Win a Trip to Bayern with the Goethe-Institut

√ HIER FOR THE RULES

Create a film declaring just why you should win this trip.  It's best to be a Bayern München fan, since the team is a major sponsor this year.

Deadline:  April 29, 2015. 
Details after the click.

Local German Connections: Find them! Photograph them! Win!

Discover and showcase local German-American connections in your hometown. Use your camera to document history, architecture, language, people and groups, or other creative impressions and send us your best picture with a short description.

The best picture will be determined by a panel from the German-American community.

Enter the Contest by completing this Entry Form by 10/15/2014.

PRIZES
•    1st Place: 1 iPad Air
•    2nd–4th Places: 1 iPod shuffle (each)
•    5th–15th Places: 1 iTunes gift card (each)

Examples

Entry Form

RULES
•    Eligibility: Open to U.S. residents up to and including 18 years of age.
•    How to Enter: Entries with all required information received by October 15, 2014, 11:59 pm, will be eligible for the expert panel’s process. The text should not be longer than about 150 words.
•    Required Information: name, email address, school, mailing address, phone number, and a short description of your subject no longer than about 150 words. Send entries to justaddgerman@newyork.goethe.org with entry details and short description in the email body and the photo as attachment. 
•    Format: Use a high-quality, high resolution picture, which you have taken and own. Do not use a picture from the internet. All persons on the picture must agree to the picture being made public. If you are shown in your picture and are under 18 years old, you must have permission from a parent or guardian to participate. 
•    Prize Drawing: The sponsor will determine the ranking of winning entries via a panel process, which will rate the entries on metrics including relevance and quality. 
•    Winner Notification: Winners will be notified via email and social media, and secondarily by phone.
•    Sponsor: The contest is sponsored by Just Add German; a promotional campaign hosted at the Goethe-Institut New York’s Language Department, 72 Spring St., 11th Floor, New York, NY 10012, www.justaddgerman.org. Participation in this contest constitutes agreement to all official rules. The sponsor’s decisions are final and binding. The sponsor will own the right to display and reproduce any entries and to exclude any entries deemed offensive.

October Deadline for FREE TRIP TO GERMANY! STEM-Interest? PLEASE APPLY!

Discover a new Path: Explore Germany

The Goethe-Institut invites high school students who are interested in science to discover Germany! Twelve talented young scientists will have the opportunity to travel to Germany from November 28 - December 7, 2014 and learn what it has to offer.

This trip is an all-expenses paid trip for the winning students.

You will experience Berlin, Braunschweig and Cologne. However, you will not only see interesting cities, but you will explore research institutions in the fields of Geoscience, Bionics, and Aerospace. A visit to a technical museum and a tour of the Volkswagen factory are also a part of the program. Furthermore, you will meet your German peers and experience life as a student in a German school.

Of course, there will still be time for sightseeing and a stroll through the Christmas market.

You will find details in the  preliminary program.

If you are interested in participating, please apply tokatja.fullard@chicago.goethe.org.

Your application must include

• a short biography – we want to know who you are
• a statement explaining why you would like to travel to Germany and what you expect from the trip
• a description of your research project
• a letter of recommendation from your teacher
• the permission of your parents

Requirements for Participation: You must be a high school student and be between the ages of 16 – 18. Also, you must have worked on a STEM project and/or have participated in a high school science fair. It is not necessary that you speak German, but if you do, please let us know!

The application deadline is October 15, 2014; all winners will be notified via email by October 24, 2014.

This project is made possible by the generous support of the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany. The students will be accompanied in Germany by Volker Langeheine, who organized this part of the trip.

Ten Ways To Get The Most German Out Of Your Big Apple Experience

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE BUZZ FEED ARTICLE

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 Brand Publisher      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

flickr.com

 

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!

42 Washington Mews      New York, NY 10003

2.  Friedrich von Schiller Bust

centralpark-ny.com

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. 

Central Park, at the Mall near the Bandshell

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. 

1573 Third Avenue      New York, NY 10128

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.

72 Spring Street, 11th Floor   New York, NY 10012, USA

6.  First German Baptist Church

daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com

 

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.

