Silver Bells........

Silver Bells

words and music by

Ray Evans and Jay Livingston

Silver bells, silver bells

It's Christmas time in the city

Ring-a-ling, hear them ring

Soon it will be Christmas day

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks

Dressed in holiday style

In the air there's a feeling of Christmas

Children laughing, people passing

Meeting smile after smile

And on every street corner you'll hear

Silver bells, silver bells

It's Christmas time in the city

Ring-a-ling, hear them ring

Soon it will be Christmas day

Oktoberfest Begins...(ok its over now, but great videos)

Oktoberfest Begins!

Bavaria

History

Main article: History of Bavaria

The region north of the Alps was inhabited by Celts and was part of the Roman Empire until (probably Slavonic) tribes from the East, the so-called 'Bayuvaren' started to settle in the region in the 6th century AD. A later mention was made by the Franks ca. 520. Saint Boniface completed the people's conversion to Christianity in the early 8th century. Bavaria withstood the Protestant Reformation, and even today is strongly Roman Catholic.

From about 550 to 788, the house of Agilolfing ruled the duchy of Bavaria, ending with Tassilo III who was deposed by Charlemagne. For the next 400 years numerous families held the duchy, rarely for more than three generations. The last, and one of the most important, of these dukes was Henry the Lion of the house of Welf, founder of Munich.

When Henry the Lion was deposed as duke of Saxony and Bavaria by his cousin, Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1180, Bavaria was awarded as fief to the Wittelsbach family, which ruled from 1180 to 1918. The first of several divisions of the duchy occurred in 1255 but in 1506 Bavaria was reunited and Munich became the sole capital. In 1623 the dukes replaced their relative, the Count Palatine of the Rhine in the early days of the Thirty Years War and acquired the powerful prince-electoral dignity in the Holy Roman Empire, determining its Emperor thence forward, as well as special legal status under the empire's laws. When Napoleon abolished the Empire, Bavaria became a kingdom in 1806, and in 1815 the Rhenish Palatinate was annexed to it. In between 1799 and 1817 the leading minister count Montgelas followed a strict policy of modernisation and laid the foundations of administrative structures that survived even the monarchy and are (in their core) valid until today. In 1818 a modern constitution (by the standards of the time) was passed, that established a bicameral Parliament with a House of Lords ("Kammer der Reichsräte") and a House of Commons ("Kammer der Abgeordneten"). The constitution was valid until the collapse of the monarchy at the end of the First World War.

After the rise of Prussia to prominence Bavaria managed to preserve its independence by playing off the rivalries of Prussia and Austria, but defeat in the 1866 Austro-Prussian War led to its incorporation into the German Empire in 1871. In the early 20th century Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Henrik Ibsen, and other notable artists were drawn to Bavaria, notably to the Schwabing district of Munich, but the region was devastated by World War I.


Socialist premier Kurt Eisner, who deposed King Ludwig III, was assassinated in 1919 leading to a violently suppressed communist revolt. Extremist activity on the right also increased, notably the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch, and Munich and Nuremberg became Nazi strongholds under the Third Reich. As a manufacturing center, Munich was heavily bombed during World War II and occupied by U.S. troops.

Since World War II, Bavaria has been rehabilitated into a prosperous industrial hub. A massive reconstruction effort restored much of Munich's historic core, and the city played host to the 1972 Summer Olympics. More recently, state minister-president Edmund Stoiber was the CDU/CSU candidate for chancellor in the 2002 federal election, and native son Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg (a German-Army officer who was the central figure in the July 20 plot to kill Adolf Hitler in 1944)was born in Jettingen / Bavaria.

The Hubert Herr Family

This is a beautiful "work" cuckoo clock that my fiance Klaus & I saw while we were in the Schwartzwald "Black Forest". We took our tour all over the Bavarian area, meeting new suppliers, visiting people we already work with. Our only regret is the Florida warehouse for MyDirndl.com isn't large enough to hold all of the beautiful treasures we saw. This cuckoo clock is not from the Herr Family, but just an example of the craftsman ship and artistry that exists in this region. The clock did work, and all of the figures moved, music played...it was absolutely beautiful.

The History of the HERR family and their cuckoo clocks

The HERR family has a long tradition of Black-Forest cuckoo clock making.

Already at the beginning of the 19th century, the two brothers Andreas and Christian HERR, born in 1812 and 1814, were making cuckoo clocks in a farmhouse nearby the town of Triberg in the Black Forest of Germany

This skill and the know-how about making of cuckoo clocks has then been passed on to the next generation, Eduard HERR. He was the one who then moved from outside of Triberg downtown, bought land and built his workshop on Nussbacherstrasse.

His son HUBERT HERR continued the work of Eduard HERR, bought additional land in the middle of Triberg, Hauptstrasse 8, which is still now the home of the company, enlarged the workshop and moved upwards step by step.

