German History

German Basic Law – A short explanation of the Grundgesetz

May 20, 2021

karenanne

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German History

“The state is there for the sake of people, not people for the sake of the state.” Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the Constitution, and how it compares to German Basic Law. Until the Grundgesetz (Basic Law) went into effect on May 23rd , 1949 Germany was still a divided occupied country under […]

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Sophie Scholl and the White Rose Resistance Movement

Sophie Scholl and the White Rose Resistance Movement

May 5, 2021

karenanne

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German History

On a bike ride through Munich, my group stopped in a University of Munich courtyard. There, looking like some dropped or scattered papers, we found the White Rose Memorial embedded in the stones. The guide spoke to us about Sophie Scholl and the White Rose group. We learned about the pamphlets that young Sophie threw, […]

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German Basic Law – A short explanation of the Grundgesetz

What is Maggikraut : All about Liebstöckel or Lovage

April 29, 2021

karenanne

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German Foods and Recipes

When my friend Edie told me about Maggikraut, I didn’t believe her. In my world, Maggi exists in liquid form to add flavor to soups and stews. Didn’t I just visit Spicey’s Spice Museum in Hamburg and see the Maggi exhibit (yes, I do realize that the previous sentence makes me sound like a nerd, […]

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German Basic Law – A short explanation of the Grundgesetz

Statues of Roland – Who was Roland?

April 9, 2021

karenanne

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German History

Tucked against a front corner of the Quedlinburg Rathaus stands a statue of Roland. The figure is small compared to the massive Roland statue in Bremen. Our tour guide told us that Statues of Roland were the sign of a free market town and a symbol of strength. (She also mentioned that Roland used to […]

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Titan-RT! Crossing the Longest Suspension Bridge in Germany

St Hildegard of Bingen- The German Visionary Saint

March 10, 2021

karenanne

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German History

St Hildegard of Bingen officially holds title of Patron Saint of Writers and Composers (and some suggest she’s unofficially the patron saint of both Beer, and of Women… especially those of a certain age). Beyond the trappings of Sainthood, Hildegard was most certainly an extraordinary woman. The Benedictine Abbess was a Polymath who received visions […]

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German Basic Law – A short explanation of the Grundgesetz

What is a Turnverein? How do Turners fit into American History?

February 3, 2021

karenanne

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Celebrating German Culture in America

When I told my mother I that my latest research was a deep dive into the Turner Movement, she said “OH! Vater Jahn! Your Opa did gymnastics with the Turners!” Although Freiderich Ludwig Jahn basically invented gymnastics in Germany around 100 years before my grandfather was born he’s still spoken of with reverence by many […]

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Prime Day Deals for your German-American Home

The History of Old German Cursive Alphabet and Typefaces

January 22, 2021

karenanne

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German History

I remember struggling with the lowercase cursive f. Over and over, I would write f’s on the brownish lined paper (you know the kind, it had 2 solid blue lines set about an inch apart with a dotted line between them). And every time I turned it in, my teacher would reject it and send […]

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German Basic Law – A short explanation of the Grundgesetz

What is an Asam Church?

January 19, 2021

karenanne

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German History

[no_toc] When I stepped in to the Klosterkirche (Monastery Chapel) in Weltenburg, it took my breath away. The chapel contains a masterclass in Baroque Architecture. Every surface decorated with carvings and paintings…gilding and statuary… all from the minds of the Asam Brothers.  Now, while planning my trip to Germany in 2019, I stumbled across a […]

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Titan-RT! Crossing the Longest Suspension Bridge in Germany

German Good Luck Symbols

December 30, 2020

karenanne

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Celebrating German Culture in America

In Germany, especially around Christmas and the New Year you see them everywhere… Toadstool ornaments, Chimney Sweet figures, Marzipan Piggies with coins or 4 Leaf Clover in their mouths. These German good luck symbols didn’t just come out of nowhere… they all have history and legend to explain why they are lucky. Some luck charms […]

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Prime Day Deals for your German-American Home

What is a Schnitzelbank- A Bench and a Funny Song

October 30, 2020

karenanne

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Celebrating German Culture in America

It was another one of those moments where I really wondered if my family was German, but it turned out to be yet another case of family from North Rhine Westphalia vs Midwest German-American. While in Wisconsin, I kept seeing a poster for the Schnitzelbank, so I asked “What is a Schnitzelbank?“. I mean I […]

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Prime Day Deals for your German-American Home