336 East 14th Street near First Avenue   New York, N.Y. 10003
72 Spring Street, 11th Floor   New York, NY 10012, USA

7.  Glaser’s Bake Shop

tfc.com

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.

East 53rd Street (between Madison & Fifth Aves.)   Manhattan, NY 10022

9.  Berlyn Restaurant

berlynrestaurant.com

 

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.

25 Lafayette Ave    Brooklyn, NY 11217

10.  Black Forest Brooklyn

blackforestbrooklyn.com

 

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! 

733 Fulton St   Brooklyn, NY 11217

Die Band Tonbandgerät und die USA Tour

Wie lernt man Deutsch?  Man lernt die Lieder vom Tonbandgerät!  Natürlich!

TONBANDGERAET: GEH! GO!

Subject: Fwd: [AATG-L] Tonbandgerät

I have to say this concert was an amazing experience....if you can go...GO!!!!!  Students have learned so much and were so engaged. The buzz has been huge.

This was such an encouraging day for me to see the German students all so immersed into the German language...singing with... and having a blast!!!

GO!!!!!

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: Peter Zygowski  (ORGANIZER OF THE TONBANDGERAET TOUR)

Liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen,

sorry I haven't been able to promptly answer all your questions regarding the Tonbandgerät tour. I've been busy pondering my next career move because there is no way we/you/I can ever top what happened yesterday at the band's concert in Salt Lake City. A packed house with 1200 students who were in an indescribable "German (music) frenzy". All four band members agreed that they had never ever played a concert like that before. 

So all I can say is try to get tickets to the New York concert - all the other ones are "sold out".

We also didn't quite expect such high demand for the T-Shirts. We did two printings and will not be able to produce any more before the tour's end.

Beste Grüße
Peter Zygowski
Goethe-Institut San Francisco

Schade:  Wir werden doch nicht dabei sein!.....
Aber vielleicht gewinnen wir den Preis?~!~

Judith, u.a.:  Es tut mir echt LEID!  

Tonbandgerät spielt in Boston

Diese Band begann mit zwei Schwestern, Sophia und Isa Poppensieker.  Sie spielten eine lange Zeit nur für Freunde.

Dann gewannen sie 2012 den Preis für Neue Musik....
Nun reisen sie 4 Wochenlang durch die USA...

WOHIN?  Nach Boston !  Aber genau wo?  Heute habe ich es gelernt!  Melrose Veterans Mittelschule.

GENAU WANN?  Am Freitag, den 28. März.
Am Vormittag? Nach der Schule?  Am Abend?  Das weiß ich auch nicht.  Doch.  Heute habe ich es gelernt:  Das Konzert fängt um 10 Uhr (morgens) an!

Wenn Ihr Interesse habt, dann sagt es mir! 
Sollen wir schon wieder zusammen ins Konzert gehen??!

Lernen wir zuerst mehr über die Band, Tonbandgerät!

MEHR ÜBER DIESE BAND!


Geht auch bitte auf Step into German.

Am Ende der Einheit zu „Irgendwie anders“ gibt’s ein Vorstellungsspiel zur Band.

·         Angehängt habe ich eine Einheit zum Lied „Mal mich“.

·         Schaut euch auf Step into German auch den Video-Wettbewerb an.

Eine Reise nach Hamburg und eine Stadtführung mit „Tonbandgerät“ sollte doch ein attraktiver Preis sein. 
Ich bin sicher, eure Kids werden nach dem Konzert unbedingt mitmachen wollen ;-)


Das Tonbandgerät-Tour-T-Shirt ist nun auch fertig.  Die Band wird auch ein paar coole Sachen am Konzerttag verkaufen.

Herzliche Grüße und ich freue mich, euch alle am Konzerttag treffen zu können!

Dine

Folke-Christine Möller-Sahling, Ph.D.
Goethe-Institut Boston


OK.  That's the promotion from the Goethe-Institut.  Let me know if we should support this event.  It falls on a DAY 1.
Should we decide to attend, we'll probably want to organize a group outfit or T-Shirt.  I can take care of the school bus to bring us there -- for $12 per person.  The concert is free.