HUBERT HERR was a master woodcarver and all wooden cuckoo clock cases and carvings were already made in those days in the small factory and workshop.
HUBERT HERR had five children and they all worked at the factory and workshop.
Production increased from year to year and already in those days the cuckoo clocks were shipped to many countries around the world.

Today the HUBERT HERR cuckoo clock factory is managed by the 5th generation, Klaus HERR, Reinhard HERR and Hugo HERR.

Worldknown, HUBERT HERR cuckoo clocks are of finest quality and workmanship.
HUBERT HERR is the only manufacturer of cuckoo clocks in Germany making the movements, carvings and also the clock cases in its own premises.
Due to this set-up of the important parts of the clock made in their own factory, with constant quality control throughout the manufactoring process, HUBERT HERR can supply to the customers in more than 60 countries of the world a high quality product, all made by skilled craftsmen in the Black Forest of Germany

All clocks are made out of solid wood and the carvings are guaranteed handcarved and made out of lindenwood. Inside they have the finest mechanical movements, weight driven to preserve the traditional way of making and presenting these Original Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks.

Cuckoo Cuckoo

One of my favorite clock makers is the Hubert Herr company in Germany. Reinhard Herr sent me a few articles on his family and on the cuckoo clock that I wanted to share. I love hearing about the people whose families have provided many of the items that we have on MyDirndl.com . I think they are true craftsman and it is exhibited each time I see a new clock that I am shipping out to a customer. Enjoy the articles.
Bobbie

History of the Original Black Forest Cuckoo Clock

Clock making in the Black Forest has a long tradition.

Already way back in 1640 clocks had been made, in those days all with wooden wheels and only one hour hand.

In the long winter months when the farms and country sites were heavily snowed in, the skillfull people of the Black Forest area made and built their clocks which were then sold in the summer time all over Europe. The clock peddlers in those days went as far as Paris and London as well as to Moscow and Konstantinopel to sell their clock products.

Around 1738 it was Franz Anton Ketterer, a small farmer in Schönwald, a pittoresque village nearby Triberg/Black Forest, who invented the cuckoo clock. He was the first to have the idea to put the cuckoo sound in by means of two differently built bellows, which was a great success.

These 2 bellows are lifted up and down by the mechanical movement and so the cuckoo sound will be created. The cuckoo calls every half hour once and then always the full hour as the hands indicate, accompanied by the round wire gong on the back pannel.

The case of the Original HUBERT HERR cuckoo clocks are made of solid pine wood, roof and side and the carvings are an outstanding art, created after many years of carving experience. These carving decorations are made of linden wood which is a leaf tree, growing more on the slopes of the Black Forest towards the Rhine valley. Linden wood is the best wood for carving as it is quite soft and well to be worked with.

As decoration scene of the Black Forest cuckoo clocks the genius clock makers choose oak leaves and others as well as cuckoo birds, wild turkeys and owls and also animals like deers, squirrels, rabbits etc., all types of animals which still today live in the Black Forest of Germany.

Clock making and manufacturing at the HUBERT HERR factory also has a long tradition. The two brothers ANDREAS HERR, born in 1812 and CHRISTIAN HERR, born in 1814, were in those times already making cuckoo clocks and this tradition has been passed down on the HERR family from generation to generation.



EDUARD HERR, son of CHRISTIAN HERR continued the clock making tradition, followed by HUBERT HERR and then ERNST, EUGEN and HUGO HERR.

Today the HUBERT HERR clock factory is still privatly owned and now run and managed by the 5th generation.

HUBERT HERR cuckoo clock factory is the only one company in Germany making the movements, carvings and also the clock cases.

With this set-up, the important parts of the cuckoo clock are made in the own factory premises in Triberg/Germany, and so high quality cuckoo clocks are offered to the market at most competitive prices. All HUBERT HERR cuckoo clocks still today are made of solid wood, guaranteed handcarved in elaborate and very detailed patterns and designs.

These cuckoo clocks are sold and shipped throughout the world around the globe to the various customers who enjoy the art work of an Original HUBERT HERR cuckoo clock, made at its original birthplace in the Triberg region of Germany.

This original cuckoo clock is still equipped with a mechanical movement and iron cast weights in a pine cone shape and it creates the real cuckoo sound by means of the two before mentioned bellows, made in the historic way.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING THE GOOSE IS GETTING FAT......

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The Carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said;
‘For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
‘God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!’

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Santa Claus!

