German-American Heritage Foundation and Museum

06/09/2025

Hofburg Ball is 70% sold out - deadline to register is June 27, 2025
https://gahmusa.org/vienna2026/
Although summer has not quite begun, we are already planning our next trip to Vienna, the world's waltz capital. Have you ever dreamed of gliding across the parquet at a traditional Viennese ball in a bona fide palace or to dance alongside a member of the world-famous Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra? If the answer is yes, join us for a special trip (each event is limited to 16 people) to ensure an authentic and full experience. In addition to an elegant ball at either the Hofburg or the Musikverein, you will also enjoy culinary and cultural/educational highlights such as a guided tour of Schönbrunn Palace, childhood home of the ill-fated Queen of France Marie Antoinette, and the Gothic St. Stephen's Cathedral with its majestic spires and towers. Did you know that the catacombs house the remains of the Habsburg rulers from the 13th through the 17th centuries? The cathedral is also the home of the famous bell, the Pummerin, forged from Turkish canon balls after the 1683 Siege of Vienna and the defeat of the Ottoman forces. We will also partake in dance lessons at Vienna’s oldest dance school, the prestigious Elmayer Dance School; Professor Thomas Schäfer-Elmayer will choreograph the opening ceremonies and lead the midnight quadrilles.

06/05/2025

We are thrilled to welcome our summer interns to the German-American Heritage Foundation and Museum! Abby (white dress), Hunter, and Emma Rose (floral print dress) will be spending the next several weeks with us to help us with our research, and to prepare a website celebrating German-speaking immigrants' contributions for the America250 semiquincentennial in 2026. In addition to visiting some significant German American sights in DC, we are also planning a trip to the Historic Triangle in southern Virginia to learn more about the work of German carpenters, glassmakers, and miners in Jamestown and Williamsburg in the 17th and 18th centuries.

06/04/2025

Today, we're dialing the time machine back to the latter half of the 19th century. Location: Washington, DC. The capital city was once a major destination for immigrants from German-speaking Europe, and as a result the city had an abundance of authentic and excellent German restaurants. Let's start with an eatery owned by William A. Engel (1865-1948), born in Bühne, Germany, who immigrated to Baltimore as a teenager, and then moved to Rosslyn, Va., where he was foreman of the Portner Brewing Company plant. In 1898, he opened Engel's Hotel and Restaurant at New Jersey Avenue and C Street NW, across the street from the B and O Railroad Depot. Engel's was frequented by both residents and travelers and was renowned for its great beers, imported from Munich, and its good food. In 1911, Engel's and the surrounding buildings were torn down, Engel relocated to a block of E Street formerly known as Rum Row. This colorized postcard shows Engel's old location whilst the black-and-white photo shows the new location next to the Washington Post building.

05/21/2025

Texas German Dialect Project -- Follow Up
Thank you to everybody who liked, shared, commented, and sent in scans of letters and postcards written in Texas from the 1850s through WWI. We are thrilled that this project is receiving so much attention. One of the more interesting side questions that came up as a result of this post, was a comment about the Wends & Wendis(c)h culture. The Wends, or Sorbs, as they are more commonly called now, are West Slavic people who arrived in the Baltics (then German-speaking) and what is now Germany in the first millennium AD. They preserved their unique culture and language through the centuries, and even today Sorbs live in Saxony and Brandenburg, a region called Lusatia, or Lausitz, in Germany. Their national dress is distinct, and can still be seen during cultural and religious holidays and celebrations. In the 1850s, significant numbers of Sorbs emigrated to the US, and settled in the German-speaking parts of Texas. They founded the towns of Serbin and Giddings. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/wends

05/14/2025

Do you have old German letters, postcards, or notes, preferably from the 19th century through 1914, that were written in Texas? If yes, we would love to receive a high-resolution scan in pdf, png or jpg format. We are helping the Texas German Dialect Project to collect, archive, and preserve documents for the "Auswandererbriefe aus Nordamerika" ('Immigrant letters from North America) project, a public, online archive, which can assist with transcribing and translating the letters. Email us at [email protected]. We hope to hear from you!

