If the saying “all good things come in threes” truly applies to human fortune, then fans of American soccer can count on experiencing more joy in the future.

Twice Jürgen Klinsmann (47) has been on the top of the wish list of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) as national trainer – after World Cup 2006 in Germany and a year ago in South Africa. Both times, however, the elected redeemer from Germany and USSF President Sunil Gulati found no common denominator in the terms of contract. Since July 29, 2011, this is history. When on that Friday evening at 6:30 PM CET the news ticker announced: “Klinsmann new US coach,” it was certain that the third attempt had finally culminated in the desired agreement. One should never say never….

The Swabian discovered the thrill of being national trainer when he managed the German national team to third place in the World Cup 2006 hosted in his native Germany. With Bayern Munich, however, where he was on the payroll from the summer of 2008 to April 2009, he had given up the pleasure of being a soccer teacher – but only as a club coach in Germany. Between the North Sea and the Zugspitze, after the failed experiment with the German record master, the polyglot (he speaks fluent English, French, Italian and Spanish) was regarded more than ever as a project leader: that is, as one who can start a process, push through changes, but should leave the training to others.

In his adopted American homeland nobody (yet) doubts the abilities of the successor of Bob Bradley, who took over the US team four years ago and was released after the 2:4 final match in the prestigious Gold Cups against archrival Mexico. “Jürgen  was a very successful player and a coach with enough experience and knowledge to advance our project,” federation head Gulati praised the former striker at the presentation in New York. National player Steven Cherundolo from German national league team Hannover 96 is also pleased with the new boss, “from whom he expects new ideas and new structures.” The sports channel ESPN headlined the event as “The beginning of a new era.” Even basketball megastar Dirk Nowitzki is convinced that the relationship between Klinsmann and the Americans will work. “I think it’s a great fit for both,” twittered the NBA champion from the Dallas Mavericks.

As in 2004 with the German national team Klinsmann has taken over (“I am proud and honored to be named national trainer”) once again a team whose performance curve is on the downward slope. The USA has fallen to 30th position in FIFA rankings. Similar to the radical restructuring of the German national team the former world and European champion will also focus with the US team on young players, fitness, and an armada of assistants.

The American German faces an Herculean task. He must reform the US club as rigidly as he did years ago as national league coach in his native country. A new spirit of optimism is needed – a dream job for career optimist and motivator Klinsmann who trusts his unbridled passion: “Just do it.” The former baker apprentice, who learned the craft in his father’s company in Botnang, has long made his home in the USA. He enjoys living in California with his American wife, a former model, and his children, who were all born in the USA. This, however, is something Germans resented, especially after the successful preparation of the German national team for the World Cup 2006. Yet despite an attractive offer for the German national trainer to stay in Germany after the World Cup 2006, he gave preference to his life in the USA. And it seems to have been a good choice because Klinsmann now drives to his new workplace, the USSF National Training Center in Carson, California, from his magnificent residence in Huntington Beach, where he has lived since 1998, in just half an hour. Just ideal general conditions.

That he is not taking on an easy job was clear after the first three test international matches. Not against Mexico (1:1) nor against Costa Rica and Belgium (both 0:1) could a match be won. Klinsmann is thus the first US coach since the Munich native Lothar Osiander (1986 to 1988) who did not win one of his first three friendly matches. With his debut as German national league coach seven years ago he started with two victories and one draw. “We need to be patient,” demands Klinsmann, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” It will become serious for the US boys next summer when they start the qualification process for World Cup 2014 in Brazil. By then, assures the coach, he will present a competitive national team. - By Gunnar Meinhardt

Related posts:

1. FIFA Women’s Soccer World Cup: Will Germany be cheering again? � The German team is already qualified for the quarter...
2. Alexandra Krieger: Why I feel right at home with the 1. FFC Frankfurt Despite her success with the US National Soccer Team this...
3. Steffi Jones: “I wish for a third World Cup win for Germany, full stadiums and that the exhilaration is contagious!” Interview with Steffi Jones, German-American, former world-class soccer player and...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

visitBerlin today announced the first nonstop connection between Berlin and its sister city Los Angeles. airberlin’s new service is scheduled to begin on May 11, 2012, offering three weekly flights with Airbus 330-200 equipment. The airline already successfully operates nonstop flights from Miami and New York JFK to Berlin.