Origins of Santa Claus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ancient Christian origins

The first of these is Saint Nicholas of Myra, a 4th century CE Christian bishop of Myra in Lycia, a province of Byzantine Anatolia, now in Turkey. Nicholas was famous for his generous gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes. He was born at Patara, province of Lycia, Asia Minor. He was very religious from an early age and devoted his life entirely to Christianity. In Europe (more precisely the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Germany) he is still portrayed as a bearded bishop in canonical robes. The relics of St. Nicholas were transported to Bari in southern Italy by some enterprising Italian merchants; a basilica was constructed in 1087 to house them and the area became a pilgrimage site for the devout. Saint Nicholas became revered by many as the patron saint of seamen, merchants, archers, children, prostitutes, pharmacists, lawyers, pawnbrokers, prisoners, the city of Amsterdam and of Russia. In Greece, Saint Nicholas is sometimes substituted for Saint Basil (Agios Vasilis in Greek), a 4th century AD bishop from Caesarea. Also, a few villages in West Flanders, Belgium, celebrate a near identical figure, Sint-Maarten (Saint Martin of Tours).[1]

Prior to the Germanic peoples' conversion to Christianity, Germanic folklore contained stories about the god Odin (Wodan), who would each year, at Yule, have a great hunting party accompanied by his fellow gods and the fallen warriors residing in his realm. Children would place their boots, filled with carrots, straw or sugar, near the chimney for Odin's flying horse, Sleipnir, to eat. Odin would then reward those children for their kindness by replacing Sleipnir's food with gifts or candy [Siefker, chap. 9, esp. 171-173]. This practice survived in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands after the adoption of Christianity and became associated with Saint Nicholas. Children still place their straw filled shoes at the chimney every winter night, and Saint Nicholas (who, unlike Santa, is still riding a horse) rewards them with candy and gifts. Odin's appearance was often similar to that of Saint Nicholas, being depicted as an old, mysterious man with a beard. (Other features, like the absence of one eye, are not found in Saint Nicholas.) This practice in turn came to America via the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam prior to the British seizure in the 17th century, and evolved into the hanging of socks or stockings at the fireplace.

Another early folk tale, originating among the Germanic tribes, tells of a holy man (sometimes Saint Nicholas), and a demon (sometimes the Devil, Krampus, or a troll). The story states that the land was terrorized by a monster who at night would slither down the chimneys and slaughter children (disembowelling them or stuffing them up the flue, or keeping them in a sack to eat later). The holy man sought out the demon, and tricked it with blessed or magical shackles (in some versions the same shackles that imprisoned Christ prior to the crucifixion, in other versions the shackles were those used to hold St. Peter or Paul of Tarsus); the demon was trapped and forced to obey the saint's orders. The saint ordered him to go to each house and make amends, by delivering gifts to the children. Depending on the version, the saint either made the demon fulfil this task every year, or the demon was so disgusted by the act of good will that it chose to be sent back to Hell.


Germanic folklore
Yet other versions have the demon reform under the saint's orders, and go on to recruit other elves and imps into helping him, thus becoming Santa Claus. In an alternate Dutch version, the saint is aided by Moorish slaves, commonly typified as Zwarte Piet ("Black Peter"). Some tales depict Zwarte Piet beating bad children with a rod or even taking them to Spain (formerly ruled by the Moors) in a sack. Though some people find the tradition of zwarte piet discriminating, because this would refer to the fact that Saint Nicolas would have negro slaves to do the work for him in the busy days before pakjesavond (boxing day); according to those people this would promote and teach hate and racism to young children. This story is only partially true, zwarte piet started his "career" as a slave indeed, but not in service of Saint Nicolas. In fact.. Saint Nicolas was the one who bought zwarte piet from a slavetrader, only to set him free. Grateful as zwarte piet was however, he didn't have anywhere to go as he was separated from his relatives and had no job to support himself. Saint Nicolas offered him a job (in some (fictional) stories this job was listing all the kids their wishes for boxing day, other stories say that zwarte piet was keeping track of all the bad children, in order to capture them in a sack and take them to Spain... as Spain would be the home country of Sinterklaas). Black Peters are to Saint Nicolas, what the elves are to santa clause... in tradtion the Saint has a Peter for every function.. for example: Navigation Peters to navigate the steamboat from Spain to Holland, acrobatic Peters for climbing up the roofs to stuff presents through the chimney, or to climb through themselves etc. etc. And through the years a lot of stories were added, mostly made up by parents to keep their childrens faith in Saint Nicolas (often called "De goede Sint" (the good/friendly Saint),and to prevent their children from misbehaviour, as they are told that good behaviour would be rewarded on boxing-day.

GERMAN NUTCRACKERS

Nutcracker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nutcrackers in the form of wooden carvings of a soldier, knight, king, or other profession have existed since at least the 15th century. These nutcrackers portray a person with a large mouth which the operator opens by lifting a lever in the back of the figurine. Originally one could insert a nut in the big-toothed mouth, press down and thereby crack the nut. Modern nutcrackers in this style serve mostly for decoration, mainly at Christmastime.

