Oct 24, 2007
Here's a site devoted to German-Americans to help them research their roots and plan a heritage-themed trip to Germany
Just in time for Octoberfest (it's over now), the German National Tourism Office inaugurated a new Web site -- www.germanoriginality.com -- aimed at the largest (but rarely singled-out) ethnic group in America, the some 42.8 million Americans who are of German descent. The first German-Americans were among the settlers of the Jamestown colony 400 years ago, and today some 15 percent of Americans have some German in them. As so-called "roots tourism" grows, sites such as this can prove invaluable to travelers wishing to discover "the Olde Country" whence their parents or grandparents came.
The site covers a variety of heritage sites in Germany (museums, moments, and memorials), tells the story of German emigration, contains briefs on more than 50 German destinations, most with a focus on emigration, lists famous German Americans from Dr. Seuss to Hugo Boss, provides links to genealogical research tools, and is interlinked with the general tourism site to help you plan a trip to Germany.
If nothing else, it is a fantastic cultural resource from which you can learn as much about America as you can about Germany. For example, did you know the Easter bunny is German? The story first showed up in German literature in the 16th century; edible Easter bunnies and baskets of colorful eggs followed in the 1800s.
The site also contains entertaining essays on many aspects of German culture -- besides the Easter bunny -- that have been incorporated into the American experience, from basic vocabulary (pretzel, kindergarten, poltergeist) to Christmas traditions (Christmas trees, of course, but also gingerbread houses, nutcrackers, Advent calendars, and most of the best carols: "Away in a Manger," "O Christmas Tree," "Silent Night," and others).
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The site covers a variety of heritage sites in Germany (museums, moments, and memorials), tells the story of German emigration, contains briefs on more than 50 German destinations, most with a focus on emigration, lists famous German Americans from Dr. Seuss to Hugo Boss, provides links to genealogical research tools, and is interlinked with the general tourism site to help you plan a trip to Germany.
If nothing else, it is a fantastic cultural resource from which you can learn as much about America as you can about Germany. For example, did you know the Easter bunny is German? The story first showed up in German literature in the 16th century; edible Easter bunnies and baskets of colorful eggs followed in the 1800s.
The site also contains entertaining essays on many aspects of German culture -- besides the Easter bunny -- that have been incorporated into the American experience, from basic vocabulary (pretzel, kindergarten, poltergeist) to Christmas traditions (Christmas trees, of course, but also gingerbread houses, nutcrackers, Advent calendars, and most of the best carols: "Away in a Manger," "O Christmas Tree," "Silent Night," and others).
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: genealogy, germany, websites
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