“airberlin’s new service is a very significant step to secure long-term success of the gateway Berlin and the city’s new airport BER,” says Burkhard Kieker, CEO of visitBerlin.  

The USA is Berlin’s most important overseas market. From January through August 2011, 180,000 Americans visited the German capital.

For more information visit www.airberlin.com  or www.visitberlin.de

Related posts:

1. airberlin: New Nonstop Service from New York to Berlin airberlin is now connecting the two metropolises, New York and...
2. airberlin, Boeing and Berlin Airports welcome first Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Germany � Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner made its first landing in Germany...
3. Los Angeles Berlin Runway Fashion Show Young Berlin Designers: Trendsetters For Today’s Modern, Wearable Fashion! The...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

2011 was a special year for Alexandra “Ali” Krieger. With the US women’s national team the 27-year-old American pro soccer player became World Cup Vice Champion – in Germany, or more precisely, in Frankfurt, where she has successfully played defense for the 1. FFC soccer team since 2007. As a member of the US national team she had already taken home many trophies, including the UEFA Women’s Cup 2008, the German Championship 2008, and the German DFB Cup 2008 and 2011. For four years now the Frankfurt am Main metropolis has been her second home. She feels welcome and at home here, has friends. Although she has German ancestors, she did not know a word of German when she moved in Frankfurt in 2007. Now she fluently speaks the language of her teammates, although with a cute American accent. Check it out for yourself and watch the short video clip below.

GW: Ms Krieger, how does it feel to return to Germany after the World Cup?

A. Krieger: Very good! During the World Cup I noticed that I missed Frankfurt. I wanted to return to Germany and play for 1. FCC in the Bundesliga and the Champions League. If I play here, I can maintain my top level and optimally prepare for the Olympics. I feel very much at home here. I like Germany. I like playing soccer, and this is a soccer country. I am happy to be back.

GW: How long have you played soccer?

A.K.: I started playing when I was six. I was not really playing soccer. I simply ran after my brother on the field. At age seven I joined my first soccer club. Later I played at my university, Penn State University. Until 2007 I played with Washington Freedom. Finally, I came here to Frankfurt. This season will be my fifth in Germany.

GW: What was different about your return this time compared to when you first came to Frankfurt in 2007?

A.K.: When I came to Germany in 2007, I was not sure if it would be good for me. It was a different country, a different culture, different people. Over time I grew used to it and felt comfortable. For me it is an honor to play with other female soccer players. Now I even have a few friends who don’t have anything to do with soccer. (…) My “German sister” is my advisor’s daughter. And through her I have made other friends. (…)

GW: Which cities have you visited in Germany?

A.K.: With the team I have traveled throughout Germany. I think Dresden is beautiful. I once went to the Oktoberfest in Munich, and Berlin is another great city. When I have time, I like traveling to Heidelberg.

GW: We have heard that you have German ancestors from Berlin.

A.K.: Yes, my great-grandfather. He emigrated to the USA, but is no longer alive. I have not yet tried to find out whether I still have relatives in Berlin. I hope I’ll have time to check that out this year or next year.

GW: You live in Frankfurt. What do you like about the city?

A.K.: Oh, I think it’s great that people here speak so many different languages. And the people call Frankfurt “Mainhattan” because of the skyscrapers. It’s cool here, the buildings remind me of America. And the food here is very tasty.

GW: Are there things in Germany that you had trouble getting used to?

