gained for color while apprenticed—he mixed and prepared colors for the day every morning—remained with him throughout his career. The young apprentice spent his weekends observing local artist Gerhard Bakenhus, who encouraged von Wicht in his talent, and to paint from nature. Von Wicht’s first painting, “Innere eines Bauernhauses,” was shown—and purchased—in Bremen in 1908. In 1909 he matriculated in the private art school of the
Grand Duke of Hesse at Darmstadt, then a center of German Jugendstil. Students were encouraged to study the shapes and forms of the natural world, in addition to historical masterpieces. From Darmstadt he went to study at the School of Fine Arts at the Academy of Berlin, graduating in 1912. Von Wicht was sent to the Western Front in 1914, where he was severely wounded in the trenches and partially paralyzed. He spent the remainder of the war and beyond recovering. Unable to survive as an artist in post-WWI Berlin, von Wicht and his wife Kunigunde immigrated to the United States in 1923 with $25, ultimately settling in Brooklyn Heights. For the next twenty years he created murals, mosaics and stained glass work in New York and throughout the United States, including six murals and a mosaic panel for the United States Building at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. Von Wicht became a United States citizen in 1936. After its creation in 1935, von Wicht was hired to the mural painting division of the Federal Art Project (FAP), Works Progress Administration (WPA). A mural painted by von Wicht through the FAP/WPA program for the WNYC public radio station studio is now displayed in the Brooklyn Public Library Grand Army Plaza Branch. In 1941 he also became a teacher in the Art Students League of New York art school in New York City. During WWII von Wicht became captain and crew of a supply transport ship for the U.S. Military, taking supplies to troop ships in New York Harbor. After the war he continued to work on the water on the freight ship Dorothy transporting car parts from Tarrytown, New York into New York City, painting scenes of the water in his free time on board. In 1954 von Wicht received the first of twelve annual residencies at the artist-in-residence MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire. Von Wichts’s work, which had already moved from Jugendstil to abstract expressionism, began exploring complex ideas through concentrations of pure color—among them the music of composers-in-residence he met at the MacDowell Colony and the changes in the quality of light with the changing of the seasons. In 1959 von Wicht’s work began to be exhibited internationally, particularly in Europe. Von Wicht passed away in Brooklyn on January 20, 1970. Today his work appears in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum, in addition to other museums in the United States and abroad. GL JUNE/JULY 2018
Yesteryears.indd 59
•
GERMAN LIFE
59
4/19/2018 11:41:50 AM
HARTFORD SÄNGERBUND —CELEBRATING 160 YEARS! BY MARK JAHNE
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY MARK JAHNE
THE HARTFORD SÄNGERBUND WAS FORMED IN 1858 IN THE TRADITIONAL MANNER OF GERMAN SINGING SOCIETIES. IT IS BELIEVED TO BE THE THIRD-LONGEST CONTINUOUSLY SINGING SÄNGERBUND IN THE UNITED STATES.
T
he Hartford (Connecticut) Sängerbund is celebrating its 160th anniversary this year, highlighted by a concert and dinner scheduled for Saturday, June 9. Singers past and present will perform at 4 p.m. at the Salvation Army Citadel in nearby Manchester, followed by dinner at 6 p.m. at the Manchester Country Club. The official club motto is “Treu dem deutschen Lied” (loyal to the German song) and HSB has maintained an unwavering commitment to German choral music since its founding in 1858. The club began in Hartford and moved to its current location in nearby Newington in 1966. Two years ago members elected the first female president in its history, Amy Swank. She joins a long list of distinguished presidents and officers, including her late husband, Phil. “In 1858, our founders pledged their goal to preserve German culture in song. One hundred sixty years later, the Hartford Sängerbund continues to honor their pledge, preserving German music, observing German traditions and maintaining our identity as German-Americans,” Swank said. “We’re now a diverse group, but we feel strong ties to our ancestry and remain committed to keeping our heritage alive into the future. Remembering the hardships faced by our founders, the obstacles and challenges overcome throughout 160 years, achieving this landmark anniversary fills us with pride,” she added. The Hartford Sängerbund is proud to be the oldest Ger60
GERMAN LIFE
Sangerbund.indd 60
•
man-American club in New England and is believed to be the third-oldest continually singing Sängerbund in the United States. Members meet weekly to sing, and did so even during the two world wars, when other clubs went silent. The chorus of men and women performs annual spring and Christmas concerts and also participates in an annual Sängerfest with other German-American singing clubs in New England. The halls of its clubhouse are lined with awards large and small garnered by the men and women of the chorus. “I have been singing with the HSB Chorus since 1989 and am honored to be the chairperson of our 160th Anniversary celebration. I think that this event is so important not only to honor the founding fathers of the HSB, but also to honor all those members who have gone before us who have made the HSB what it is today,” Carol Weber said. “This history is what brings our singers together not just for this celebration, but every week. Singing is one of my greatest passions and a chorus brings all different people together with one common goal, the love of singing,” she added. “Our anniversary celebration on June 9 will begin with a free choral concert. The vocal selections are primarily in German and will include pieces by such composers as Verdi, Schubert, Wagner and Beethoven. The HSB will also be joined by additional singers from other German singing societies.” Music is not the club’s sole focus. Another important
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 2:44:46 PM
A PROCESSION OF KURRENDER SINGERS THROUGH THE HALL DURING THE 2017 CHRISTKINDLMARKT.
