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June July 2009
Profile: For the Elephants of Laos
by Leah Larkin
When Markus Peschke moved to Laos from Germany, he fell in love with the people and the country but it was the elephants that became his passion.
There is a word in a Chinese dialect that has two meanings – “happiness,” and “to ride an elephant,” explains Markus Peschke. Indeed, riding an
elephant is a jolly experience as I found out at Peschke’s Elephant Camp Xieng Lom Elephant XL) hidden in the jungle fifteen kilometers from Luang Prabang, Laos.
Peschke, forty-four, who hails from the town of Kleve near Düsseldorf, first came to Laos twelve years ago as a tourist. “I immediately liked the people and the town
(Luang Prabang),” he recalls. “I also liked the charm in the old buildings.”
In Germany, where he worked for the post office, his passion was restoring old houses in his free time. However, regulations made it difficult for him to pursue his hobby.
“It made me uncomfortable to stay in Germany where everything must be perfect. It was hard to be creative. Here you can do what you want,” he says.
His first venture in Laos was a restaurant in Luang Prabang, which he opened ten years ago in an old rosewood house he rented. On a trip to nearby Thailand, he bought a mountain
bike, brought it back to Laos, and started taking excursions into the countryside. Restaurant customers began to ask if they could accompany him, so he bought more bikes. To comply with government rules, he
linked up with a travel agency to offer the bike trips.
A favorite destination was a jungle village, Ban Xieng Lom. “I always rode to this village. I liked it. I decided it would be a good spot to build a resort,” he
recalls.
He bought land near the village along the banks of the Nam Khan River, had a road constructed to the site, and then built an office. A one-hundred-year-old farmhouse, dating
from French colonial times, was restored and renovated to become the elephant lodge with accommodations for tourists. Elephant XL was established in 2003 to protect Asian elephants. “What impresses me
about elephants is the contrast between their colossal size and gentle behavior,” says the burly Peschke.
As he explains, Laos may be the “land of a million elephants,” but today it is home to fewer than two thousand. Half are domesticated and half are wild. Elephants
are still used in the logging industry in Laos, brutal work for the beasts, which are often mistreated, but Peschke says using elephants in logging is expected to be banned. And, elephants that have been used
for logging cannot be released into the wild. They are accustomed to a life with humans and the forests no longer meet all of their food needs.
“They must be kept busy. There’s less space for them in the wild,” notes Peschke. “I thought it would be nice to have a place for old elephants. They are
difficult to care for.”
At first he rented old elephants at a cost of $550 per month per elephant. Then he decided it would be more practical to purchase the beasts, but at up to $10,000 per animal, it
is a costly venture…
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Gallery: Amish Quilts – Tradition and Art
by Cynthia Elyce Rubin
With the 2008 exhibition, "Amish Quilts from Private Collections," the German Textile Museum in Krefeld commemorated the Krefeld Anabaptists who fled religious
persecution in 1683. Quilts collected by Monika Willi (Zurich) and Doctors Adelheid and Hannes Wurzer (Munich) highlight the Amish relationship to both Germany and Switzerland and demonstrate a kinship bound by
the historical and social context in which Amish quilt traditions evolved and continue to this day.
It was William Penn's founding of the "Holy Experiment" (as he called his colony of Pennsylvania) that set in motion the first substantial migrations from
Europe's German-speaking region. Penn made two trips to the Netherlands and Germany in 1671 and 1677 respectively, and his philosophy of religious and economic freedom was further disseminated in pamphlets
and through agents hired to recruit colonists. Glowing accounts of the New World were also echoed in publications such as Daniel Falckner's Curieuse Nachricht von Pennsylvania, a 1702 tract describing
the country where "fertility is excellent. . . [and] whereby all things grow with a more rapid energy, and give one a second harvest, just as plentiful, if not more."
Even more effective than published reports were letters sent back home and information passed by word of mouth. While destructive wars, religious persecution, and relentless
oppression were happening in parts of Europe, immigrants and visitors to the New World told of hardships, but also of abundant land and freedom. No matter how difficult the voyage, the possibilities for
opportunity and liberty made the idea of leaving for foreign shores irresistible.
Discouraged by the growing wealth and worldliness of the Church, Anabaptists sought a more radical reform than had been advocated by either Luther or Zwingli, the founder of the
Swiss Reformed Church. Anabaptist doctrines, including adult baptism, challenged religious authorities and spread rapidly. Leaders emerged who often gave their names to different sects within the movement. One
group, for example, came to be known as Mennonites, after Menno Simons, a Dutch Catholic priest who rejected Catholicism in 1536. Later, in the 1690s, differences within the movement resulted in a leadership
struggle that gave rise to another group, the Amish, after Jacob Ammann, one of many Mennonites who had emigrated from Switzerland to the Alsace region of the Rhine Valley. The Amish sought to ensure the
survival of their strict beliefs and social unity by establishing their own communities in America.