A.K.: People here are totally direct and honest. In the USA people are more likely to say: “Hey, you look really cool. I like your T-shirt.” Here in Germany they’ll say: “What are you wearing? That doesn’t go together.”

GW: Is there anything that you miss about the USA?

A.K.: Yes, my family and friends. My family comes to visit once or twice a year, but that is not enough. (…) I myself travel twice a year to the USA, for Christmas and in the summer. And occasionally for the US national team. (…)

GW: Was it special that the host country was Germany?

A.K.: Yes, of course! I thought how cool is that? We’re playing in the finals, and in Frankfurt. To be honest, it was a dream. Unfortunately, it wasn’t perfect because we lost. But we were one of the best teams out of many.

GW: Do you know Jürgen Klinsmann?

A.K.: Yes, although not personally. But I was very happy when he became the German trainer of the US men’s national soccer team. I hope he’ll do a good job.

GW: Where did you learn such good German?

A.K.: I didn’t speak German at all when I came here in 2007. My coach said it would be good if I could speak a little German. So I registered at the Volkshochschule (German term for Community College). Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I intensively studied German for three hours. And now I’ll be continuing with Level 8. It’s a lot of fun. I need to chat and talk with the girls on the team. It’s important that I can understand them. (…)

GW: What are your goals and dreams for the future?

A.K.: I would love to be a TV sportscaster. I like watching sports and interviews on TV. But I can also imagine doing event management. And in soccer, of course, I still want to become world champion. Hopefully I’ll be able to play until 2015. It would also be great to win a gold medal at the Olympics. And, of course, with 1. FFC I want to become champion again. And reaching the Champions League finals would be super.

- By Ingo Ackerschott / English translation by Nancy Joyce

Related posts:

1. FIFA Women’s Soccer World Cup: Will Germany be cheering again? � The German team is already qualified for the quarter...
2. Juergen Klinsmann: “I am proud to be the US soccer coach!” � If the saying “all good things come in threes”...
3. Steffi Jones: “I wish for a third World Cup win for Germany, full stadiums and that the exhilaration is contagious!” Interview with Steffi Jones, German-American, former world-class soccer player and...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

After using an iPhone, an iPad, and an eye-tracking device, the German Center for Research and Innovation (GCRI) in New York reports that AutoNOMOS-Labs, a Berlin-based project, has found yet another way to maneuver its (usually completely) computer-controlled vehicle. “MadeInGermany,” the autonomous car, now also relies on brain power.

The commercial Emotiv Epoc EEG (electroencephalogram) headset requires a few rounds of mental training. “We thought if someone can use the headset to play a computer game – we can make it work with a car,” explained a scientist of Freie Universitaet Berlin. The wireless neuro-headset measures and interprets bioelectric signals as patterns. These patterns are then associated with different commands, e.g. left or right. A software interface communicates with the on-board Drive-by-Wire system of the car, transforming the messages into actuation, like steering or acceleration. Test drives have shown only a slight delay between mental command and vehicular execution.

The work of AutoNOMOS-Labs points to the huge potential human-machine interfaces offer in autonomous driving as well as applications for the physically handicapped. Integrating the driver’s mental decisions at certain points (e.g. at an intersection) could highly individualize routing in autonomous-car travel or control future electric wheelchairs. Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the project is part of the German High-Tech Strategy’s ForMat program to examine intelligent forms of mobility and develop promising applications. For videos and more information, click here.

Please visit also http://www.germaninnovation.org/ for more news from the GCRI.

Related posts:

1. Fast and Furious made in America powered by German engineering The “Fast & Furious” films stand for plenty of...
2. Right Brain Left Brain Wonderful Mercedes Benz commercial. I am the left brain. I...
3. Strong Record of Technology Transfer at German Universities By Christian Rammer, Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Mannheim...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

By Jürgen Rollmann

One year after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa the female players will be competing in Germany for the women’s title. While the qualifiers for the sixteen places are still going on, former world-class player Steffi Jones has long been working hard as President of the Organizing Committee to follow the exciting 2006 Men’s World Cup with another highlight in Germany.