SO, you asked just how can one win this trip to Hamburg?  This just popped up after lyrics on the StepIntoGerman website:

2014 VIDEO CONTEST
TUNE IN TO TONBANDGERÄT – TUNE IN
TO HAMBURG

You know that the band “Tonbandgerät” is one of the great exports of the city of Hamburg. But did you know that Hamburg is one of the coolest places in all of Germany? It’s the metropolitan center in Northern Germany that has something for everyone: an amazing music scene, world-class soccer, great shopping, an international atmosphere… and all this in the incredible setting of a lively port city!

Now you have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit this awesome city this summer with your best friend! You won’t be going to Germany as an ordinary tourist. Instead, “Tonbandgerät” will take you on a tour that will lead you far off the beaten track. Visit cool clubs and find great shopping spots with Ole, Sophia, Isa and Jakob. Catch a soccer game and celebrate with some of Europe’s most passionate fans. Whatever your interests, “Tonbandgerät” will make sure that their home will become your home.



What do you need to do to win this incredible trip?
Produce a short video! Show us why you can’t wait to visit Hamburg and meet “Tonbandgerät.” Use music, photos, and interviews to “make Hamburg come alive”. Show that you are passionate about the city and the band!

PRIZES
HOW TO ENTER AND HOW TO WIN
HOW TO PRODUCE A VIDEO
RULES & REGULATIONS

PRIZES  

The Grand Prize 
A trip for two* to Hamburg in the summer of 2014, including:
- airfare
- hotel accommodation for seven nights
- and a chance to meet “Tonbandgerät”!

2nd Prize: one iPad2
Each for up to two team members

3rd Prize: one iPod touch
Each for up to two team members

4th – 10th Prizes: one German “Wundertüte” filled with surprises such as German music CDs, T-Shirts, Hamburg souvenirs, and much, much more.

11th – 20th Prizes: an autographed “Tonbandgerät” CD and band memorabilia

*: if two minors win the Grand Prize we will also cover travel costs for an adult chaperone.

Top

HOW TO ENTER and HOW TO WIN  

1. Make a video that is not longer than 3 minutes. You can work alone or with your friends. If your video is a team effort, two team members will be awarded prizes – which means: two students will get to go to Hamburg, if that team wins the Grand Prize.
2. Upload your video to YouTube.
3. Send an email to stepintogerman@sanfrancisco.goethe.org  with a link to the video so we can watch it.
4. Do this before the submission deadline of 11:59 EST, April 15, 2014.
5. We will upload the top 20 videos to our Step into Germanwebsite.  The Step into German jury, consisting of jurors from the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) and the Goethe-Institut San Francisco, will pick these 20 videos. The jury’s decision will be based on the video’s originality, creativity and interpretation of the theme. The production value will be a minor factor in the jury’s selection process.
6. And now the fun starts! Get voted on by your classmates. Let your Facebook friends know about the contest. Tweet about your video. There are many ways to get people to vote for you. (Details about the voting process to follow.)
7. The five top vote-getters will make it to the final round. The members of “Tonbandgerät” will determine the Grand Prize winner.

Top

HOW TO PRODUCE  

Don't worry if you've never made a video before. Your clip doesn’t need to be perfect, it doesn’t have to be slick, but it should be uniquely yours! And it's perfectly okay to make your video a team effort.

Here are some ideas for your video

• Write your own song about Hamburg
• Make a video based on a “Tonbandgerät” song
• Interview some former “Hamburgers”
• Explore why Hamburg is called “The Gateway to the World”
• Portray the Hamburger SV or FC St. Pauli, two of Germany’s greatest soccer teams…

These are just some of our ideas. Surprise us with some of yours! Be creative and funny. Give the video your personal touch.

You can find a short introduction to Hamburg on “Step into German”.

But there are so many more resources on the web that will help you with the project. Especially useful is the official Hamburg travel website.


Suitable Music and Photos
Music: www.freesound.org & www.jamendo.com/en

Photos: Comprehensive images can be found atwww.mediaserver.hamburg.de. You can use these photos in the contest.

Otherwise, look for photos that are available for download under a Creative Commons license (go to Google Images—Options—Advanced Search—Usage rights—“free to use or share”).