"The original Amish settlers immigrated to Berks, Chester, and Lancaster counties in southeastern Pennsylvania," writes historian John A. Hostetler. They moved
westward – to Ohio in 1808, to Indiana in 1839, and to Iowa in 1840. Today, Amish members live in some twenty American states and the Canadian province of Ontario…
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Boating Through a Biosphere - Germany's Spreewald Region
By Sharon Hudgins
Enter a verdant biological preserve where a diverse mix of unique flora and fauna is protected along with heritage of the ethnic Sorbian people.
Where in Europe can you travel through several hundred miles of shallow waterways in little wooden punts propelled by people in colorful costumes pushing poles into the water?
If you answered Venice or Amsterdam, Brugges or Hamburg, guess again. In none of those places can you travel so far by boat through meadows full of wildflowers, or through
thick forests under a lush green canopy of birch, alder, ash, and weeping willow trees, with river otters and ring-neck snakes slithering into the water, dragonflies fluttering through the air, and families of
white storks nesting nearby.
Welcome to Germany's Spreewald—the Spree River woods—a unique region in Central Europe halfway between Dresden and Berlin. In 1991 a large part of the
Spreewald was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, a protected ecological area, a refuge to many species of endangered plants and animals that have died out elsewhere.
Geology was destiny in this part of Europe: About 20,000 years ago, as an ice age was ending, glacial meltwater spread over a wide lowland scooped out by the tongue of a
glacier, and the resulting river now known as the Spree divided into a network of little streams, totaling more than 900 miles in length and forming a large inland delta. But a local legend offers a more
colorful explanation of the Spreewald's origin: One day the Devil was out plowing with a team of two black oxen, cutting the deep furrow that would become the Spree River bed. It was a hard job,
and after a while the tired oxen refused to budge. Cursing the lazy beasts, the Devil cracked his whip and threw his cap at them, causing the frightened oxen to run this way and that, all around the
countryside, pulling the plow behind them and gouging out hundreds of channels that filled with water and turned into the labyrinth of streams that criss-cross the Spreewald today.
Later human habitation changed the ancient landscape as settlers cut down large swaths of forest, planted fields of flax, and brought farm animals to graze on the grassy
meadows. Today the Fliesse, or waterways of the Spreewald, flow through a park-like mosaic of dense forests, towering trees, flat farmland, and tiny hamlets of log houses roofed with
thatch. Many of the houses have a front gable topped with a carving of two crowned snakes' heads, crossed in an X, representing the Schlangenkönig, or Snake King, a benign animal believed to
provide protection to the home.
On a recent visit to the Spreewald, I stayed in Lübbenau, the largest town in the region and a center for tourist excursions by boat, by bicycle, on foot, and even on ice skates
when the canals are frozen in winter. Narrow cobblestone streets, half-timbered houses, small inns, and cozy taverns make Lübbenau a pleasant place to base for exploring the Spreewald. You can also
book into a Zimmer mit Frühstuck (room with breakfast) in many of the picturesque farmhouses along the waterways or rent a rustic holiday cottage of your own…
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Special Delivery from Germany
by Brenda Ruggiero
The German-American community of Manning Iowa, undertook a twelve-year project to dismantle, transport, and reassemble a German “farmer’s house,” the result of which is the
centerpiece of their heritage preservation efforts.
What began as an impossible dream is now a vibrant reminder of German culture that stands in Manning, Iowa. People from all over the world come to visit the Hausbarn, which was
dismantled – piece by piece – and delivered from Germany to become a part of the Manning Heritage Park.
This type of structure, known in Germany as a “Bauernhaus” (farmer’s house), was common to the Schleswig-Holstein region during the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries. They served farm families well, because the family could live in one area of the building while their livestock occupied another. The term Hausbarn was created by the Manning Heritage Foundation, and
is a combination of German and English.
According to Freda Dammann, director, discussions originally began in 1988 about the possibility of relocating the structure from Germany to Manning.
“We had just completed our first Weihnachtsfest German Christmas Festival, and did so well that we decided to try to build on our heritage with the Hausbarn,” Freda
explained. “Our neighbors to the south, the Danes, had imported a windmill from Denmark to their community of Elk Horn, Iowa.”