Ms. Jones, what goals has the German Football Association (DFB) associated with hosting the Women’s World Cup in 2011?

Our greatest goal is to create sustainability. It is hoped the tournament will give a major boost to the professionalization of the women’s game. We want to achieve a situation in which the players can live from their sport – in other words, that they no longer have to work in other jobs at the same time. The 2011 Women’s World Cup enables us to present women’s football on an extraordinary stage in the heart of Europe and to show that it offers a highly attractive platform in every respect. My personal dream is that every girl who wants to play football will also be able to do so. That includes not only that there are girls’ football teams everywhere, but also trainers and training facilities. We are already working on that now. The DFB has allocated a budget of 19.4 million euros.

What will be different compared to the men’s tournament in 2006?

The successful 2006 World Cup gives us an organizational advantage. Nevertheless, we’re not working for a straight copy, but want to write our own story. I think that our slogan – The Beautiful Side of 20Eleven – expresses that wonderfully.

Which has been the best Women’s World Cup so far?

I experienced the 1999 and 2003 World Cups in the USA as a player. The 1999 final in front of 100,000 spectators was incredible. New standards were set there. And the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney were also outstanding – an entire country in party mood, everywhere friendly people who willingly provided information about the country and its people and were simply fascinated by the Olympics. That’s also our hope for 2011, that we can arouse a fascination for the Women’s World Cup among the greatest number of people in Germany and that our foreign guests will also be inspired by the wonderful cities and sights.

How far have preparations progressed almost one year before kickoff?

We’re completely on schedule. Currently our attention is focused on the U-20 Women’s World Cup, which will take place here in Germany shortly after the World Cup in South Africa. For us it’s a kind of dress rehearsal in four cities that will also have World Cup stadiums in 2011. Another highlight this year will certainly be the final round draw in the Frankfurt Festhalle on 29 November, which will be transmitted live on television. Additionally, ticket sales are picking up steam. In the first phase we sold 200,000 tickets, which is a very positive sign and proves that there is already a strong popular awareness of next year’s World Cup. If the stadiums are 80% full, we will refinance the tournament. I’m very optimistic that we’ll manage 100%.

How do you work with the Organizing Committee staff? Do you have to take care of every detail yourself as OC President?

The operational business is handled by our general coordinator, Ulrich Wolter, and a total of four departmental heads, which allows me to take care of representative duties. Nevertheless, I do try to contribute as much as I can to all the tasks at hand. Sometimes we have quite hefty arguments, but we’ve always been able to reach a consensus.

Did you imagine what the duties would involve when you took on the job in 2008? After all, you had only just ended a successful career one year before.

Of course, I first had to get used to it. Until then, with the exception of Franz Beckenbauer, I’d never met anyone who had organized a World Cup before. It was really quite a jump moving from the football field to an official’s desk, but also every instructive and varied – today a meeting with the Federal Chancellor, tomorrow a lecture at a school, the day after tomorrow something completely different. It’s a totally amazing job!

Apropos the Chancellor, how do you rate her interest?

It’s a wonderful thing for us to have such a prominent supporter. She’s our great patron in the world of politics and she’s really interested in women’s football. She even heads our First Ladies’ Team. She’s been enthusiastic about football since the 2006 World Cup and passionately follows what’s going on, regularly taking the time for a personal talk.

Are there still any differences left between women’s and men’s football at the top level?

When it comes to attitude and commitment, the answer is “no”. Players in both games work absolutely professionally, which is also reflected in the fact that our women’s national side has access to a similarly large team of trainers as the men’s side. Of course, there’s one thing you mustn’t do: you mustn’t make physical comparisons.

Women’s football was not officially permitted in Germany until 1970. What’s your basic appraisal of how things have developed since then?