You can always, of course, contact the artist for permission to use his/her work in the contest.

Top

RULES & REGULATIONS  

The contest is open to Middle School students (grades 6 through 8) and High School students (grades 9 through 12) from around the United States.

There are just a couple of requirements:

• The video cannot be longer than 3 minutes.
• The language should be German – First-year German students: try to use at least some German words.
• No obscene language, no nudity, no explicit and offensive material.
• Do not use other people’s photos/videos/audio files/documents without their permission. It’s okay to use the “Tonbandgerät” lyrics and music. For tips on how to find suitable music and photos, see above.

The Goethe-Institut San Francisco reserves the right to any final decision with regard to contest rules and rule changes, and to the prizes awarded to the winners.

Photos of Hamburg: Used with with kind permission bywww.mediaserver.hamburg.de
iPod touch® & iPad 2® are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

G-I Game Show: Ticket nach Berlin

Das Goethe-Institut will, dass wir Deutsch lernen.  Es soll uns auch Spass machen.

HILFT VIELLEICHT DIESES SPIEL? 

Wer spielt am TEAM NORD mit?
Wer spielt am TEAM SUED mit?

Best Work Opportunities: Germany

From this week's mailbag:

Thursday, September 13, 2012 6:21 PM    Subject: [AATG-L] German language in Europe

Yesterday at the copying machine I ran into a colleague, a native-born Spaniard, who is on sabbatical this year but has just returned from Spain for an extended visit to campus. She asked me: "Guess
which language is booming in Europe right now?" When I had no ready answer. She smiled all over and said: "German!  --Really!"  She said, "Young Europeans are clamoring to learn German
because Germany is the only country with a strong economy and jobs." Then she gave the example of a German language school in Valencia [southern Spain] which she passed on course sign-up day. It had long lines winding around city blocks. 


Sounds real to me.  Below read about the 2,500 unfilled positions in Baden Württemberg, and what they are doing about it.  (And what is hampering the tens of thousands of applicants. -- 3 guesses!) 

BOSTON.CO

Crisis-hit southern Europeans rush to learn German

By Jürgen Bätz Associated Press / March 6, 2012 

 BERLIN—Spaniards, Portuguese and others from countries hit hard by the debt crisis are flocking to learn German in hopes of getting jobs in Europe's biggest and strongest economy, according to data obtained by The Associated Press Tuesday.

Figures from Germany's culture and language promotion agency, the Goethe Institute, show that people in southern Europe -- where unemployment is high, particularly among the young -- are clamoring to learn German. Other official data show immigration to Germany from Spain, Greece and Portugal is up sharply.

The number of Spaniards seeking to learn German with their local branch of the Goethe Institute rose by a staggering 35 percent in 2011, to 9,000 from 6,500 the year before. Neighboring Portugal saw a 20 percent increase to 2,230 students...

The rise in interest in German is significant in that it shows where jobseekers expect the best work opportunities.  The Germany economy grew a robust 3 percent last year and unemployment has dropped to its lowest level in almost two decades. Spain, by contrast, is sliding back into recession as unemployment hits new records above 20 percent.

"The prospects of getting a job in those countries are miserable, with youth unemployment of 40 to 50 percent," said Herbert Brücker, a migration expert with Germany's Institute for Employment Research.  Many firms in Germany are searching to hire skilled professionals, but a language barrier often hinders successful recruitment.

"Employers are rather demanding when it comes to requiring German language skills," Bruecker said.

Take the example of Schwäbisch-Hall, a prosperous city of 37,000 in Baden-Württemberg, a southwestern state that is home to industrial giants like carmaker Daimler AG and successful small and medium-sized businesses. The companies need skilled workers, but supply in Germany is tight. To help, the city invited a group of journalists from Portugal, Greece, Italy and Spain to a reporting trip this year to cover the issue. The move resulted in more than 10,000 job applications pouring in from Portugal alone, "and the number keeps rising," city spokesman Robert Gruner said.

"They have sent them to every email address they could find on our website, it's incredible," he told the AP.

But the regional job office, which currently has about 2,500 vacancies listed, has found that most applicants share a common problem. "Unfortunately only about five percent have knowledge of German, which makes getting them a job here significantly more difficult," Gruner said.

