German History

Why are there so MANY Different names for Germany?

October 13, 2021

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German History

  Allemania, Niemcy, Vokietija, Tedesco, Tyskland, Germany, Deutschland…. WHY are there so many different names for Germany? And these aren’t just names that are a translation of the word Deutschland, they are very different words with different etymologies (starting place of a word). Even the word Deutschland is relatively recent. The answer has a lot […]

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The Linden tree in Germany – At the Heart of Germany

The Linden tree in Germany – At the Heart of Germany

September 3, 2021

karenanne

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German History

A friend sent me a clip from a news story out of West Virginia about the removal of a Linden Tree. What made him curious was not the toys found under the tree… it was the tree itself. This special tree was the last survivor of three Linden trees brought to the United States by […]

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Why are there so MANY Different names for Germany?

What is a Radler- The History of a Drink Named for a Cyclist

July 22, 2021

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German Beer and Wine

I realize this might be considered blasphemy, but I’m not much of a beer drinker. I just never developed a taste for it (apparently, I make an “eeewww” face from the bitter flavor when I drink it). But soda is generally too sweet. Fortunately, an innkeeper in Deisenhofen, Germany came up with a solution that […]

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Why are there so MANY Different names for Germany?

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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Why are there so MANY Different names for Germany?

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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Why are there so MANY Different names for Germany?

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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Why are there so MANY Different names for Germany?

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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Why are there so MANY Different names for Germany?

St Hildegard of Bingen- The German Visionary Saint

March 10, 2021

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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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Why are there so MANY Different names for Germany?

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

February 3, 2021

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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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Why are there so MANY Different names for Germany?

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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Why are there so MANY Different names for Germany?