The group had a vision of preserving the German heritage and sharing it with others, possibly creating a German-American Immigrant Museum. They made an inquiry to Paul Wagner,
International Liaison for the Iowa Department of Economic Development in Frankfurt, Germany, asking if a Hausbarn could be made available for Manning.
Wagner brought the inquiry to Dr. Karl Johannsen, director of the Open Air and Field Museum at Molfsee/Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The museum exhibits various Hausbarns
from all over Germany.
“Dr. Johannsen knew of a Hausbarn that was similar to one he already had in his museum,” Freda said. He talked to the owner, Claus Hachmann, who was intrigued with
the idea and agreed to give it to the community of Manning.”
The structure was originally built in 1660, and was located near the village of Klein Offenseth-Sparrieshoop in Schleswig-Holstein. It had been owned by Hachmann’s family
for many years. However, the roof had been damaged during a windstorm in 1990 and Hachmann did not want to spend the amount of money that was required for repairs.
News of the gift necessitated that another decision be made by the Heritage Foundation.
“When we knew we had the Hausbarn, we had to decide where to put it,” Freda said. “Quite by chance, this wonderful farm site opened up and we were able to
purchase it. The Hausbarn was called “Vor de Weisen” (in the meadow) in Germany, and we had a perfect meadow on the farm site where we could reconstruct the Hausbarn.”
The group had a scale model of the Hausbarn constructed, and they used it to promote the project and gain support…
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Munich Airport – More Than Meets the Eye
by Phyllis Meras
Photographs courtesy Munich Airport
International travel can be frightful but Munich Airport’s facilities and new way of looking at travel has developed a reputation for making “getting there” half the fun.
At the Munich Airport, you can have a knee replacement. You can try out your new clubs at the eighteen-hole mini-golf course. You can down a beer in the beer garden of the
world’s first airport brewery, or relax all day by the pool at the Kempinski Fit & Fly Spa You can enjoy a gate-side massage, worship in the simple meditation and prayer room that serves all faiths.
And if you do not have time between flights for a day trip into downtown Munich, you can sample Bavarian Weisswurst mit Bratkartoffeln in the airport branch of Munich’s celebrated Hofbrauhaus, or have coffee and a chocolate confection in the airport’s Dallmayr Café, a standby in downtown Munich since 1870.
Twenty-four miles northeast of the center of the Bavarian capital, on a windswept flatland known as the Erdinger Moos, Munich Airport opened in 1992. Now, less than two decades later,
it is the busiest airport in Germany after Frankfurt’s and the seventh busiest in Europe and annually, for the last four years, it has been named Europe’s Best Airport by the air traffic institute,
Skytrax, based on polling of eight million passengers worldwide.
What ingredients make it so?
Not only did four hundred thirty thousand planes use its runways last year carrying thirty-four and a half million passengers to two hundred twenty-nine destinations in seventy
countries, but it is also an architectural star. Rising between its two terminals (Terminal Two serving Lufthansa and other Star Alliance flights, Terminal One all other flights) is a glass-covered open-sided
atrium, Europe’s largest open-air forum. It is called the Munich Airport Center (MAC). Its designer was Chicago architect Helmut Jahn, architect also of the Sony Center Berlin. Edging both sides of the
structure are Jahn-designed office buildings, a conference center, and showrooms.
In the warm seasons, the beer garden of the brewery lures guests to quench their thirst under the atrium’s palm trees. For two weeks in August, however, the official Bavarian
Beach Volleyball Tournament is held there. Then in December, the open atrium is the festive site of an ice-skating rink and a vast Christmas Market with wooden toys from Saxony, hand-blown tree decorations,
jewelry, stoneware, and traditional foods.
Passengers enjoy these attractions, of course, but so do locals who flock to the airport year-round on Sundays and holidays. They can park their cars in the six thousand five
hundred-space car park. They can climb to the Visitors’ Terrace in Terminal Two to watch take-offs and landings or enjoy the Visitors’ Park on the airport grounds, site of the mini-golf course, a
playground, a restaurant and souvenir shop, an air museum, and another plane-viewing venue at the top of a ninety-foot high hill.
Meanwhile, air passengers, whether arriving, departing, or in transit have the best of all possible travel worlds. Munich Airport is very pleased with the speed with which passengers
can get from one flight to another. If their destination is downtown Munich, in less than twenty minutes they can have their luggage and be on their way. If they are transiting in Terminal Two, they need only
thirty minutes in connecting time. Lufthansa passengers whose arriving flight has been delayed are hurried by guides from one plane to the other or driven by mini-van directly to their connecting aircraft…
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Malter, Klafter, Morgen, Schuh: How much is that in Schoppen – or Gallons, as the case may be?
by Robert A. Selig
An inch is an inch, a mile is a mile – well, not always. A brief history of weights and measures in Germany sheds light on a history of variation – even from town to town.
