Johannes Kepler… German mathmatician, astronomer, astrologer… he wrote the laws of planetary motion, was appointed mathematician to the Holy Roman Emperor, and he is considered the father of modern optics. But also….the son of a WITCH? It’s hard to believe, but Johannes Kepler put his career on hold, and spent 6 years defending his widowed mother against charges of witchcraft.…
Category: German History
German Museums and Cultural Heritage Centers in North America
German Museums and Cultural Centers do what they can to preserve the history of Germans in North America. They come in all sizes. Many hold exhibits of objects and ephemera, some are living museums that allow visitors to immerse themselves in another time, and others are a treasure trove for genealogists. Please help me add to this list of German…
The Potato in Germany- From Erd-Apfel to Kartoffel
The potato in Germany…it’s been a central part of the diet for so long, that it seems like it’s always been there. Mashed, boiled, fried, formed into Klöße, baked into bread… They might turn up at every meal. We had a bin in our kitchen JUST for potatoes! But considering how widespread the potato is, the Erdapfel is a relatively…
West Germany’s Economic Miracle -Wirtschaftswunder
Cover image- Wirtschaftswunder Deutschland nach dem Krieg -Josef Heinrich Darchinger After spending a few semesters in mandatory Economics class at University I am certain of three things: 1. It’s virtually impossible to get more than two economists to agree on anything. 2. Guns and Butter are almost impossible to balance. 3. Taking a 7am Economics class might be the worst…
Sorbian Easter Eggs- How are they made, and who are the Sorbs?
Some of the most beautifully decorated Easter Eggs that I’ve ever seen are Sorbian Easter Eggs. My mother introduced us to them when we were children, and she remembered them from her childhood. You see, my Opa, her father, is from Weißwasser… a town in eastern Saxony, Germany, a town that once belonged to Upper Lusatia or Upper Sorbia. While my family…
Karl May- Old Shatterhand and Winnetou
Karl May might be the best selling German novelist that most Americans never heard of. May’s stories of the American West have been making frontiersmen and Native Americans come alive in Germany since 1893. And for Germans of a certain age, the names Old Shatterhand and Winnetou are as familiar as Harry Potter, Ron, and Hermione are to my kids.…
The Gäubodenmuseum- 7000 years of History in Straubing, Germany
The Gäubodenmuseum is an absolute treasure trove of early German, Celtic, Roman, and Bavarian artifacts. You’ll find the museum in a rebuilt patricians house on Frauenhoferstraße, off the main pedestrian zone in Straubing. The museum was recommended to me by our tour bus driver, Bene. (And here’s a travel tip- when the bus driver recommends something, GO!). Now, I’ve always…
The Candy Bomber – The Berlin Airlift & Operation Little Vittles
Cover Image-C-54 dropping candy during Berlin Airlift c1949 – Public Domain In a 2021 newsletter, I mentioned that I would be writing about the Candy Bomber who dropped handkerchief parachutes with chocolate payloads for the children of Berlin during the Airlift. One of my readers, Dorothea Thunig Smith, reached out to me with a lovely memory. “I lived in Berlin…
October 31st, Martin Luther, and the Protestant Reformation
Eight German states observe October 31st, Reformation Day, as a public holiday. But what was the Protestant Reformation and why is it celebrated? Growing up in the Lutheran Church we heard the story about how Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to a church door, setting off the Protestant Reformation, and starting the Lutheran Church. Clearly, that’s the extremely short…
Why are there so MANY Different names for Germany?
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 to do with Germany’s location.…