emphasis is on sharing and perpetuating German culture and cuisine, all delivered with a healthy serving of Gemütlichkeit (warm hospitality). Guests are always welcome and often include German citizens working for the numerous German-owned businesses located in central Connecticut. Sharing the culture involves several events open to the public on either an annual or biennial basis including Bierfest, Christkindlmarkt, Taste of Germany, Maifest and Schlachtfest, which concludes with a comedic funeral for a pig. These feature German food, music and beverages and attract people of all ages. Club members who are retired chefs, restaurant owners and butchers provide quality control for the food and everything must be cooked to old-country standards. Guests have often remarked that stepping into the HSB clubhouse gives them the sense of being in Germany. Members are looking forward to gathering in June and July to cheer on the German national team in the men’s World Cup of soccer. The 2018 Bierfest is scheduled for the weekend of August 24-26 and, as always, will feature a band from Germany. An estimated 4,000 people are expected to attend to hear the sounds of Blechdurscht from the town of Ditzingen in Baden-Württemberg, which happens to be the sister state of Connecticut. Members participate in a wide variety of activities including a baking club, Schützenverein (target shooting) and Eisstockshießen (curling). The Schwertbrüder (sword dancers) have performed at local events as well as the 2017 Steuben Parade in New York City. Twenty members play Skat, the official card game of Germany. In addition to competing on Friday club nights
HORNBERGMUSIKANTEN PERFORMS AT THE 2014 BIERFEST.
they also travel throughout the Northeast to test their skill against players from other clubs and organizations. They have participated in the annual ISPA Skat Tournament at Crystal Brook German resort in Round Top, New York, a New York City tournament sponsored by the GermanAmerican Chambers of Commerce, and an annual homeand-away competition against the Boylston Schul-Verein of Walpole, Massachusetts. HSB members come from a wide variety of backgrounds and include former members of the German and American military, immigrants, first generation German-Americans and multiple generations of families. Membership is on the rise and includes young adults and entire families, vital to the club’s long-term survival. The Hartford Sängerbund is always looking to build a wider audience and has initiated contacts with the World Affairs Council of Hartford and the German Business Subcommittee of the MetroHartford Alliance. For more, visit the Hartford Sängerbund at www.hartfordsaengerbund.org GL JUNE/JULY 2018
Sangerbund.indd 61
•
GERMAN LIFE
61
4/17/2018 2:44:53 PM
CALENDAR | KALENDER JUNE/JULY 2018
JUNE Austin, TX: Every Thursday 12 to 1 pm: German Free School Stammtisch. Bring your own lunch. 507 E 10th St. Call 512482-0927 or visit www.germantexans.org Austin, TX: Every Thursday 12 to 4 pm: Used Book Sale. 507 E 10th St. Call 512482-0927 or visit www.germantexans.org Cincinnati, OH: Every Sunday 1 to 5 pm and also by appointment: German Heritage Museum. Visit www.gacl.org Elgin, IL: Every Friday 4:30 to 8:30 pm: All You Can Eat Fish Fry. Elgin Turner Hall, 112 Villa St. Call 847-697-4431 or visit www.elginturners.org Frederick, MD: First Friday of the month: Der Stammtisch at Brewer’s Alley, 124 N. Market St. Call 301-631-0127. Fredericksburg, TX: First Friday of the month: First Friday Art Walk. Galleries open until 8 pm. Call 888-997-3600 or visit www��������������� Germantown, WI: Second Thursday of the month 6 to 8 pm: Stammtisch Germantown. Von Rothenburg Bierstube/ Old Towne Bier Hall, N116 W15863. Indianapolis, IN: First and third Saturday of the month: Docent-led tours of the Athenaeum at 401 East Michigan St. Call 317-630-4569, ext. 1 or email athfound@sbcglobal.net. Plattsburgh, NY: Second Thursday each month: Stammtisch at Quiche et Crepes to enjoy lunch and speak Deutsch. Call 518-324-3304, 518-5620553 or email: Ingeborg@Northnet.org Davidsonville, MD: First Sunday of the month 9am: Traditional Liturgical Service in German at Holy Family Catholic Church, 826 W. Central Ave. Call 410-268-1858 or visit www.holyfamilychurch.com Tuscaloosa, AL: Every Wednesday of the month 1 to 3 pm: Stammtisch. Edelweiss, 2324 4th St. Call Gisela Sneed 205-339-5564. Wauwatosa, WI: Third Saturday of 62
GERMAN LIFE
CALENDAR.indd 62
•
Please contact events directly to confirm dates, times, locations, and admission fees.
