This is a scene of a long gone winter, observed from the top of a hill in Meissen, Germany. The painting seems to pull you into a past that you never knew, yet it feels as though you are there, on top of the hill. Painted in 1859, it depicts a snowy early evening scene… Continue reading A long gone winter, observed from the top of a hill in Meissen, Germany
A beautiful blustery winter scene, by Ernst Oehme "Cathedral in Winter,1821"... look forward through the massive arches... you can see an imposing church structure, given scale by how small the monks appear as they walk toward the warm glow of the windows and doorway. Blowing snow slightly obscures the view, but you can see other… Continue reading By Ernst Oehme “Cathedral in Winter,1821”
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
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
For People Proud of their German Heritage 