Those seeking jobs have apparently realized this weakness as well, leading to the boom in numbers at language schools like the Goethe Institute, named after the writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. 

In Italy, the agency's number of students was up by 14 percent to 4,300, followed by Greece and France with an increase of ten and eight percent respectively.

Worldwide, the number of German language students with the Goethe Institute rose by 7.5 percent to about 235,000, according to the figures.  Some 36,000 of those came to Germany to study with the Goethe Institute here. Of those coming from within the European Union, the number of Spaniards was up 43 percent on the year, while Greeks saw a 22 percent increase and Italians 17 percent.

"Most of them are young people who are taking our classes," Goethe Institute head Klaus-Dieter Lehmann said late Tuesday following the figure's official release. "Not because they want to read Goethe or (Friedrich) Schiller in their original tongue, but because they want to improve their job chances." 

....For more immigration statistics:   Continued...

Barry Hatton in Lisbon and Daniel Woolls in Madrid contributed reporting.

------

Juergen Baetz can be reached on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jbaetz

Das Automobil: Annual FILM CONTEST from G-I

Beyond Autobahn

HIER FINDEST DU DEN FILM
, und auch die Fragen dazu.

Enjoy the film.

Rewind if you need to to answer the accompanying questions.

(Pay attention to names shown upper right of the people you'll be introduced to.  Antoine's name was particularly difficult for me to decipher on the small screen, around 8 minutes, but his French accent steered me to his comment.)

Submit your answers.

The best ones will qualify for a summer trip to Germany!

HERE'S THE LINK FOR OTHER GOETHE-INSTITUT AWARD OF EXCELLENCE FILMS from past years.

2011:  Mad About MUSIC (with Madsen)
2010:  Generation Einheit/Unity
2009:  Show your Stil
2008:  Greenagers
2007:  Eurokids
2006:  For Butter or Wurst
2005:  Guys and Goals (Fußball, with Steve Cherundolo...)
2004:  German High:  We know what Malia did last summer
2003:  German Beatz - Hil Hop rocks the nation

Peter Minuit aus Wesel (am Rhein, NRW) kauft Manhattan

Über Manhattans Kleindeutschland

About the Project

German Traces NYC is mobile, augmented reality experience designed to let learners explore German cultural heritage in New York City. The application makes use of archival documents, photographs, and multimedia narratives to bring to life to this significant thread of New York City and United States history.

A brief history of Germans in New York

In 1626, Peter Minuit—a native of the German town of Wesel am Rhein—purchased Manhattan Island for 60 guilders worth of trade goods. Since that purchase, German immigrants have been integral to the development of the city of New York.

Over 24,000 German immigrants called New York home in 1840—a sizeable community to be sure, but nothing compared to what the following 20 years would bring. Between 1840 and 1860, land shortages, unemployment, famine, as well as political and religious oppression sent more than a hundred thousand German immigrants across the Atlantic Ocean. At the end of those 20 years, there were over 200,000 German immigrants living in New York, most congregating in the area east of the Bowery and north of Division Street—or, what became known as Kleindeutschland.

It is important to note that until 1871, there was no unified Germany; most of these German immigrants would have been called Prussians, Bavarians, Hessians, Rhinelanders, Pomeranians, or Westphalians. The establishment and extension of the German Empire in the 1870s and 1880s, however, only brought more immigration, as tens of thousands more Germans found themselves dislocated and fleeing to New York.

By 1880, about one-third of the residents of New York—roughly 400,000 people—were classed as German-American. At the time, only Vienna and Berlin contained more German speakers than New York. During the same period, Kleindeutschland alone contained a German speaking population of 250,000, stretching from Division Street to 14th Street—making up the entirety of the neighborhoods now known as the East Village and the Lower East Side.
As New York entered the 20th century, the increasing socioeconomic pedigree of the German community, as well as the tragic General Slocum disaster, diffused Kleindeutschland’s population across the city—founding and expanding enclaves in areas like Yorkville in the Upper East Side, Ridgewood in Queens, or Bushwick in Brooklyn.
As the German community in New York exploded in size, it built churches, started businesses, founded hospitals, created clubs, propagated culture, erected monuments, and birthed dynasties. Over the years, however, the community assimilated and dispersed, but not before it left an indelible mark on the city. Since that time, New York has been built up and torn down, both by design and by tragedy, but if you look close enough, you can still find traces of the German immigrant experience hiding throughout the city’s corridors.