the month 6 to 9 pm: Stammtisch Wauwatosa. Café Bavaria, 7700 Harwood Avenue. Buffalo, NY: June 13-16: Palatines to American German Genealogy Society 2018 National Conference. Adams Mark Hotel & Conference Center, 120 Church Street. Visit www.palam.org for registration and conference updates. Lancaster, PA: June 13-16: 60th Summer Institute at Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, 2451 Kissel Hill Road. Call 717-569-0401 or visit www.landisvalleymuseum.org Butler, WI: June 23: S.V.E.V. D’Oberlandler Sonnwendfeier (Summer Solstice). Frontier Park, 5301 N. Park Drive. Mequon, WI: June 23: Pommersche Tanzdeel Freistadt. Rotary Park, 4100 W. Highland Road 128N. Visit www.pommerscher.org
JULY Austin, TX: Every Thursday 12 to 1 pm: German Free School Stammtisch. Bring your own lunch. 507 E 10th St. Call 512482-0927 or visit www.germantexans.org Austin, TX: Every Thursday 12 to 4 pm: Used Book Sale. 507 E 10th St. Call 512482-0927 or visit www.germantexans.org Cincinnati, OH: Every Sunday 1 to 5 pm and also by appointment: German Heritage Museum. Visit www.gacl.org Elgin, IL: Every Friday 4:30 to 8:30 pm: All You Can Eat Fish Fry. Elgin Turner Hall, 112 Villa St. Call 847-697-4431 or visit www.elginturners.com Frederick, MD: First Friday of the month: Der Stammtisch at Brewer’s Alley, 124 N. Market St. Call 301-631-0127. Fredericksburg, TX: First Friday of the month: First Friday Art Walk. Galleries open until 8 pm. Call 888-997-3600 or visit www��������������� Germantown, WI: Second Thursday of the month from 6 to 8 pm: Stammtisch Germantown. Von Rothenburg
Bierstube/Old Towne Bier Hall, N116 W15863 Main Street. Indianapolis, IN: First and third Saturday of the month: Docent-led tours of the Athenaeum at 401 East Michigan St. Call 317-630-4569, ext. 1 or email athfound@sbcglobal.net. Plattsburgh, NY: Second Thursday each month: Stammtisch at Quiche et Crepes to enjoy lunch and speak Deutsch. Call 518-324-3304, 518-5620553, or email: Ingeborg@Northnet.org Pewaukee, WI: Fourth Monday of each month 5:30 to 7:30 pm: German Stammtisch. Thunder Bay Grille. N14W24130 Tower Place. Call 262-523-4244 or visit www.thunderbaygrille.com/pewaukee Davidsonville, MD: First Sunday of the month 9 am: Traditional Liturgical Service in German. Holy Family Catholic Church, 826 W. Central Ave. Call 410-268-1858, or visit www.holyfamilychurch.com Tuscaloosa, AL: Each Wednesday of the month 1 to 3 pm: Stammtisch. Edelweiss, 2324 4th St. Call Gisela Sneed 205-339-5564. Wauwatosa, WI: Each 3rd Saturday of the month 6 to 9 pm: Stammtisch Wauwatosa. Café Bavaria, 7700 Harwood Avenue. Dayton, OH: July 12: Dayton Liederkranz Turner Semi-Annual Meeting. Dayton Liederkranz Clubhouse, 1400 E. Fifth Street. Baltimore, MD: July 14-15: 118th Maryland German Festival. Timonium Fairgrounds, 2200 York Rd, Lutherville-Timonium, MD 21093. Visit www.md-germans. org or email buergerverein@verizon.net Milwaukee, WI: July 27-29: Milwaukee German Fest. Henry Meier Festival Grounds, 200 N. Harbor Drive. Visit www.germanfest.com Lancaster, PA: July 28-29: Landis Valley’s Annual Civil War Days. Landis Valley Museum, 2451 Kissel Hill Road. Call 717569-0401 ext. 212 or visit www.landisvalleymuseum.org
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/18/2018 9:57:38 AM
marketplace POMMERNTAG 43rd Annual Celebration 42nd
June 24, 25, 2017 June 2018 POMMERNTAG
Noon to666pm. Noon to to pm. Noon pm. Mequon Rotary Park Sunday, June 29, 2014
4100 W. Highland Rd. 11333 N. Cedarburg Mequon Wis. 53092Rd. Mequon, Wisconsin German Festival Outdoor Festival Music,German Ethnic Dancing Music, Ethnic Cultural DisplaysDancing and Food Cultural Displays and Food
1-414-429-0722
TRANSLATIONS
TRAVEL
Translator of German-English, old German handwriting. Uta Allers Baltimore, MD 202-906-0957 uta.allers@gmail.com
Guaranteed Washable Drapery Fabrics/Custom Draperies, German Drapery Tracks, Rolladen, Shutters, Tilt/Turn Windows, Stewi Telescopic Clothes Dryer