The brief answer to the question depends on whether you are using the Schoppen Württembergisches Maß (at 0.459 Liter) or the Schoppen Fränkisches Maß (at 0.267 Liter) per Malter if its is wine, or whether you want to measure a liquid other than wine - or no liquid at all, in which case a Malter holds a completely different volume altogether. And it also depends, of course, on whether you want the answer in gallon current measure of 4.54 liter or gallon of the Queen Anne size of 3.78 liter dating to 1707, and no longer used pretty much anywhere but in the United States. The long answer takes us into the maze of pre-metric systems of measurements which was nowhere more varied than in the Holy Roman Empire of German Nation where every town and every ruler, no matter how small his holdings and how few his subjects, seems to have striven to have his own set of measurements and where a general uniformity of length, area, and volume units was not achieved until the second half of the nineteenth century when the new German Empire joined the international Meterkonvention in 1875.
The immediate origins of the dozens of different sizes of the Malter, Schuh, or Morgen in use in Germany are founded in the Carolingian system of measurements,
that is, a system dating to the times of Charlemagne in the eighth century AD, but at its very earliest they are as old as humanity itself. Human society needs means to measure many things: distances from one
place to another, sizes of land-holdings, for bartering or selling foodstuffs and for the construction of homes. The earliest civilizations, not surprisingly, took their units of measurement from the natural
world that surrounded them, for example., stones and grains for measuring weight and volume, Finger and Schuh for distances, Morgen and Tagwerk, that is, the amount of land that could
be worked in a morning or in a day, for areas, the sun and the moon for time. For obvious reasons, these units were sub-divided into halves, quarters, eighths, sixteenths, and so on: the Roman foot or pes of
29.6 cm (11.65 inches) had four palmi or hands of 7.4 cm (2.91 inches) or sixteen digiti or fingers at 1.85 cm (0.73 inches) each. This system remained in effect into the late Middle Ages when much of it was replaced by the duodecimal system, that is, a system based on divisions of twelve. And while most of the rest of the world has changed to the metric system, one foot still has twelve inches of 30.48 cm each in the United States. Another long-lasting component of that system that some of our readers may remember was the British financial system of £ 1 = 20 shillings = 240 pence (d) or 1 shilling = 12 d = 24 Halfpence and 48 Farthings, the "d" harking back to the Carolingian denarius. However, we are getting ahead of ourselves…
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Mittenwald -- Halfway to Heaven
by Don Heimburger
Whether you are active in hiking and biking or prefer to passively absorb the beauty of this jewel high in the Alps, Mittenwald delivers on all fronts.
Nestled between snow-covered mountains at three thousand feet high in Germany's Bavarian Alps, there is a small year-round resort town that people describe as where Bavaria
is at its most Bavarian.
Some say this picturesque mountain village is straight out of the musical The Sound of Music. In 1786, the German writer Goethe said it was a living picture book. Whatever the
flowery terminology used to characterize this singular spot -- which lies below eight towering peaks over seven thousand one hundred fifty feet each -- it is likely to be uncontested and all true, as well. The
town has the distinction of having the second highest elevation railway station, at three thousand twenty-eight feet, of any German town on the Deutsche Bahn main line.
Mittenwald, population less than eight thousand, sits on the German-Austrian border, sixty-six miles from Munich, eleven miles southeast of Garmisch-Partenkirchen and twenty-three
miles northwest of Innsbruck. The beauty of Mittenwald is that, despite it being in remote mountains, it is accessible by automobile, train, and ski bus. And the nearby Innsbruck and Munich airports provide
access to anywhere in the world.
Sometimes referred to as the Village of a Thousand Violins, Mittenwald is perfectly suited for sitting back and relaxing or biking, hiking, or skiing. Photography and nature
enthusiasts enjoy the Mittenwald area for its sunshine, fabulous views, clean air, and spectacular scenery that fills every nearby nook and cranny.
It is easy to sit back and relax in Mittenwald. The mountain air of the Kranzberg and Karwendel is clean and fresh, and the views entice visitors to sit on a geranium-filled porch or
balcony during the summer or spring and soak it all in.
The town's main street -- bermarkt -- is filled with small clothing shops (some that sell Trachten), bakeries, butchers, florists, shops that sell ceramics, woodworking, watches
and jewelry, and, of course, good restaurants and cafts. Many visitors like to explore this area at some point in their stay, and from this street and those radiating out from it, there are city benches for
those who want to just sit and gaze at the mountains or watch people come and go. The city just renewed parts of its central commercial district sidewalks and streets to make it even more attractive.