Credits

German Traces NYC and GeoStoryteller are a joint project between the Goethe-Institut New York and Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science. The project team includes:

Brigitte Doellgast, Goethe-Institut New York
Anthony Cocciolo, Assistant Professor, Pratt Institute
Debbie Rabina, Associate Professor, Pratt Institute

With Support From:
Katherine Borkowski, Research Assistant, Pratt Institute
Jeffrey Hiban, Graduate Research Assistant, Pratt Institute
Jessica Schneider, Graduate Research Assistant, Pratt Institute
Johanna Blakely-Bourgeois, Graduate Research Assistant (Alumna), Pratt Institute
Jill Goldstein, Assistant for Marketing, Goethe-Institut New York
Katherine Lorimer, Goethe-Institut New York

With Special Thanks to:
Robert Lyons (Voiceovers, English)
Jon Gilbert Leavitt (Original Music, "Spuren")
Miriam Ibrahim (Voiceovers, German)

We thank the many individuals and organizations that made this projects possible. Please visit the references and photo credits page for specific attributions.
Interested in this project? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and iTunes! Or you can email us atinfo@germantracesnyc.org.

NYC's Yorkville und Jacob Rupert, Jr.

Schauen wir durch das Goethe-Institut "German Traces NYC" program eine Einführung zum Yorkville in Manhattan an.  Wo liegt Yorkville?  östlich vom Central Park um die 70-80-ige Strassen.

The link between baseball and beer reaches at least as far back as the early 20th century to Jacob Rupert Jr., owner of both a brewery and the New York Yankees. Ruppert wore many other hats throughout his lifetime as well, including National Guard colonel and United States Congressman. Perhaps most relevant today, he is also the namesake of Ruppert Park, which lies on land formerly occupied by his family’s brewery.

Born in New York City in 1867, Jacob Ruppert Jr. came from a family of Bavarian descent.  That very year, his father opened the Ruppert Brewing Company in Manhattan’s Yorkville neighborhood.

Jacob Ruppert Jr. left quite a mark on New York City’s history.  Serving in the National Guard, he quickly rose to the rank of colonel.  Upon leaving the army, Ruppert was elected to four consecutive terms as a representative for New York’s 15th congressional district.

After leaving congress in 1907, Ruppert came back to New York to help with the family business.  Shortly after his father’s death, Ruppert became president of the brewery and also served as president of the United States Brewing Association.

In 1915 Ruppert and a partner purchased the New York Yankees baseball team from its original owners.  He brought the team into the spotlight with the purchase of Babe Ruth’s contract from the Boston Red Sox in 1919 and built Yankee Stadium several years later. He remained president of the Yankees for 25 years until his death in 1939.

Nearly 100 years after it was founded, the Ruppert Brewery Company’s Yorkville location closed and was partially replaced with a new urban development called Ruppert Towers. In 1979, New York City’s Housing Preservation and Development Administration built Ruppert Park on the same site, next to the high rise.

In 1983 the city sold the site to a contracting firm on the condition that it would remain a park for 25 years, a period which ended in 2008. The following year, with the park threatened by the possibility of development, as well as drastic maintenance problems, the community surrounding the park came together and successfully campaigned for its preservation.  Today the park is a beloved feature of Jacob Ruppert Jr.’s Upper East Side neighborhood and reminder of Yorkville’s German heritage.

1. What was the Ruppert family business?
 Butchers
 Brewery owners
 Bakers

2. Which was not one of Jacob Ruppert Jr.’s occupations?
 New York Yankees owner
 United States Congressman
 Department Store Owner
 Brewer

3. What famous player’s contract did Ruppert buy from the Boston Red Sox?
 Babe Ruth
 Joe Dimaggio
 Jackie Robinson

Goethe-Institut Explores NYC: Puck Building

The German Traces NYC Project is a free download.  Your iPhone can be programed to show you a photo of a building "the way it was." The website can then be consulted to get a brief history of that building.  Here is one such entry, for a building oddly named Puck, at 295 Lafayette Street in Lower Manhattan.