The carving of nutcrackers — as well as of religious figures and of cribs —developed as a cottage industry in forested rural areas of Germany. The most famous nutcracker carvings come from Sonneberg in Thuringia (also a center of dollmaking) and from the Ore Mountains. Wood-carving usually provided the only income for the people living there. Today the travel industry supplements their income by bringing visitors to the remote areas.

Nutcrackers have become popular in the United States as well, and a recreated "Bavarian village" of Leavenworth, Washington even features a Nutcracker Museum. Many other materials also serve to make decorated nutcrackers, such as porcelain, silver, and brass; the museum displays samples.

Carvings by famous names like Junghanel, Klaus Mertens, Karl, Olaf Kolbe, Petersen, Christian Ulbricht and especially the Steinbach nutcrackers have become collectors' items. Steinbachs vary greatly in price, anywhere from $200 to over $1000 in some cases.

Remember we have a lovely selection of Nutcrackers on our web site at www.MyDirndl.com
Oktoberfest & So Much More!

WHO WAS KING LUDWIG?

Ludwig (Louis) II, King of Bavaria[1], Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm; sometimes known in English as "Mad King Ludwig" and as the "Märchenkönig" (Fairy-tale King) in German. (August 25, 1845 – June 13, 1886) was king of Bavaria from 1864 until his death.

Life

His youth

Born in Nymphenburg (today part of Munich), he was the son of King Maximilian II of Bavaria and Princess Marie of Prussia. Ludwig was continually reminded of his royal power as a child, and as a child he was extremely spoiled on some occasions but severely controlled by his instructors and subjected to a strict regimen of study and exercise on others. Ludwig apologists explain that much of his odd behaviour as an adult was caused by the stress of growing up in a royal family.
Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria with his brother Otto in 1858
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Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria with his brother Otto in 1858

Ludwig's youth did have happy times, such as visits to Hohenschwangau and Lake Starnberg with his family. Teenaged Ludwig became best friends and possibly the lover of his aide de camp, the handsome aristocrat and actor Paul Maximilian Lamoral von Thurn und Taxis of Bavaria's wealthy Thurn und Taxis family. The two young men rode together, read poetry aloud, and staged scenes from the Romantic operas of Richard Wagner. The relationship broke off when Paul became more interested in young women. During his youth, Ludwig also initiated a lifelong friendship with his cousin Duchess Elisabeth, Empress of Austria. They both loved nature and poetry, and nicknamed each other the Eagle (Ludwig) and the Seagull (Elisabeth).

His reign

Ludwig ascended to the Bavarian throne at age 18, following his father's death. His youth and brooding good looks made him wildly popular in Bavaria and abroad. One of his first acts was official patronage of his idol, Richard Wagner. For much of Ludwig's rule he promoted reconciliation amongst the German states.
Ludwig II of Bavaria
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Ludwig II of Bavaria

The greatest stresses of Ludwig's early reign were pressure to produce an heir, and relations with militant Prussia. Both issues came to the forefront in 1867. Ludwig was engaged to Princess Sophie, his cousin and Empress Elisabeth's younger sister. Their engagement was publicized on January 22, 1867, but after repeatedly postponing the wedding date Ludwig finally cancelled the engagement in October. Sophie later married Ferdinand Philippe Marie, duc d'Alençon (1844-1910), son of Louis Charles Philippe Raphael, duc de Nemours. She died several years later in a fire which destroyed the Paris Charity Bazaar. Ludwig never married.

Though Ludwig had sided with Austria against Prussia in the Seven Weeks' War, he accepted a mutual defense treaty with Prussia in 1867 after being defeated in the war. Under the terms of this treaty Bavaria joined with Prussia against France in the Franco-Prussian War. On the request of Bismarck, Ludwig solicited a letter in December 1870 calling for the creation of a German Empire. He received some concessions in return for his support, but the era of Bavarian independence was over.

Throughout his reign Ludwig had a succession of infatuations with handsome men, including his chief equerry Richard Hornig, Hungarian theatre star Josef Kainz, and courtier Alfons Weber. In 1869, he began keeping a diary in which he recorded his private thoughts and discussed his attempts to suppress his sexual desires and remain true to his Catholic beliefs. Ludwig's original diaries were lost during World War II, and all that remains today are copies of entries made prior to the war. These copied diary entries, along with private letters and other surviving personal documents, suggest that Ludwig struggled with homosexuality.[1]

As Ludwig's rule progressed, he became increasingly withdrawn. In the 1880s, Ludwig spent much of his time in seclusion in the Alps. There he built several expensive fairytale palaces with the stage designer Christian Jank, and imagined a dream world with himself as an absolute monarch descended from Louis XIV of France.

