Like German culture and German food, but don’t want to spend money
on an overseas flight? No problem, just head to New York! Here are 10
spots in the Big Apple that will give you German literature, history,
architecture, and beer – everything Deutsch you could want!
GermanyinUSA
posted on July 18, 2014, at 1:19 p.m.
This post was created by a Community Brand Publisher, which means it
is not sponsored and has not been vetted or endorsed by BuzzFeed's
editorial staff.
The German Embassy worked together with the German Book Office, which is headquartered in New York, to give you a taste of Germany while you are visiting NYC!
1. Deutsches Haus at NYU
Located in the beautiful Washington
Mews in Greenwich Village, Deutsches Haus is a part of New York
University and is New York’s leading institution for culture and
language of the German-speaking world. Since 1977, it has provided New
Yorkers with a unique forum for cultural, intellectual, and artistic
exchange with Germany, Austria, and Switzerland through its three
pillars: the language program, the cultural program, and the kids
program.
Keep an eye open for their events, which are particularly nice when they are held outside in the summer!
2. Friedrich von Schiller Bust
This bronze portrait bust depicts
German dramatist, poet, and historian Johann Christoph Friedrich von
Schiller (1759–1805), and was the first sculpture installed in Central
Park. A gift of New York’s German-American community, the bust was
dedicated in November 1859, the centennial of Schiller’s birth, during a
three-day festival in New York commemorating Schiller.
Sculpted by C.L. Richter, the piece is based on an earlier marble bust sculpted by German artist Heinrich Dannecker in 1805. In 1955 the bust was moved from its original location in Central park’s wooded Ramble to its present site on the Mall opposite the Bandshell, and its fragile brownstone pedestal was replaced with a more durable granite base. In 1992 the Central Park Conservancy adopted the Schiller Monument.
3. Brooklyn Bridge
Katharina Rapp
Called the “eighth wonder of the
world” when it opened in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the largest
suspension bridge of its day. German immigrant John Roebling designed
the 3,460-foot-long bridge, which he claimed reflected “the perfect
equilibrium of nature.” When Roebling died in an accident, his son
Washington continued his work.
While the Brooklyn Bridge reflects the optimism and entrepreneurial spirit of the late 19th century, it also required individual tenacity and sacrifice. Washington Roebling supervised the project to completion despite fires, accidents, industrial corruption, and flagging popular support. Although work on the project crippled him, he lived to see the bridge praised for its grace and utility. The tall span with its Gothic arches still impresses tourists, artists, and writers alike.
4. Wankel’s Hardware Store
Wankel’s Hardware Store
opened on Third Avenue in 1896, when the neighborhood was still
predominantly German. Established by Bernhart and Elizabeth Wankel,
second generation German-Americans, it served primarily construction
workers and tradesmen. At the time, the most popular item sold was a
simple wooden bucket that laborers used to carry beer home from the
area’s German breweries. Much has changed over the years, and today you
won’t find any wooden beer buckets in the store’s inventory. However,
Katherine Wankel, the great-granddaughter of Bernhart and Elizabeth,
maintains this family operation.
5. Goethe-Institut Library
Marco Polifka
The Goethe-Institut New York Library
is one of the few German-language lending libraries in the United
States. It has over 7,000 volumes, including books (one-quarter of which
are in English), audio books, DVDs, CDs, newspapers, and magazines.
Located on Spring Street and equipped with cozy sofas and chairs, it is a
beautiful place to enjoy German literature and a great view of NoLita
at the same time.
6. First German Baptist Church
The First German Baptist Church
was organized in 1846 to serve the large number of German immigrant
families living in “Klein Deutschland” (“Little Germany”). In 1866,
Julius Boekell designed a fanciful Romanesque-style edifice for the
congregation to meet in, with a gabled façade, two narrow towers, and
many windows. Some sources state that the new church was opened in 1869.
The German congregation merged or ceased to exist sometime after 1920.
In 1926, the building became the Ukrainian Autocephalic Orthodox Church
of St. Volodymyr, and three onion domes were added. In 1962, St.
Volodymyr moved to the Upper West Side, and the building was acquired by
Congregation Tifereth Israel (Glory of Israel), known as the “Town and
Village Synagogue,” a Conservative congregation founded in 1949.
72 Spring Street, 11th Floor New York, NY 10012, USA
7. Glaser’s Bake Shop
Opened by John Glaser in 1902, and
now run by grandson Herb, the old-time German bakery specializes in
pumping out Bavarian almond, cherry spritz, and gingerbread men; in
short, Glaser’s
is a holdout. The original white tile floors survive. Apothecary-style
wood cabinets panel the darkish rectangular interior. It’s a real
neighborhood joint: cash only, no delivery. Baked here is a colorful
assortment of kids’ sugar cookies, wafer-thin chocolate, and cinnamon
swirls, and chocolate chunk and chocolate pecan brownies, dense and
coated beneath with a sugary glaze.
1670 First Ave. New York, NY 10128
8. Segments of the Berlin Wall in Paley Park
Alex Lopez
Nestled in a small Midtown plaza at
520 Madison Avenue is an unexpected piece of history. Five sections of
the Berlin Wall, in total measuring 12 feet high and 20 feet long, have
been on display here since 1990. Dazzling work by German artists Thierry
Noir and Kiddy Citny cover the wall’s western-facing side. The eastern
side, meanwhile, remains a blank slab of concrete—a reminder of the
oppressive political regime in the former East Germany.
At first glance,
this artifact appears to be just another public mural; it goes largely
unnoticed by the office workers who sit in the park on their lunch
break.
9. Berlyn Restaurant
Not very traditional, rather a modern
take on German cuisine, this restaurant mixes it up with Brooklyn
specialties. The German owners, Ursula and Jonas Hegewisch, have created
a cozy and quirky atmosphere, partly owed to the Gartenzwerge (garden
gnomes).
Try the warm apple strudel, it’s amazing.
10. Black Forest Brooklyn
Fort Greene residents Ayana and
Tobias Holler grew up in a small town in the rural Black Forest region
of southwestern Germany, but their paths never crossed there. It was
much later, when they had both moved to Brooklyn, that they met and fell
in love. As a tribute to their love, to their Black Forest roots and
their Brooklyn home, they now bring you Black Forest Brooklyn – an
authentic German Indoor Biergarten and Kaffeehaus, located in a unique
1-story building at 733 Fulton Street, an exciting new addition to the
Fort Greene bar and restaurant scene.
If you’re rooting for the German team, this is the place to watch the Word Cup!
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