Seiffen is not known for its architecture. The town in a far corner of Germany began as a mining town and, over time, evolved into a sort of Christmas Village or Spielzeugdorf, filled with shops creating toys and decorations. Yet, if you go up the hill from the Buntes Haus, past the giant Christmas Pyramid, and around the bend a…
Category: German History
Who are the Volga Germans? Holding their Tradition across 3 Countries
My introduction to the Volga Germans came through food—specifically, Kuchen. One of my readers contacted me looking for a recipe for Kuchen, like the one her Volga German grandmother made. In my experience, Kuchen is cake, and there are thousands of cake recipes. I love German food history, so it was time to do some digging, starting with who ARE…
A Tale of Two Schalmei – What is a Schalmei?
In our Saturday German School, we sang the same verse over and over, overlapping in far from perfect harmony, while our teacher jumped back and forth across the front of the classroom, pointing to groups when it was their time to join in the round. “Es tönen die Lieder…” Es tönen die Lieder Der Frühling kehrt wieder Es spielet der…
Burg Maus- The Perfect Setting for a Mystery! Guest Post by Rachel Selle
Thanks so much to Rachel Selle, author of “Mystery at Castle Mouse” for writing this guest post to share the fascinating history of Burg Maus on the Rhine! (I do love when someone does my job for me). Enjoy the post… and then check out Rachel’s book series “The European Adventures” available in English AND German. Rachel gave a reading…
The Nebra Sky Disc & the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle
The Nebra Sky disc captivated me the first time I saw a photo of it. While it looks like a simple blue disk with golden circles and crescents, the bronze disc reflects the heavens in a very specific way. I had the opportunity to see it in person at the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle, Germany. Fabulous. The breathtaking…
Wartburg Castle Tour- Wartburg Castle in Eisenach Germany
The Venn Diagram of reader recommendations and travel plans overlapped neatly this year, allowing me to include Wartburg Castle in Eisenach on the itinerary. And I’m so glad. The Wartburg Castle Tour takes you on a journey through history from the 11th century to the end of the 19th century. There are rough and ready rooms for knights, as well…
Spreewald Kahnfahrt and a Visit to the Open-Air Museum in Lehde
South and slightly east of Berlin, you’ll find one of Germany’s more unusual UNESCO sites, the Spreewald Biosphere Reserve. Formed during the last Ice Age, this inland delta of the Spree River, crisscrossed by 200 water channels and streams through bogland, forest, and meadows, is home to a group of traditional Sorbs, or Wends, whose families have been making a…
A German Church on Kauai- Where Aloha means Guten Tag
Over the years, I’ve gotten into the habit of seeking out the German history of places I visit. While browsing the history section of my local used bookstore, I stumbled across the book “Hawaii and the German-Speaking People” by Niklaus R. Schweizer. Since we were planning a trip to the Islands, I grabbed it (a little light reading for…
What is the Difference Between a Burg and a Schloss?
It sounds like a fun game, doesn’t it? Burg or Schloss? (Almost like a version of Stadt, Land, Fluß). Those grand and not-so-grand castles in Germany get very specific names. But is it a Castle? Is it a Palace? What is the difference between a Burg and a Schloss? (To make things even more confusing, there is an actual place…
The History of the Brandenburg Gate- A Berlin Icon
I remember the first time I stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate. On that drizzly day in 1988, the Gate stood behind a graffiti-covered section of the Berlin Wall. The backside of the Quadriga was only just visible from my low vantage point, the Iron Cross in Victory’s staff removed. The Gate, no longer in use, felt diminished- a…