One of the highlights of the town is the colorful Lüftlmalereien on the buildings and houses, painted with natural colors on wet plaster. About one hundred of these seventeenth-
and eighteenth-century paintings, depicting religious or everyday life in the area, can be found in town. The first ones, by Franz Seraph Zwinck of Oberammergau done between 1747 and 1792, still survive. Zwinck
also coined the phrase Lüftlmalereien, likely because he worked outside (an der frischen Luft/in fresh air), or because he painted houses which were called zum Luft, or at the air.
Other paintings around the town were done by the famous Wessobrunner artist Matthäus Günther, as well as local families such as the Loefflers, Noders, and the Karners. Even more
recent paintings can be seen, like the one by Sebastian Pfeffer at Bahnhofstrasse 3, which was done in 1973
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Overlooked in “The Big Apple” – Traces of Germany in New York City
by Gert Niers
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, an observant eye can observe a treasure trove of German-American influences in “The Big Apple.”
German tourists sometimes complain that American tour guides make no mention of German achievements or of a German presence in New York City. Let’s face it: German traces
are not particularly obvious in the Big Apple. There is no recognizable German quarter like Little Italy or Chinatown or Harlem. What once was Little Germany or Kleindeutschland can hardly be identified today. To find out more about German traces in New York, we have to engage in some sort of urban archeology.
It may be noteworthy that the early history of the Germans in New York is closely interwoven with the history of the Dutch colonists in the New World – for the simple reason
that the Dutch Republic founded Nieuw Amsterdam in 1625. The name of the settlement was changed to New York in 1664, when the Dutch ceded their colony to England. Since Holland is a neighboring country of Germany, it is not surprising to find Germans in Dutch services. The most famous German immigrant of that period is Peter Minuit from Wesel who, as the Dutch colonial Director-General, bought Manhattan from the Native Americans. Under British rule, Jakob Leisler from Frankfurt/Main became Lieutenant Governor of New York, was executed in 1691 under controversial circumstances and had his name cleared by the Parliament in London in 1695. In 1735, Johann Peter Zenger, an immigrant from the Palatinate and a printer and publisher by trade, won an important trial that made him an early proponent of freedom of the press.
Probably the most prominent New Yorker and certainly the richest American by the end of his life (1848) was John Jacob Astor, born in Walldorf near Heidelberg in 1763. He made his
fortune in the fur trade and in real estate. After his retirement, Astor supported the arts and left $400,000 in his will for establishing a library accessible to the public. The building of the Astor Library is
still in existence today at 425 Lafayette Street (between East Fourth Street and Astor Place) and houses the Joseph Papp Public Theater. This early library held about two hundred thousand books and was designed
as a reference library for research (not a lending library). It merged with the Lenox Library and the Tilden Trust in 1895 to form the New York Public Library. Today, Astor and his library are mentioned on the
façade of the Main Branch that can be entered from Fifth Avenue. Of course, Astor’s name is also connected with a well-known hotel in Manhattan (formerly on Fifth Avenue, now at 301 Park Avenue and owned
by the Hilton Hotels Corporation). Astoria is also a neighborhood in Queens, where another famous German-American moved his piano factory from Manhattan…
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Melk Abbey – A Microcosm of Austrian History
by Lucy Gordan
Its Baroque splendor is a jewel in Austria’s tourism crown and the Abbey at Melk lures nearly half a million visitors each year.
I owe my first connection to Benedictine monasteries to my maternal grandfather of Bavarian descent. He was an avid book collector and among his splendid volumes were several
titles printed by the German itinerant typographers Arnold Pannartz and Konrad Sweynheim, probably disciples of Gutenberg himself. They came to Italy, first to the Benedictine Monastery Santa Scholastica at
Subiaco in 1464 and then to Rome in 1467, and printed the first books ever in Italy.
During my junior year in Rome, I visited both Subiaco and Monte Cassino, where St. Benedict wrote The Rule and is said to have died. It was pulverized by the Allies’ air raids on February 15, 1944, due to the mistaken belief that it was a German stronghold. During the 1950s, the Italian government reconstructed an exact replica, today one of southern Italy’s most visited destinations.
