The Heroes of Tannenberg, Hindenburg and Ludendorff, saved East Prussia in August 1914 with a decisive victory against overwhelming odds. Paul von Hindenburg, 66, a retired Prussian General , was called into service to take over command of the relatively small force, one army, that was having trouble holding back the Russian invasion of East… Continue reading The Tannenberg Victory made Hindenburg a national hero
In a previous posting, I briefly mentioned a German American who was the maternal grandfather of the first Speaker of the House, Frederick Muhlenberg. Now I will relate the story of how his grandfather arrived in America and some additional details which are quite interesting. In 1709...when Conrad was 13 and still lived in Germany...fever… Continue reading Living with Mohawk Indians in America in 1712…that was only one adventure in the life of Conrad Weiser
Kaiser Friedrich II at his court in Palermo, Italy Another interesting aspect of German history is the long running connection with Italy. For example, there is a statue of German Kaiser Friedrich II …who lived in the 13th century…still being honored today in Naples, Italy. The image here, painted by Arthur von Ramberg, portrays this… Continue reading German history has a long running connection with Italy
Between the early 14th and late 19th centuries, a period of cooling known as the Little Ice Age chilled the planet. It was a period of cooling that occurred after the Medieval Warm Period. It has been conventionally defined as a period extending from about 1300 to about 1850 Europe bore the brunt of its ill effects for… Continue reading The Little Ice Age started in early 1300’s and Europe bore the brunt of its ill effects for 500 years
This German postage stamp portrays "Winnetou", one of the characters created by author Karl May in the 19th century. In fact, his Wild West books made Karl May one of the best-selling German writers of all time, with about 200 million books sold worldwide...and he greatly contributed to the positive image of Native Americans in… Continue reading Wild West books made Karl May one of the best-selling German writers of all time, with about 200 million books sold
This image of a young hare is one of the most viewed products in our on-line store. The title of this watercolor painting is “Feldhase”, or field rabbit, created over 500 years ago in Nuremburg, Germany by Albrecht Dürer. The fine detail exhibited here is a hallmark of this artist. Dürer has always been well-known… Continue reading The fine detail of this 500 year old painting is a hallmark of Albrecht Dürer
Carl Spitzweg, born in Unterpfaffenhofen in Bavaria, was a German Pharmacist who fell ill shortly after graduating from a Munich University. He used his prolonged period of illness to teach himself how to paint, at first by copying the works of Flemish masters. His professional career started when he sold his first work to a… Continue reading Carl Spitzweg was a German Pharmacist who became a famous artist
This vintage German Railways 1939 Travel poster features Berlin's Kaiser Wilhelm Church and its glamorous metropolitan surroundings at night. This is one of the last works of the very talented and prolific graphic artist Jupp Wiertz. Berlin at Night 1939, by Jupp Wiertz Wiertz reached the zenith of his career at the start of the… Continue reading Berlin at Night 1939 and two other famous posters by Jupp Wiertz
It was in the frenzied fighting in 1757 at the Battle of Kolin that Frederick the Great is said to have bawled at Manstein’s flinching Prussian infantry “Dogs! Do you want to live forever?” The surrounded Prussians in a rearguard battle are depicted in this painting by Richard Knötel. Prussia lost this battle, but losing… Continue reading Although at war with Austria, Russia, France, and Sweden, Frederick did not ever expect to lose a battle.
Equestrian portrait of Elisabeth, age 15, at her father's castle in Bavaria....Verlobungsgeschenk, her wedding engagement gift to Franz Joseph I of Austria...1853 painting by Karl Theodor von Piloty Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of Austria (1865), portrait by Franz Winterhalter Elisabeth Princess of Bavaria was popularly known as Sissi, which was also the title of a 1957… Continue reading Elisabeth Princess of Bavaria, known as Sissi, became the popular Empress of Austria in 1854
For People Proud of their German Heritage 