His buildings
The coat of arms of King Ludwig over the entrance to Neuschwanstein
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The coat of arms of King Ludwig over the entrance to Neuschwanstein

* Neuschwanstein – or "New Swan Stone", a dramatic Romanesque fortress with Byzantine and Gothic interiors, which was built next to his father's castle: Hohenschwangau. Numerous wall paintings depict scenes from Wagner's operas. Christian glory and chaste love figure predominantly in the iconography, and may have been intended to help Ludwig live up to his religious ideals. The castle was not finished at Ludwig's death. It is by far the best known (to non-Germans) landmark in Germany today. Neuschwanstein would become the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland.

* Linderhof – an ornate palace in neo-Rococo style, with handsome formal gardens. The grounds contain a grotto where opera singers performed on an underground lake lit with electricity, a novelty at that time, and a Romantic woodsman's hut built inside an artificial tree. Inside the palace, iconography reflects Ludwig's fascination with the absolutist government of Ancien Régime France. Ludwig saw himself as the "Moon King", a Romantic shadow of the earlier "Sun King", Louis XIV of France. From Linderhof, Ludwig enjoyed moonlit sleigh rides in an elaborate eighteenth century sleigh, complete with footmen in eighteenth century livery. He was known to stop and visit with rural peasants while on rides, adding to his legend and popularity.

* Herrenchiemsee – a replica of the palace at Versailles, France, which was meant to outdo its predecessor in scale and opulence. It is located on an island in the middle of the 'Chiemsee'. Most of the palace was never completed once the king ran out of money, and Ludwig lived there for only the 10 days before his mysterious death.

* Ludwig also outfitted Schachen king's house with an overwhelmingly decorative Arabian style interior, including a replica of the famous Peacock Throne. There are stories of luxurious parties with the king sometimes reclining in the role of Turkish sultan while the most handsome soldiers and stable boys served him as scantily clad dancers. These stories may or may not be true.

* Falkenstein – a planned, but never executed "robber baron's castle". A painting by Christian Jank shows the proposed building as an even more fairytale version of Neuschwanstein, perched on a rocky cliff.

Ludwig II of Bavaria's buildings
Falkenstein | Herrenchiemsee | Königshaus am Schachen | Linderhof | Neuschwanstein

His death
Ludwig II of Bavaria
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Ludwig II of Bavaria

On June 10, 1886, Ludwig was officially declared insane by the government and incapable of executing his governmental powers, and Prince Luitpold was declared regent. The psychiatrist Professor Bernhard von Gudden despite never having examined Ludwig, headed the psychiatric team that declared Ludwig to be suffering from paranoia (comparable to a modern diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia). Their chief evidence was stories of Ludwig's odd behavior, collected from palace servants by his political enemies. As many of these stories were not firsthand accounts and may have been obtained with bribery or threats, their reliability is questionable. Some historians believe that Ludwig was sane, an innocent victim of political intrigue. Others believe he may have suffered from a substance abuse problem or neurological disorder rather than mental illness. Empress Elisabeth held that "The King was not mad; he was just an eccentric living in a world of dreams. They might have treated him more gently, and thus perhaps spared him so terrible an end."

Ludwig was taken into custody in secret. The event proved as unusual as any in his life. An eccentric but loyal baroness arrived at the gate of the rural castle to wave her umbrella menacingly and to harangue the men who came to imprison Ludwig. The king himself reportedly ordered all kinds of nonsensical punishments against the "treasonous" ministers. A huge force of peasants swarmed to Hohenschwangau to protect the King. They were willing to escort Ludwig under guard across the border and save him. But Ludwig refused. The battalion of soldiers at nearby Kempten had been summoned to Neuschwanstein, but it was retained by the government.

Ludwig attempted to issue the following proclamation to the public: The prince Luitpold intends to rise up without my will to the regent of my country. My past Ministry deceived untrue data over state of my health and prepares high-traitorous actions forwards against my loved people ... I request each faithful Bavaria man to help. Crowds forward around my faithful ones and prevents the planned betrayal to the king and the native country. This was printed by a Bamberg newspaper on June 11 1886, but the copies were seized by the government to prevent distribution. Most of Ludwig's telegrams to the newspapers and his friends were intercepted. Ludwig did receive a message from Bismarck advising him to go to Munich and show himself to the people, but Ludwig refused to leave Neuschwanstein. On the morning of the twelfth, a second Commission reached the castle. The King was placed under arrest at 4:00 a.m. and transported to Castle Berg in Berg, south of Munich.

Mystery surrounds Ludwig's death on Lake Starnberg (then called Lake Würm). On June 13, at 6:30 p.m., Ludwig asked to take a walk with Professor Gudden. Gudden agreed, and told the guards not to follow them. The two men never returned from their walk. King Ludwig and Professor Gudden were found dead in the water near the shore of Lake Starnberg at 11:30 p.m. that night. A little chapel was later built overlooking the site. A remembrance ceremony is held there each year on June 13.