What were things like then? Women were supposed to look after the children and the home. That situation had nothing to do with football, which developed quickly following the change in people’s perception of women. A German league, the Bundesliga, was formed and great successes were soon celebrated by the national team. Today we have over a million women and girls playing football under the DFB umbrella and the numbers are still growing. In other words, there have been a lot of positive developments for women – on and off the pitch!

Why do we so rarely see women’s Bundesliga matches on TV?

You only see these images often in the regional media. Change in this area is our minimum goal for the next five years. We must train female players better and make the Bundesliga even more attractive, so that more spectators will come and the interest of sponsors and the media grows. They build on one another, and hopefully the World Cup will provide a boost – even if 50,000 spectators at a women’s Bundesliga match will remain unrealistic in the future.

Will there be an accompanying programme for the Women’s World Cup?

Yes, certainly. For example, we have established 2011 Children’s Dreams, a social project that supports 60 children’s hospices. Fun Parks will also be set up around the stadiums so that the entire family can feel at ease and enjoy itself. And we are organizing road shows in many towns in the run-up to the World Cup to promote the tournament and arouse enthusiasm. Many national players will also be taking part.

A sporting question: who are your top favourites for the World Cup title?

As defending champions Germany is naturally a favourite and certainly the USA and Brazil. England and North Korea have also developed well recently. China shouldn’t be underestimated either, but the qualifiers are still running until the end of October so we still have to see who gets through.

Who are currently the world’s best female players?

The Brazilians Marta and Cristiane, England’s Kelly Smith and Abby Wambach of the USA. And alongside Birgit Prinz definitely our goalkeeper Nadine Angerer.

Which German players can the fans especially look forward to watching?

As well as the established players, certainly Fatmire Bajramaj and Kim Kulig, who plays for Hamburger SV. Despite their youth, both are extremely solid and technically brilliant.

If you could have three wishes come true for the World Cup, what would they be?

A third World Cup win for Germany, full stadiums and that the exhilaration is contagious!//

—–

Interview by Juergen Rollmann on November 3, 2010 for
.de – Magazin Deutschland.

Published with kind permission by © .de – Magazin Deutschland, www.magazin-deutschland.de

Related posts:

1. FIFA Women’s Soccer World Cup: Will Germany be cheering again? � The German team is already qualified for the quarter...
2. FIFA Women’s World Cup: Match Schedule � The FIFA Women’s World Cup matches will be shown...
3. Alexandra Krieger: Why I feel right at home with the 1. FFC Frankfurt Despite her success with the US National Soccer Team this...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Industry-university partnerships are widespread in Germany. In 2007, 32% of German firms that developed new products or technologies collaborated with universities. Collaboration is not limited to joint research projects but includes cooperation in design, testing, and marketing. In 2008, German universities received 15% of their total research expenditure from industry sources, which is well beyond the OECD average (6.5%). So-called Technical Universities (i.e. Universities with a large engineering faculty) and Universities of Applied Sciences (”Fachhochschulen”) show particularly strong links to industry. Despite a common notion of being inefficient in transferring research findings into innovations, the record of universities in patenting new technologies and spinning off new business is remarkable.

 In 2007, the German Patent Office received almost 2,200 new applications for inventions from German universities. Almost half of these patents originated from joint research with industry and were applied by the industrial partner.

From 2001 to 2006, about 35,000 new ventures have been founded by university researchers (i.e. 6,500 per year), which means that every year about 5% of all university researcher engage in a start-up project. Industry-University links are encouraged by a number of public programs, including government funding of collaborative research projects in key technology areas, cluster programs, and a new program to validate the industrial potential of new research results.