After graduation from college I returned permanently to Rome to marry my Italian husband of now more years than I like to count. When I first lived here I was put off by the
luxurious and over-the-top Baroque architecture of many of the Eternal City’s churches, an artistic style I have since come to love. Nonetheless, nothing prepared me for the breath-taking Baroque
magnificence and sheer beauty of Melk Abbey. With four hundred fifty thousand visitors a year, thirty percent Austrians and seventy percent foreigners (Germans and Americans make up the majority), it is one of
Austria’s most visited monuments. Fifty-five miles west of Vienna it is an easy and romantic day trip along the Danube by train every hour (my choice of transportation), car, bike on well-marked paths, or
boat (only on Sundays from April through October).
Like St. Scholastica and Monte Cassino, Melk Abbey (Stift Melk in German, www.stiftmelk.at) is situated atop a high, strategically-important rocky cliff, is home to a magnificent library, and has continuously been a working monastery for hundreds of years. However, according to medieval documents and as can be easily seen from its layout, Melk Abbey began life as a fort transformed into a castle, and not as a religious complex, although we know from documents in the Abbey’s library that a canonical community lived in the castle. Since 1014, the martyred Irish pilgrim Koloman, soon-after saint, has been buried in Melk, and it is also the preferred burial place of the ruling family named Babenberg.
The Abbey was officially founded on March 21, 1089, St. Benedict’s feast day, when Leopold II of the Babenberg family, Margrave of Austria, who had become disenchanted
with the local clergy, invited the Benedictines to move here from Lambach Abbey. He had become rich and powerful enough to build himself a grander residence nearer Vienna at Klosterneuberg, known as the
“Escorial of Austria.”
A century or so later, the Benedictines founded a school, which today still counts over eight hundred students, both boys and girls. (Since 1966, it has had an exchange program
with the St. John’s Preparatory School at the Benedictine Abbey of St. John in Collegeville, Minnesota.)…
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Mickey Meets Germany's Sommerfest
by Don Heimburger
The magical team at Disney’s Epcot recreates a bit of Germany in Florida and “It’s a Small World (After All)” takes on new meaning.
Strolling down the World Showcase promenade at Disney's Epcot in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, I discover a small German village square, complete with stores, restaurants and
people dressed in dirndls and lederhosen. This is where Mickey meets Germany's Sommerfest every day of the year.
And for German-Americans, and those who wish they could afford to travel to Europe in these tough economic times, it is a fun, low-cost escape to enjoy some surprisingly good
German food, German music, and genuine German atmosphere.
In the “Little Germany” section of the park, which opened on October 1, 1982, and sits astride the World Showcase Lagoon, is a series of light sand-colored
medieval-style buildings with red roofs that stand against a towering fortress-like backdrop that could easily pass for one of hundreds of authentic castle walls still standing in the Motherland.
From a distance, the whole quaint scene beckons visitors to a typical German marketplace, complete with large, overflowing pots of red and pink geraniums, cobblestone streets,
old-fashioned glowing gas lamps, intricately-made shopkeeper's signs hanging over doors, colorfully-painted seventeenth-century style Luftlmalereien on the walls and half-timbered buildings. A glockenspiel chimes to a melody specially composed for the village.
Add to that a large, imposing clock tower in the center of the market, a water fountain the top of which is crowned by St. George and the Dragon, stone arch walkways, and
turreted structures with tiny finials at the top, and you are in the midst of a typical German fairy-tale village that invites you in for a peek. Disney planners say the Biergarten atmosphere is derived from the
sixteenth-century town of Rothenberg, and many of the buildings were inspired by those of Bavaria and the Rhine region.
As many as twenty-five million visit Disney's four worlds (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot) every year, crowding the parks'
forty-three-square miles, with nearly eleven million of them visiting Epcot (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), which also features areas that highlight the culture and cuisine of eleven different
countries.
For the German area, “Octoberfest was a theme that provided the perfect context for a large food venue,” says Geoffrey Pointon, public relations manager for Disney.
“Disney Imagineers went to Germany in search of just the right architectural features to use in order to convey an Old World ambiance. Costumes were designed by Disney Costuming...which did extensive
research on traditional German costumes worn by different regions in Germany,” says Pointon. “Fabrics and embroideries were researched to come up with authentic elements for the prints in the
costumes.” He adds, “Considerations were made for cast member comfort in the Florida climate, so lighter versions of the fabrics were created. The garments are custom made for us by United States
manufacturers using our custom-made fabrics. They appear so authentic that only a trained eye would be able to spot the difference.”…
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Language: Kugelgras und Indianische Pinselblume – was steckt hinter diesen Pflanzennamen?