Ludwig's death was officially ruled a suicide by drowning, but alternate theories abound. Ludwig was known to be a good swimmer, the water was less than waist-deep where his body was found, and the official autopsy report indicates that no water was found in his lungs. No solid proof of foul play has ever come to light, but many hold that Ludwig was either assassinated by his political enemies or killed while attempting to escape from Berg. Another theory suggests that Ludwig died of natural causes (such as a heart attack or stroke) during an escape attempt.

Ludwig's body was interred in the crypt of the Michaelskirche in Munich.

His legacy

Ludwig is remembered as one of the most unusual rulers of Germany. He was quite popular among his subjects, probably for three reasons: First, he avoided engaging in war, giving Bavaria a time of peace. Whether this was due to pacifism or his lack of interest in political power is debatable. Second, he funded the construction of his famous fairy-tale castles from his own private property, not from the state budget. This gave many people employment and brought a considerable flow of money to the regions involved. Third, his public eccentricities were quite engaging. Though he hated crowds, he enjoyed travelling "incognito" among his people, and he rewarded those who were "unknowingly" hospitable to him later with lavish gifts. He is still remembered in Bavaria as "Unser Kini" which means "our darling king" in the Bavarian dialect of German. Also, he was not a ruler who saw visiting with the commoners as something shameful.

Ironically, despite nearly bankrupting Bavaria's royal family during their construction, Ludwig's palaces have become profitable tourist attractions for the Bavarian state.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

HISTORY OF OKTOBERFEST IS NOT JUST BIER!

Oktoberfest
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oktoberfest is a two-week festival held each year in Munich, Bavaria, Germany during late September and early October. It is one of the most famous events in the city and the world's largest fair, with some six million people attending every year. Other cities across the world also hold fairs, modeled after the Munich event, also called Oktoberfest.

The event usually takes place during the 16 days up to and including the first Sunday in October, but if this day is the 1st or 2nd then the festival will go on until the October 3rd (German Unity Day). Thus, the festival is 17 days when the 1st Sunday is October 2nd and 18 days when it is October 1st. The festival is held on an area named the Theresienwiese, often called "d' Wiesn" for short. Beer plays a central role in the fair, with every festival beginning with a keg of beer tapped by the Mayor of Munich who declares "O'zapft is!" (Bavarian for "It's tapped!"). A special Oktoberfest beer is brewed for the occasion, which is slightly darker and stronger, in both taste and alcohol. It is served in a one-liter-tankard called Maß. The first "mass" is served to the Bavarian Minister-President. Only local Munich breweries are allowed to serve this beer in a Bierzelt, a beer tent which is large enough for thousands.

Visitors also consume large quantities of food, most of it traditional hearty fare such as sausage, hendl (chicken), käsespätzle (cheese noodles), and sauerkraut, along with such Bavarian delicacies as roast ox tails.

The first "Oktoberfest" took place on October 12, 1810: For the commemoration of their marriage, Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen (hence: "Theresienwiese") organized a great horse race (the marriage took place on October 12th, the horse race on October 17th, therefore there are different dates named as being the first Oktoberfest).

In the year 1813, the Oktoberfest was called off as Bavaria was involved in the Napoleonic war. In 1816, carnival booths appeared. The main prizes were silver, porcelain, and jewelry. In 1819, The town fathers of Munich took over festival management. They decided that the Oktoberfest should be celebrated every year without exception. Later, it was lengthened and the date pushed forward. The reason being that the end of September in Bavaria often has very good weather. The high temperature in the first week of Oktoberfest nears 30 °C which stimulates the thirst of the visitors. However, today the last week of Oktoberfest is still in October.


Since 1850 the statue of Bavaria has watched the Oktoberfest. This worldly Bavarian patron was first sketched by Leo von Klenze in a classic style and Ludwig Michael Schwanthaler romanticised and "germanised" the draft. Johann Baptist Stiglmaier and Ferdinand von Miller made the statue. In 1853, the Bavarian Ruhmeshalle was finished.

In 1854, 3,000 residents of Munich succumbed to an epidemic of cholera, so the festival was canceled. Also, in the year 1866, there was no Oktoberfest as Bavaria fought in the Austro-Prussian War. In 1870, the Franco-German war was the reason for cancellation of the festival. In 1873, the festival was once more canceled due to a Cholera epidemic. In the year 1880, the city government approved the sale of beer. The electric light illuminated over 400 booths and tents. In 1881, booths selling bratwursts opened. In 1892, beer was first served in glass mugs. At the end of the 1900's, a re-organization took place. Until then, there were games of skittles, large dance floors, and trees for climbing in the beer booths. They wanted more room for guests and musicians. The booths became beer halls.

