The German Schatz Launch…

There are over 50 million Americans of German descent in the United States. Because of two world wars with Germany as the primary enemy, many German traditions became secretive and less celebrated. Although there has been a resurgence of Oktoberfest celebrations and even Bavarian replicated towns and markets across the country, no one has openly promoted the American Germanic culture with an online presence.

Today I am launching The German Schatz blog. Not only is schatz a term of endearment for young and old alike, it can also be translated as treasure or heritage. I want this to be a place where readers can treasure the German influence in America whether they or their ancestors are from Germany or not. Maybe your only association with Germany is a local brewery. That does not matter.

Being of German heritage myself, I would like to explore the German-American experience.The earliest Germans came to America in the 1600s so there is much in this country to explore. 

The subject matter for the blog is wide open. There is entertainment: books, movies, and dance. There is travel;  trips to Germany or German-themed places in the US. There is cooking: recipes for common foods to special seasonal dishes. There may be artifacts sitting in your homes from steins, to woodcarvings, to cuckoo clocks. There are traditions for celebrating holidays, birthdays, or other events to share. There are special crafts to display or teach. There are many German American clubs with special events and routines. Some of you may even host exchange students from Germany. Our family did this twice. We can even explore famous German-American historical influences anywhere from Budweiser to Eisenhower, although I do not want this to become a politically polarizing place.

I plan to invite monthly guest bloggers to submit family remembrances or eventful stories steeped in German tradition. My blog is for English speakers. My German is not good enough to adequately translate back and forth although I know some of you are German speakers.

I would be very happy to know where you live. As you can see by the map I have included, we are everywhere. I live in the southernmost dark yellow county in Idaho but I was born in a heavily German area in southern Illinois. Feel free to leave me comments or suggestions for the blog as I grow this experience.