Von Peter Pabisch
Deutsche Botaniker haben viel zur Erfassung der Flora in Amerika beigetragen. Da die Pflanzen über die nördlliche Halbkugel der Erde sehr ähnlich sind und oft zur gleichen
Familie, ja Gattung gehören, haben sich verwandte Bezeichnungen ergeben.
Einer der frühen Fachleute, der diese hemisphärische Ähnlichkeit erkannte, war kein geringerer als der Romantiker Adelbert von Chamisso, der allerdings durch seine wundersame
Geschichte „Peter Schlemihl“ viel bekannter geworden ist. Doch schrieb er schon vor 180 Jahren über diese Nähe der Pflanzen zueinander.
Während viele Pflanzen durch Samenflug oder in Faulstoffausscheidungen der Tiere zur Eiszeit über den Norden verbreitet wurden, trug der Mensch in den letzten fünfhundert Jahren
wesentlich zu dieser Verbreitung bei. So konnte es zum Kugelgras kommen, als um 1870 viele Wolgadeutsche in die Vereinigten Staaten auswanderten und sich im Mittleren Westen ansiedelten. In den Samen ihrer
Flachs- und Getreidesorten hatte sich so mancher Unkrautsamen eingeschlichen – und so begann die Geschichte des Kugelgrases in Amerika. Als sehr lebenstüchtige Pflanze liebt sie die Steppensituation der
amerikanischen Prärie , die sie aus Russland gewohnt war. Und schon verbreitete sich das Kugelgras freudig weiter. Die Amerikaner nennen dieses rollende Kraut „tumble weed“. Ob der Name eine Übersetzung
aus dem Deutschen ist, lässt sich nur schwierig feststellen, aber er trifft den Nagel auf den Kopf. So kugelt es heute in wahren Pflanzenheeren durch die Landschaft und bringt sozusagen Leben in die Bude, wenn
es so windgetrieben dahinpurzelt.
Es wäre eine lange und erstaunliche Geschichte hier alle Pflanzengemeinsamkeiten aufzuzählen, aber ein paar Exempel mögen das Gesamtbild illustrieren. Die deutsch-amerikanische, in
Houston lebende Dichterin Lisa Kahn übersetzte den Namen der ihr stets gefallenden, roten Bergblume „Indian Paintbrush“ (Castilleja sp.) sehr treffend und direkt mit „Indianische Pinselblume“.
Während diese Blume in ihrer Art in Europa nicht zu finden ist, sind andere Pflanzen der alpinen Bergwelt Amerikas europäischen Alpenpflanzen beinahe aufs Haar gleich. Auffallend sind etwa die Aspen, die auch in
Tirol so heißen, woher der Mensch eingewandert sein muss, der dem Baum den Namen gegeben hat, wonach auch der Ort Aspen in Colorado so heißt. Diese Bäume zittern wie Espen und gehören zur großen Familie der
Pappelarten, die lateinisch als „populus“ von den Botanikern zusammengefasst werden. Man findet sie von der Hudson Bay über Kanada, in Sibirien und bis nach Skandinavien, wo sie die Wälder im Herbst so
herrlich bunt färben, was auch auf die Alpen und die Rockys zutrifft. Ebenso sind Eichen, Ahorn, Föhren, Fichten und Tannen in diesen Zonen über die Beringstraße zu finden, deren einige auch spärlicher in
Südamerika auf den hohen Bergzonen bis zur Baumgrenze wachsen...
Tumbleweed and Indian Paintbrush – What Do the Names Reveal?
by Peter Pabisch
German botanists contributed at first a great deal to the study of the American flora. The plants across the Northern hemisphere are quite similar and often belong to the same
family and even the same ‘genus,’ therefore similar names were given to them.
One of the early botanical experts who recognized this similarity over the northern hemisphere was the renowned Romantic author Adelbert von Chamisso, whom we know better, though,
from his novella “Peter Schlemihl.” Yet, he wrote also about the close relationship of the plants in general some 180 years ago.
Whereas many plants were transported by wind-driven seeds or in droppings of animals over the northern passages during the Ice Age, human beings contributed to it especially during
the last five hundred years. The tumbleweed’s transportation story began around 1870 when many Volga Germans immigrated to the United States and settled in the Midwest. The corn and flax seeds they brought
also contained other weeds – and that’s how the history of the tumbleweed, also known as the Russian thistle, started. The plant thrives in the steppe conditions of the American prairie, which are
similar to the Russian areas. It did not take long before it became established and soon became a familiar sight in the West. Whether the Germans gave it its name in direct translation from their language is not
definitely determined, but today it literally tumbles in wind-driven army formations over the land and can be quite a sight to watch.