On a corner of the Puck Building sits a plump gilded statute of the structure’s namesake. Puck, from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is the mascot of one of New York’s best-known humor magazines in its day, Puck Magazine.

The magazine, a joint venture between illustrator Joseph Keppler and printer Adolph Schwarzmann, launched in 1876 as a German language periodical. Its quick success gave birth to an English language iteration within a year. Puck’s topical jabs and brutal satires won it booming circulation, which in turn allowed for the construction of the Puck Building.

Albert Wagner, a German-born architect, designed this building, which was built on the fringes of the era’s main publishing district. It was completed in 1885, and the magazine’s continued success prompted a further expansion in 1892. Inventive architectural thinking saved the Puck Building from possible demolition near the turn of the century when a planned extension of Lafayette Street threatened to cut right through its address. By trimming off about a third of the building and constructing a new western façade, the structure and its chubby mascot were preserved for future generations.

Puck Magazine was eventually purchased by a frequent subject of its satire, publishing magnate and Citizen Kane source material, William Randolph Hearst. Shortly after purchase, Hearst changed the magazine into a monthly publication, and then shut the magazine down all together in 1918.

In recent years, the building has been used for other graphic design and publishing ventures, commercial and retail space, both Pratt Institute and NYU rented space in the Puck building, and the building was used as the backdrop for movies and television shows such as When Harry Met Sally and Will & Grace.

1. What German-born architect designed the Puck Building?
 Robert Maynicke
 Albert Wagner
 Julius Boekell

2. What publishing magnate bought and later shut down Puck Magazine?
 Rupert Murdoch
 Joseph Keppler
 William Randolph Hearst

NYC's Tenement Museum at 97 Orchard St.

As the word “tenement” indicates, 97 Orchard Street was a multiple family dwelling. Like most, it earned its reputation for overcrowding, poverty, and exploiting the working-class. From its opening in 1863 until 1935, the estimated 7000 people who lived in the building put up with fairly deplorable conditions that improved only as the government began regulating housing.

Lucas and Wilhelmina Glockner, from the German states of Baden and Bavaria respectively, were the first landlords of 97 Orchard Street. Originally a tailor by trade, Lucas began his tenure as a landlord when he and two fellow tailors purchased the property of the Second Reformed Presbyterian Church on Orchard Street. The tailors subdivided the Church site into three lots, upon each of which a tenement was constructed; Glockner received the lot at 97 Orchard Street.

When the 97 Orchard Street opened in 1863, it contained no running water, no indoor toilets, and no source of light apart from the few rooms lucky enough to have windows. Residents wanting to use the bathroom had 3 to 6 outhouses available to them in the backyard. In order to navigate the dusky interior of the building, the inhabitants relied on what light they could create with kerosene or oil lamps. For those residents interested in water, it was available via a spigot in the backyard, conveniently located next to the outhouses.

Today, this building is occupied by the Tenement Museum, an institution that honors America’s immigrants, promotes tolerance, and provides perspective on the current political debates on immigration and public health. The Museum opened the first restored apartment in 1992, the 1878 home of the German-Jewish Gumpertz family. Sign up for one of the guided tours offered by the Museum to see this and other apartments and to learn more about the daily life of immigrants in Kleindeutschland.

In the success of the Glockner family and the squalor of the Gumpertz family, a vision of the class divisions that led to the end Kleindeutschland emerges. It’s a common narrative in the immigrant experience—bonds of nationality unraveling in the face of time and money.

1. Which was a common condition of tenement houses in the mid to late 1800s?
 Overcrowding
 No running water
 No indoor toilets
 All of the above

2. What year did this tenement house open?
 1872
 1863
 1887

3. What led to the improvement of conditions in tenement houses?
 The landlord’s voluntarily made improvements
 Government housing regulation

Carl Schurz (from Cologne) in NYC

On October 2, 1910, crowds gathered at what was then known as the East River Park to mark the 9^th annual German day celebration of the United German Societies of New York City. The day’s festivities included orchestral and choral music, demonstrations by members of the Turn Verein (Tumbling Club), and traditional German food. It was also the day that the park would be renamed and dedicated to honor German-American and statesman Carl Schurz.