Source: www.germaninnovation.org – This article was published in the newsletter #13 of the German Center for Research and innovation in New York.
In order to subscribe to their very informative newsletter contact the GCRI at newsletter@germaninnovation.org

Related posts:

1. Just Add German A high-level language conference at the Goethe-Institut in New York...
2. German Electricity Over 17 Percent Renewable Germany’s homeowners choose renewable energy. The share of renewable electricity...
3. German Summer Schools Summer is here, and most parents find it challenging to...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

By Alexander Hast

Shortly after the devastating events in Japan on March 11^th, Los Angeles Turner president, Carole Kulzer Brennan called on the German-American community in greater Los Angeles to Help Japan.    The responses were immediate.  On Friday, April 8, 2011, she, along with Los Angeles Turner General Manager Alexander Hast and German American League President Ellen M. Neu presented a check from the Turner fund raising campaign to Deputy Consul General Yusuke Shindo.   Also present were Turner friend and associate Michiya Shimizu, Sr. Vice President of Nippon Express who graciously arranged the visit, Consul Shuichi Matsumoto and Richard Takemori of Nippon Express.  The Help Japan Drive was lead off with an outstandingly generous gift of $5,000.00 donated by the German American League.  The League is an affiliation of 20 Los Angeles/Orange County clubs representing all areas of German and Austria.  The German speaking Swiss owners of Chalet Edelweiss and the President of the German-American School association followed with generous gifts.  Individual contributions from people with Germanic heritage as well as from the Los Angeles Turners themselves made up the remainder of the donation.

Upon presentation of the check, Ms. Brennan told Mr. Shindo, “We hope the compassion accompanying this gift will aid broken spirits as well as broken things.”  Mr. Shindo acknowledged that concern from the German community within the United States would be warmly appreciated.  He also stated that prior to his arrival in Los Angeles he worked at the Japanese Embassy in Berlin making our connection doubly meaningful.

The Los Angeles Turners, founded in 1871, are now occupying their 4^th home since its founding.  Located in the heart of Westchester, this organization’s mission continues to be A Sound Mind in a Sound Body.  For additional information visit www.laturners.org.

Photo: (from left to right)

Michiya Shimizu, Alexander Hast, Ellen M. Neu, Carole Kulzer Brennan, Deputy Consul Yusuke Shindo, Consul Shuichi Matsumoto

Related posts:

1. Los Angeles Berlin Runway Fashion Show Young Berlin Designers: Trendsetters For Today’s Modern, Wearable Fashion! The...
2. AirBerlin to fly nonstop from Los Angeles to Berlin Scheduled to start in May 2012, AirBerlin will be...
3. Nowitzki helps Dallas Mavericks to NBA trophy Dirk Werner Nowitzki from Würzburg Germany and his team...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Pardon this outburst from an unreconstructed German monarchist: Scanning the Internet for news about the impending royal wedding has rendered me envious, morose and frustrated.  Never mind the uncomprehending sniggers by Bill O’Reilly about this display of allegedly antiquated glamour. O’Reilly might have many merits but he does not grasp the need for glamour in this era of vulgarity and triviality every one of his T.V. shows so aptly portrays night after night.

Being German, I am keenly aware of the dearth of glamour that has marked my country for almost a century. In church we have surly preachers in black robes opining from the pulpit about separating garbage instead of chanting the rich Lutheran liturgy and joyfully proclaiming the Gospel. In academia, colorful commencement proceedings have been abolished; graduates are told to pick up their diplomas in the Admin Building, room 312/A, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. In affairs of state, we are represented not by Kaisers or Kings with spiked helmets but grey-clad presidents; some of these have been impressive, I admit, but glamorous they were not. Recently, one of our heads of state just walked off the job like a peeved bookkeeper; compare that with the iron self discipline of Queen Elizabeth II who has just turned 85 and never missed a single workday in the 58 years of her reign.

What galls me most is that royal ceremonies in neighboring countries, in Britain, Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Monaco or Spain, are all implicitly German affairs because the blue blood in the veins of at least one of the players is our blue blood – German blood. The German yellow press reports every minutiae of these events while missing the central point: A little more of this kind of style in our own country would insert a modicum of elegance into our political and societal discourse, which is even more annoying than its American equivalent because we tend to systematize everything, including imported bad taste.