Mentioning all the similar plants here would make for a long and boring story but a few examples will be adequate to establish the existence of related plant life in the United States
and Germany.
It would be a long and awesome story to mention here all the similarities of the plants, but a few examples may suffice to characterize the essential picture. German-American poetess
Lisa Kahn lives in Houston and likes the shiny, reddish Indian Paintbrush, which she translated directly into German as “Indianische Pinselblume.” Whereas this species of flower cannot be found in
Europe, other plants of the alpine mountain ranges in America closely resemble their European relatives or ‘genera.’ Everyone is familiar with the Aspen tree, which most likely got its name from
immigrants from Tirol in Austria, where they also grow and bear the same name. Even the famous Colorado resort of Aspen received its name in this way. The leaves of this Trembling or Golden Aspen shiver like
those of poplar trees. They belong to the large family of poplar or “populus” trees, as they are called, botanically. They can be found from the Hudson Bay across Canada and Siberia to Scandinavia,
where they color the autumn woods with their remarkable bright golden color, as we also find it in the Rockies and in the Alps. Likewise oak, maple, pine, spruce, and fir trees can be found in these regions over
the Bering Strait. They even grow into Latin America in high altitudes – and some of them up to the Alpine tree line…
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Calendar
June – July 2009
Please contact events directly to confirm dates, times, locations, and admission fees
JUNE
Frederick, MD
First Friday of the month: Der Stammtisch at Brewer’s Alley, 124 N. Market Street. Call 301-631-0127.
Indianapolis, IN
First Wednesday and first Saturday of the month: Docent-led tours of the Athenaeum at 401 East Michigan Street. Call 317-630-4569, ext. 1 or email athfound@sbcglobal.net .
Tulsa, OK
June 5 – 7: Annual Folk Dance/Folklore Weekend of the American Federation of German Folk Dance Groups. Call 918-299-2839 or 860-875-3559.
Cincinnati, OH
June 6 – 7: German Day Weekend. Sponsored by the German-American Citizens League. Call 513-351-3185, or visit www.gacl.org.
Fort Wayne, IN
June 18 – 20: 2009 National Conference of Palatines to America. Allen County Public Library. Visit www.palam.org or write to Ann Rodick, 211 S. Spriggs Ct., Bloomington, IN 47403-9610.
Leavenworth, WA
June 18 – 21: Accordion Fest. Call 509-548-5807 or visit www.Leavenworth.org .
Covington, KY
June 26 – 28: 9th Annual MainStrasse Village “Original” Goettafest. Call 859-491-0458 or visit www.mainstrasse.org .
Kutztown, PA
June 27 – July 5: 60th Annual Kutztown Folk Festival. A celebration of Pennsylvania Dutch folklife. Call 1-888-674-6136 or visit www.kutztownfestival.com
JULY
Frederick, MD
First Friday of the month: Der Stammtisch at Brewer’s Alley, 124 N. Market Street. Call 301-631-0127.
Indianapolis, IN
First Wednesday and first Saturday of the month: Docent-led tours of the Athenaeum at 401 East Michigan Street. Call 317-630-4569, ext. 1 or email athfound@sbcglobal.net .
Leavenworth, WA
July 3 – 5: Kinderfest. Call 509-548-5807 or visit www.Leavenworth.org .
Stonewall, TX
July 4: July 4th Celebration at Sauer-Beckmann Farm. LBJ State Park, 199 State Park Rd. 52. Celebrate July 4th as a German family and their friends would have in the early 1900s. Call 830-644-2252 or visit www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/lbj .
Fredericksburg, TX
July 4: City of Fredericksburg July 4th Celebration. Call 830-997-6891 or visit www.Fredericksburg-texas.com .
Belleville, MI
July 16 – 18: Pontius Family Association Meeting/Reunion. For descendants of Johannes and Nicholas Pontius. Call 734-461-2498 or email keithgingerbruder@hotmail.com .
Cincinnati, OH
July 17 – 19. Schützenfest. Sponsored by the Kolping society. Visit www.kolpingcincinnati.com .
Fredericksburg, TX
July 17 – 18: 46th Anniversary of Night in Old Fredericksburg. Food, drinks, arts & crafts, and entertainment as Fredericksburg celebrates its German heritage. Call 830-997-8515 or visit www.tex-fest.com .
Oldenburg, IN
July 18 – 19: Oldenburg Freudenfest. Town Hall Area. Visit www.freudenfest.com .
Timonium, MD
July 25 – 26: 109th Annual German Festival. Maryland State Fairgrounds Grandstand. Featuring die Schlauberger. Call 410-522-4144 or visit www.md-germans.org .
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