German texts to English, English to German, old German handwriting. Have Translator’s Diploma from Heidelberg University. 518-765-4079. Email: ilsebaker@nycap.rr.com TRANSLATOR of old German handwriting (Schrift). Free estimates from your photocopies. Gordon Hartig PO Box 2744 Evansville, IN 47728. 812-430-9117 gordon@hartigtranslations.com
Buy Online at: www.jlgermandesign.com
NOW OPEN!
A Traditional German B & B! 2497 Route 20A, Varysburg, NY 14167
u o Y r S e r h a ot! h S
Like us on Facebook: 414-429-0722 Pommerntag
Judi Laird German Design 716-913-3436
Res./Info 585-535-4010
www.pommerschervereinfreistadt.org
Sharing Kaffeeklatch at Petra Theurich’s Milwaukee residence are (left to right): Jan Luty, Rosie Forster, Anne Luty, Helen Grosz and Lauren Forster. “My mother, originally from Baiersdorf, Germany, came to the USA in 1960 and has been part of a German Kaffeeklatch with other German immigrant ladies for almost 50 years so I started this small group as a fond memory of when Mama took out her best tablecloth and china to host ‘Die Damen’.”
shares, Petra. As Petra captured this memory, she shared a photo of herself hoisting a beer when a Milwaukee German restaurant (Weissgerber’s Gasthause) closed its doors. Thank you Mary Ann Niessen for sharing how German Life delighted the Nutcracker Ballet’s Principal Dancers, Aldar Sarsimbaev and Yuka Iseda. Photo courtesy Rick Prieur.
We’d love to share your shot celebrating and preserving German traditions and heritage. Please share your images via Facebook Messenger (German Life Magazine) through our NEW Instagram page #germanlifemag or via email: mbstrickler@germanlife.com. A photo submission indicates your permission as well as the permission of any other persons captured in the photo to be published and shared via social media or print outlets. JUNE/JULY 2018
MarketplaceJJ18.indd 63
•
GERMAN LIFE
63
4/17/2018 2:37:57 PM
FAMILY RESEARCH | FAMILIENFORSCHUNG
Sometimes the Right Source is All it Takes to Topple a Brick Wall By James M. Beidler
L
ast issue’s column told the story of using the works working other theories had not solved the case, I thought of the late German genealogist Werner Hacker as a I should at least give a look at the signature of the 1772 go-to source for immigrant origins, having used his Friedrich since I had another signature sample from his Eighteenth Century Register of Emigrants from Southwest 1786 will. The comparison didn’t yield a dead-on match Germany to America and Other Countries (Apollo, PA: but they were close enough that I wanted to further invesClosson Press, 1994) to help prove the village of a high tigate the church records of Albersweiler, the village that school classmate’s surname immigrant ancestor. Hacker’s extract indicated was the origin of that Friedrich As noted then, Hacker was a retired German civil servant Winter. Albersweiler is one of the parish registers that has who scoured the many archives of southwestern German been indexed by FamilySearch Indexing for the Family states to compile 10 volumes of emigration evidence, History Library. A look through this index showed the mostly consisting of records of “manumission,” a release Albersweiler Friedrich’s father’s name was Daniel and his from serfdom, often including the payment of an exit tax, grandfather was named Georg. The Tulpehocken Friedthat was the official and legal ticket out of the still-feudal rich had sons named Daniel and Georg. The Albersweiler German states in the 17th and 18th centuries. Friedrich is not found in the Albersweiler records after During the same trip in which I proved that origin, I 1750, the year that Tulpehocken Friedrich arrived in Philtook along one of my most stubborn brick walls: The adelphia, including the baptism of a Friedrich born to his village of origin for brother Andreas— if my ancestor Friedrich the Albersweiler FriedWinter. I knew he came rich was still in Germato America on the ship ny, he would have been Neptune in 1750, an obvious person to moved to the Tulpesponsor his namesake hocken region of Berks