This painting of "Erwachende Germania" (Awakening of Germania) symbolized efforts of the mid-19th century to unite German states into a second empire. In this 1849 painting by Christian Köhler, he depicts an allegorical "Germania" as a female warrior, awakened from her slumber by the approach of an evil power. She protects the old German Imperial… Continue reading This 1849 painting of an allegorical “Germania” symbolized a general yearning for a new German Empire
This Map of German Language Areas was produced after a 1910 census. It shows German-speaking areas outside of the Reich borders, giving a good picture of where Germans in previous centuries created settlements, either by self-motivation or in many cases by invitation of foreign rulers who valued their skills and industriousness. This is an… Continue reading Why so many people consider themselves German, even though their ancestors lived in other countries, sometimes for hundreds of years.
Bach at age 61, by Elias Hausmann Johann Sebastian Bach personally designed this Monogram, which cleverly consists of his initials JSB, superimposed over their mirror image. He then topped the design with a crown. Bach took the liberty of adding a crown due to his assignments as royal court musician in Leipzig to the Elector… Continue reading Johann Sebastian Bach took the liberty of adding a crown to his Monogram
This finely detailed painting depicts the 1861 Coronation of King Wilhelm I of Prussia in the medieval Königsberg Castle. This painting by Adolph Menzel is a beautiful image of pomp and ceremony in the Kingdom of Prussia and a rare look inside the medieval castle that was once headquarters of the Teutonic Knights. Only a… Continue reading Pomp and ceremony in the 600 year old Königsberg Castle
In February 1906, the Silver Wedding Anniversary of the German Emperor and Empress was turned into a double wedding celebration when they gave their second son, Prince Eitel, permission to be married on the same day. Kaiser Wilhelm and family in 1906, by Ferdinand Keller Their son’s bride, the Duchess Sophie-Charlotte, was the daughter of… Continue reading A cavalry of trumpeters led the royal carriage thru Berlin where a 72 gun salute started the dual wedding ceremony
… a German vintage 1800’s Christmas card reflecting the tradition of bringing home a Christmas tree...a snowy scene with a lit up church in the background. Explore images on brand new products at my stores https://www.etsy.com/shop/vintagegermanygifts
Christmas Season is here and for the benefit those who are new to this page, I will once again relate my memories of how Christmas was celebrated in northern Germany. Most significantly, Christmas Day was not as important as Christmas Eve and therefore many German-Americans still follow the tradition of exchanging gifts on the 24th.… Continue reading My memories of how Christmas was celebrated in northern Germany
Prussia circa 1250, Teutonic Knights Charge during winter, their favorite season in the Northern Crusades. Much of German history is not well known ...for example, there were successful Crusades conducted in northern Europe for hundreds of years and the largest castle ever built in Europe was a German crusader castle, the Marienburg. There once existed… Continue reading There were successful Crusades conducted in northern Europe for hundreds of years
An excerpt from "Departure of King Wilhelm I. of Prussia to join the Army on July 13, 1870" at the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War, by Adolph von Menzel. The King would return to Berlin 11 months later, in June 1871, not only victorious but also as the new Kaiser of the German Empire, already… Continue reading Departure of King Wilhelm I. of Prussia to join the Army on July 13, 1870
Whereas the US has Uncle Sam and England has John Bull, Germany has Michael, known as Der Deutsche Michel (The German Michael). “Der Deutsche Michel” ...statue on roof of the Academy of Art in Königsberg, East Prussia His popularity peaked in the 1840s, so perhaps this is why most people never heard of Michel. Even… Continue reading Whereas the US has Uncle Sam and England has John Bull, Germany has Michael, known as Der Deutsche Michel
For People Proud of their German Heritage 