In the year 1910, Oktoberfest celebrated its 100th birthday. 120,000 liters of beer were poured. In 1913, the Bräurosl was founded, which was the largest Oktoberfest beer tent of all time, with room for about 12,000 guests (today, the biggest tent is the Hofbräu-Festhalle which holds 10,000).

From 1914 through 1918, World War I prevented the celebration of Oktoberfest. In 1919 and 1920, the two years after the war, Munich celebrated only an "Autumn Fest." In 1923 and 1924, the Oktoberfest was not held due to inflation. In 1933, the Bavarian white and blue flag was replaced with the standard swastika flag.

From 1939 to 1945, due to World War II, no Oktoberfest took place. From 1946 to 1948, after the war, Munich once again celebrated only the "Autumn Fest." The sale of proper Oktoberfest beer was not permitted. The guests had to make do with beer that had an alcohol content under 2%. Since its beginnings the Oktoberfest has thus been canceled 24 times due to war, disease and other emergencies.

Since 1950, there has been a traditional festival opening: A twelve gun salute and the tapping of the first keg of Oktoberfest beer at 12:00 by the current Mayor of Munich with the cry "O'zapft is!" opens the Oktoberfest. The first mayor to tap the keg was Thomas Wimmer.

By 1960, the Oktoberfest had turned into an enormous world-famous festival. The first Japanese, Americans, and New Zealanders discovered the festival and stumbled with beer mugs alongside Bavarians. They spread the word of Munich worldwide. After this foreigners began to picture Germans as wearing the Sennerhut, Lederhosen, and the girls in Dirndl. Horse races ended in 1960.

There are many problems every year with young people, who overestimate their ability to handle large amounts of alcohol. Many pass out due to drunkenness. These especially drunk patrons are often called "Bierleichen" (German for "beercorpses"). They are brought by staff to a medical tent where drunks as well as sick people are treated.

To make the Oktoberfest, and especially the beer tents, once again friendly to older people and families, the concept of the "quiet Oktoberfest" was developed in 2005. Until 6:00 PM, the tents only play quiet music, for example traditional wind music. Only after that will Schlager and pop music be played, which has led to more violence in earlier years. The music played in the afternoon is limited to 85 decibels. With these measures, the organizers of the Oktoberfest hope to curb the over-the-top party mentality and preserve the traditional beer tent atmosphere

Wonderful Piece on Dirndls

Good Evening! Today I am posting an article that is being reprinted with permission. The article was written by Dr. Ingrid Loschek and I found it while searching for information about dirndls. I hope you enjoy it, I know I did.

Tracht

Alpine Clothing Goes Couture

How traditional costume conquered the world of fashion
For visitors to Munich's famous Oktoberfest, "tracht" – traditional costume – means a dirndl for women and Lederhosen for men. But for the true adherents of traditional dress – who join societies dedicated to preserving it – real tracht means the costumes they wear in style at regional festivals or at the rousing procession of traditional dress that marks the start of the Oktoberfest. Outside Bavaria, however, wearing traditional costume is more likely to signal a desire to cling to outdated customs.
Historically, today's regional traditional costumes are nineteenth-century inventions which were de rigueur for ceremonial occasions. These traditional costumes were purposely intended to signal one's distance from the fashions sported by the urban bourgeoisie and were seen as an expression of wholesome rusticality.
In a dirndl on the Alm From the mid 19th century onwards, traditional costume began to influence the style of clothing worn for hiking and became especially fashionable as the clothing of choice for excursions to the Alps. Even the nobility could be spotted wearing Lederhosen and boiled-wool jackets as they hunted amid the mountain peaks, while the ladies wandered the Alpine meadows in simple dirndls. What had started life as the practical clothing worn by farming folk (originally, the dirndl was a kind of petticoat and was worn for work by maids – the "dierne" – in domestic service) thus became a hit with city-dwellers, who would kit themselves out from head to toe in the "Bavarian" or "Tyrolean" style, often at Johann Georg Frey's "Specialist Store for Tourist Apparel" in Munich.
Yodellers hit New York In 1930, this traditional Alpine apparel conquered international fashion. It all started with Erik Charell's musical comedy Im Weissen Rössl. Set to music by Ralph Benatzky and performed on an Alpine-style set designed by Ernst Stern, this famous musical was first performed in Berlin on 8 November 1930. Yodellers, strapping young male folk-dancers and the arrival of Emperor Franz Joseph at idyllic St. Wolfgang in Austria's lake district were the highlights of the show. The colourful dirndls, Lederhosen, rustic green jackets, and even the traditional fedora-style hats with their characteristic tufts of chamois were an instant hit worldwide. In 1931, an English version – The White Horse Inn – ran in London, and in 1935, the show was turned into a silent movie before moving to Broadway in 1936. The boundless enthusiasm for Bavarian and Austrian traditional costume inspired tailors in London and even the creators of Parisian haute couture to design suits with green lapels, cuffs and antler buttons, sprigged summer dresses and hats "à la tyrolien" adorned with trailing pheasant feathers. And just in case a little support was needed to achieve the required "décolleté", there was always the dirndl bra – a Bavarian invention which preceded the push-up by a good many years.
Dirndl and Lederhosen – and no end to it In Germany, traditional costume and fashion had – and sometimes still have – very negative connotations for some people, because like many other traditions and customs, tracht was appropriated ideologically by the Nazis.
Nonetheless, in the general poverty which followed the Second World War, the almost indestructible Lederhosen and simple dirndl – which could be sewed at home from old curtains or tablecloths – became essential wearing in Austria and Bavaria.
And the international fashions that tracht inspired remained popular too. "Bavarian Style" woollen jackets were even designed in London, and it is said that the Chanel suit, which first appeared on the Paris catwalks in 1954, was inspired by the Alpine jacket.
At the end of the 1950s, dirndls for formal and evening wear and men's dress suits in tracht style became very popular following the release of films such as Die Trapp Familie (1956) with Ruth Leuwerik and Hans Holt. But it was The Sound of Music in 1965 (also about Salzburg's von Trapp family), starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, which made the mini-dirndl fashionable.
Even today, elements of Alpine traditional costume often feature in the collections of international designers.