nephew. County and was an acAs I previously nottive member of Christ ed, the Tulpehocken Lutheran Church in BAPTISM OF DANIEL WINTER FROM 1692 IS LIKELY THE EARLIEST RECORD Friedrich was an acStouchsburg, where TO BE FOUND ABOUT THIS WINTER FAMILY. tive member of Christ all of his known chilLutheran in Stouchsdren were baptized and where he was active as a baptisburg—either having a child baptized or sponsoring some mal sponsor of other children, to boot. I had his will—in other child in baptism literally every year or two. But which he gives his oldest son a “birthright” bequest of there is nothing recorded for him in America from 1768 “my good wagon,” the equivalent of the family car in to 1773, the years in which he would have been absent for 1786. His European origin, however, had eluded me. the trip to Germany. My next step will be to obtain copies So, back I went to Hacker—not just the Closson Press of the original German records that Hacker abstracted in edition that abstracts information from his works that his book to see if there’s anything additional that would include the most emigrants to America—but to use the reinforce this theory. original works that give additional information and are Sometimes, it’s not enough just to go to the right found in libraries with major German genealogy collecsource—but having the skill to interpret it. I’m confident tions. A record mentioned a Friedrich Winter, but Hackthat I saw this Hacker entry years ago and discounted it er’s extract indicated that he went to Maryland in 1752, because of the contradictory information. This is what I’ve returned to Germany in 1769 to deal with inheritance referred to as “once you’ve looked at a problem straight-on matters with brothers Baltus, Martin and Andreas and refor too long a time, try looking at it from an angle.” That’s turned to America in 1772. Other than the name, nothwhat I did … and I’m pretty sure it paid off! ing else about this entry matched, but since 20 years of James M. Beidler, a free-lance writer and lecturer specializing in German genealogy, welcomes reader ideas of “Familienforschung.” Write to him at PO Box 270, Lebanon, PA 17042 or contact him by e-mail at james@beidler.us. Like him on Facebook (James M. Beidler) and follow him on Twitter, @JamesMBeidler. 64
GERMAN LIFE
FamilyResearch.indd 64
•
JUNE/JULY 2018
4/17/2018 2:41:21 PM
Make Your Own Memories! From Apfelkuchen to Zimtsterne An All-New Cookbook from German Life
From Apfelkuchen to Zimtsterne
From Apfelkuchen to Zimtsterne features: • Over 150 German and Swiss, Austrian, and German-American recipes including appetizers, soups, salads, breads, desserts, main dishes, and beverages • Spiral-bound book lies flat for your convenience while cooking • Laminated cover to protect from spills • Alphabetized recipe index • Tabbed divider pages featuring cooking tips make finding recipe categories quick and easy • 16-page helpful cooking hints section • Plastic envelope page to store and protect your own recipe clippings From Apfelkuchen to Zimtsterne is available at a special introductory subscriber price of $16.95 (postage and handling included in the U.S. — Canadian orders please call for specific shipping costs).
GL_JJcover2018.indd 3
Marketplace.indd 623 June/JulyCvr2016.indd
A
German Life
COOKBOOK
To Order: Call: 301-729-6190 Online: Visit our website www.germanlife.com Write to: German Life c/o Cookbook Offer 1068 National Highway LaVale, MD 21502 Visa, Mastercard, Discover, check, or money order accepted (Maryland residents please add 6% sales tax). Please allow six to eight weeks for delivery.
4/17/2018 4:00:42 PM
6/14/16 5:45 4/21/16 10:40 AMPM
Willkommen to the
simple joys of
Life
in
Michigan's
L.2ittle B.3avaria
St. Lorenz Lutheran Church German Worship Service | July 8, August 12, September 9 at 11am Summer Music Fest | August 9-11 & 16-18 Frankenmuth Autofest | September 7-9
frankenmuth.org
GL_JJcover2018.indd 4
800-FUN-TOWN
Frankenmuth Oktoberfest | September 20-23
4/17/2018 4:01:00 PM