Read the full article on http://www.uwesiemon.blogspot.com

Related posts:

1. The End of the American Dream? Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF is known for their brilliant documentaries....

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

This weekend, a unique German culinary event will take place in New York City:
Two more or less regional specialties are often overlooked in a cuisine most heralded for its Pretzel, Brats and Kraut:

The “Maultaschen” from Swabia, and the “Currywurst” from Berlin (or Hamburg, they are still fighting over who invented this tasty treat).

This weekend, you can enjoy Maultaschen and Currywurst together at Wechsler´s on First Avenue and 7th Street in Manhattan; Wechsler´s is New York City´s first place dedicated solely to Currywurst, and they have a nice choice of German beer, too.
Schwob´s Maultaschen will be served in eight different varieties for you to have a taste. 

Friday and Saturday starting at 6 PM //Sunday starting at Noon 

By the way, Wechsler´s is so cool, it is featured in the latest TV commercial for Microsoft´s search engine Bing; check out the commercial here: http://www.youtube.com/user/bing#p/search/1/QGlP7_lCiqs

This culinary tip was sent to German World by Lars Halter, Chairman of the Steuben Parade in New York. www.germanparadenyc.org

Do you know about a special culinary event or a new German, Austrian or Swiss restaurant in your area that you like ?  Feel free to send us your culinary tip to editor@german-world.com

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

By Uwe Siemon-Netto

Those in Michigan’s industrial towns of Detroit, Flint and Saginaw with the money want to retire to Frankenmuth. No other town far and wide has such a low crime rate; no other place is quite like this one. The Lutheran-dominant Frankenmuth justly calls itself the Christmas metropolis of the world, and this is the work of a faithful member of the St. Lorenz Lutheran Church, Wally Bronner, whose eyes when we last met shortly before he died two years ago sparkled like the thousands of Christmas tree lights in his supermarket “Bronner’s CHRISTmas World,” whose surface area is equivalent to two football fields.

Christmastown

Wally, who advertises his business with Bible verses on giant billboards along the highways and freeways heading to Frankenmuth, earned his pocket money as a high school student as a sign painter. This talent gradually focused on his hobby: Christmas. Since the end of the Second World War he has celebrated Christmas every day, with a constantly growing number of customers from around the world. More than two million visit Frankenmuth every year, arriving in hundreds of thousands of cars and buses.
They come and marvel over the artificial snowflake show that Bronner’s company stages twice an hour at the southern entrance to his supermarket. With misty eyes they feast on the seemingly unending forest of blinking Christmas trees, herds of stuffed animals, 500 different nativity scenes, 150 types of nutcrackers, and five-meter-tall, plastic Santa Clauses that cost 7000 dollars.
Wally Bronner had a special way, as he once said, of thanking God for the success of his business. On his nearly 20 hectares of land on the outskirts of town he had a chapel built in the likeness of the original St. Nikolaus Church in Oberndorf, Austria, the chapel in which Catholic priest Joseph Mohr composed the Christmas song “Silent Night” in 1818 and had it set to music by his organist Franz Gruber. The Oberndorf town council gave its approval, important for Wally, and the mayor of Obendorf even came to Frankenmuth for the dedication of the imitation chapel.

Chapel

About the author:
Uwe Siemon-Netto, a veteran foreign correspondent from Germany and Lutheran lay theologian, is scholar-in-residence at Concordia Seminary, Irvine, California.

Related posts:

1. Tip: How to make an Advent Wreath Der Adventkranz – The� Advent Wreath The Advent wreath, is...
2. Tune into the Christmas Spirit with German Poetry ‘Knecht Ruprecht’ by Theodor Storm Saint Nikolaus’s best known companion...
3. A Royalist’s Dream – Harry, King of Saxony By Dr. Uwe Siemon-Netto Pardon this outburst from an unreconstructed...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.