Dr. Ingrid Loschek is Professor of Fashion History and Fashion Theory at Pforzheim University of Design and the author of several specialist books on fashion http://www.loschek.de/
Translation: Hillary Crowe Copyright: Goethe-Institut, Online-Redaktion
Any questions about this article? Please write! online-redaktion@goethe.de September 2005


Related links
Oktoberfest
Information on markets specialising in traditional costume
Bavarian Association of Traditional Costume
Association for the Preservation of Bavarian Culture and Heritage

© 2006 Goethe-Institut

Happy Chinese New Year!

Yes, this is a web site about German Heritage, Customs & Clothing, but since I went to a Chinese New Year Lion dance today, I thought it might be appropriate to mention it. The Asian people I am so lucky to know always have a big celebration with lion dances, fireworks, food and lots of laughing and some lucky games. They remind me not to clean for 3 days after the new year (which is one custom I just love). This year the fireworks lasted at least 10 minutes and they had 5 lions at the dance.

In Germany it will be February 2nd soon and that is Ground Hog's day in America & Candlemas Day (Maria Lichtmess) in Germany. This is the quarter point between the MidWinter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox. This is the feast day commemorating the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem. It is named after the candlelight procession which proceeds the mass.

On the subject of holidays we have Valentines Day coming up, and Fasching. February also has other special days in it, but for now, let us remind all the sweethearts out there not to forget their special someone with a poem or a letter, a gift or a flower. Don't forget to tell those you love, that you do love them.



Remember we are still putting on the new Spring & Summer collection at MyDirndl.com We have new blouses out today so be sure to go in and take a peak. It is never to early to begin planning your party outfits.

Dirndl Memories

Good Morning!
Last night after the blog was created, I thought about what kinds of articles I would like to write, and wondered if they would e of any interest to anyone. What I began to think about what how wonderful the stories were from the customers who have emailed me to buy trachten. I have heard some great stories from people who are from Germany, lived in Germany or have relatives there. I then realized, these are the people who should be telling the stories. I will continue to write, however if you are interested in submitting a short story to share with other people about Germany trachten, culture, history, or experiences, please do email me at bobbie@mydirndl.com.

Until then enjoy the weekend!

What is a dirndl anyway?

Greetings from the staff at www.MyDirndl.com. We have decided to do a blog page so we can talk about German Traditional Clothing, history, Oktoberfest, and all of the things we enjoy so much about German culture. Much of our information could be found in reference books, but the idea is to put it all in once place, so you can read it at your leisure. We hope you enjoy our posts, I know we will enjoy making them!

Dirndl
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

A dirndl is a type of mass-produced, cost-effective dress in Germany and Austria based on the historical costume of the Alpine peasants. It was introduced into fashion after WWI.
It has a tight bodice, low neck, full skirt, lacy blouse and apron.
In its current form, what it lacks in quality and durability it gains in decoration, sometimes posing all manner of designs and styles. It is worn in the folk music business but not a normal, everyday dress for women. For its native counterpart, see Tracht.

Just a short first post, however I look foward to discussing many topics and hearing from other people who like to discuss German heritage. Of course I can not leave with out mentioning we do have some women's dirndls on sale under special pricing on the web site: http://www.MyDirndl.com. Additionally, we just put on many of the long and short dirndls for the Spring & Summer collection so please do take a look!
Gute Nacht!