05/08/2025

80 years ago today, on May 8, 1945, World War II ended in Europe. It started a new era of friendship and collaboration between former enemies, and an unprecedented time of peace and prosperity. The sacrifices made by the Allies are not forgotten!

05/07/2025

Old buildings are a common sight in Germany and Austria, but a house that was built a millennium ago, and is still standing today, is a rarity indeed. The Grey House, or Graues Haus, was probably erected in the late 10th century with spoliae (reused stones) dating from the 9th-11th century, and is one of the oldest intact stone structures in existence today. One theory states that an earlier smaller structure stood in its location as early as the 9th century, which was rebuilt and/or expanded in the 10th and 11th century. It's located in a small town called Oestrich-Winkel, near Darmstadt, in Germany's famous Rheingau region. Fittingly, the house is surrounded by picturesque vineyards. Current research indicates that it served as a family residence of the Greiffenclau family until 1330, the heirs of the Lords of Winkel, and later as quarters for the servants of Schloss Vollrads. It still stands today, and as it has been converted to a restaurant and delicatessen shop, it is even open to visitors.

05/01/2025

Mother's Day Offer: %15 Off and shipping is on us - Coupon code: MothersDay15
https://gahmusa.org/product/how-german-ingenuity-inspired-america-more-fun-more-beauty-more-freedom/
Regale Mom with the stories of inspiring women like Emmy Noether, a German-born mathematician, whose theorems revolutionized our understanding of modern physics; sculptor Elisabet Ney whose statue of Stephen Austin is in the U.S. Capitol Building; or the medieval abbess, scientist, musician, poet, and mystic Hildegard von Bingen whose holistic approach to healing and plant-based remedies still resonates today.

How German Ingenuity Inspired America: More Fun, More Beauty, More Freedom $39.99 free shipping included by Lynne Breen Published by GAHF Hardcover coffee table book with more than 300 illustration…

05/01/2025

A poignant essay by Karen Ebel and Grace Shimizu whose fathers were imprisoned during World War II. "Max Ebel fled his home in N**i Germany after he was assaulted for refusing to join the Hi**er Youth. Susumu Shimizu, a Japanese immigrant in Peru, helped run a successful family business in Lima. Neither Max nor Susumu had broken any law or posed a threat to the United States. Yet the U.S. government imprisoned these men for years in World War II internment camps."

Karen Ebel and Grace Shimizu, whose fathers were held prisoner in U.S. internment camps, explain the grave cost of the Alien Enemies Act.

04/28/2025

Apply for a GAHF Scholarship Now! We are seeking applicants for two $2,500 Maria Tillmann-Geschwent Scholarships! The deadline is June 1, 2025. These scholarships are designed to defray the tuition, fees, or other costs of attending a U.S.-accredited college or university. Students majoring or minoring in German have preference in consideration for funding, but we welcome all majors and academic disciplines. For eligibility criteria and a list of required documents, please visit https://gahmusa.org/gahf-scholarship-program/ or email [email protected].

04/24/2025

Looking for Host Families for German Exchange Students (High School) for 2025/2026
Would you like to share your German American heritage with a teen from Germany? Boys and girls are coming to spend an academic year attending American high schools to improve their English and learn about life in America. They seek caring families to open their homes to them while they are here. Students speak English and have insurance and money to cover their needs. Deadline for responding is June 1.
Please contact Glenna Tooman at [email protected].

04/23/2025

A big and heartfelt thank you to Carol Traxler and her Alpine Singers for a wonderful Easter Concert on Saturday, April 19 at the GAHM. Our guests enjoyed traditional tunes from Austria and Bavaria along with delicious cake, coffee, fresh strawberries, and a glass or two of sparkling wine.