Carl Schurz, a native of Cologne Germany, immigrated to the United States as a political refugee and soon became entrenched in the politics of his new home.  Schurz served as a general under Lincoln during the Civil War, a United States Senator, an ambassador and was eventually appointed Secretary of the Interior in 1877.  He was an inspired writer and many leading politicians of the day called upon him to speak on their behalf.

Schurz lived and worked throughout the country and did not settle in New York City until 1881. Here, he managed The Nation and the New York Evening Post and wrote for Harper’s Weekly. He also continued his political engagements.

On the occasion of Schurz’s death in 1906, President Grover Cleveland said; “I look upon the death of Mr. Schurz as a National affliction.  Though he had reached length of years and though his activity had waned, he was still a power and strong influence in the life and sentiment of his countrymen.” A sign of his enduring influence can be seen in the 1910 campaign to have the park renamed in his honor.

This site initially served as a strategic defense site during the Revolutionary War, complete with a fort to protect an important shipping passage called Hell Gate. The park later became home to Gracie Mansion, built by Archibald Gracie in 1799. The mansion has been the official home of the Mayor of New York since 1942, and prior to that was the first home of the Museum of the City of New York.

Today Carl Schurz Park provides views of the East River, the Roosevelt Island Lighthouse, the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, and Randall’s and Wards Islands.  The park is also home to free concerts, art shows, and other activities throughout the year.

1. In what war did Carl Schurz served as a United States General?
 The Revolutionary War
 World War I
 The Civil War

2. Which publication was Schurz not involved with?
 The Nation
 Puck Magazine
 Harper’s Weekly
 New York Evening Post

3. Which mansion and home of New York City Mayors is located in this park?
 Gracie Mansion
 Schurz Mansion
 Mayor’s Mansion 

NYC's Scheffel Hall on 3rd Avenue

On the wind of several successful ventures, restaurateur and German immigrant, Carl Goerwitz, got a bit ambitious. He took out a long-term lease on 190 3^rdAvenue, contracted architectural firm Weber & Drosser, and oversaw an overhaul of the building, complete with a new façade fashioned after the Friedrichsbau at Heidelberg Castle.

The finished product was Scheffel Hall, a restaurant and beer hall carrying the name of Joseph Victor von Scheffel, a German poet best known for the collection of songs, Gaudeamus, Lieder aus dem Engeren und Weiteren. Reinforcing the name, the building’s walls were ornamented with paneling and paintings that illustrated scenes and mottoes from Scheffel’s poems. Goerwitz took great care in designing the interior, purposefully evoking a timeworn rathskeller.

Perched on the northern stretches of Kleindeutschland, Scheffel Hall catered to the local German immigrant community. Beyond the German clientele, it was also well liked by the area’s politicians, artists, and writers—including O. Henry, who set his story, "The Halberdier of the Little Rheinschloss," there.

Goerwitz operated the business until 1904, at which point he sublet the business to an employee, who subsequently sold his stake to Allaire's restaurant and saloon next door. The Allaire family managed the business until 1928, when the building was sold to the German-American Athletic Club.

In 1936, the German-American Athletic Club brought in a new management team and the concept of community singing—which, in turn, brought a new audience. College students came in droves for the experience of carousing, drinking, and boisterously singing the night away.

With the 1979 introduction of the jazz club Fat Tuesday’s, the music echoing inside the walls became noticeably improved. The club hosted jazz greats like Stan Getz and Joe Turner, as well performances by Les Paul and rock icons like Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, and Jimmy Page.

1. What German castle served as the inspiration for the façade of this building?
 Neuschwanstein Castle
 Heidelberg Castle
 Nuremberg Castle

2. Which writer set his story, “The Halberdier of the Little Rheinschloss,” at Scheffel Hall?
 O. Henry
 Henry James
 Bob Dylan

Check your own answers, or use the German Traces NYC  (.org) Website.   -- Did you get both correct?