German (Deutsch)

SIG

13 November 2014

WILLKOMMEN

Agenda

• Presentation – Bavaria (Bayern) -- by Bill Thuemmel

• Group Discussion –

– New Members

– Individual Status

– Problem Solving

Know Your Ancestors

Through The Knowledge Gained From

Research and an Understanding Of

Their History and Their Culture

Dale Heins, July 2013

The information contained in this presentation is for the sole use of

members of Villages Genealogy Society and its German Special Interest

Group. It may not be copied whole or in part with the exception of one

(1) copy for their sole use nor may it be distributed.

Please refer to the last slide for acknowledgements of the sources of the

materials presented herein.

Dale Heins & William Thuemmel

German SIG Co-Coordinators

State of Bavaria (Bayern)

File:Deutschland politisch 2010.png

STATE OF BAVARIA (BAYERN)

Free State Bavaria (Freistaat Bayern)

Official Flags of Bavaria:

Coat of Arms (above): Generally known and loved. Introduced in 1950.

District symbols

Golden Lion—Upper Palatinate

Franconian Rake—Upper, Middle, & Lower Franconia

Blue Panther—Lower Bavaria and Upper Bavaria

Three Black Lions—Swabia

The White & Blue Central Shield is the Wittelsbach’s family coat of

arms since 1247. Today the rhomboid shield represents Bavaria as a whole.

The People’s Crown—the crown on top of the central shield (used

since 1923) symbolizes the sovereignty of the people after abolition of

monarchy.

Free States/Cities in Germany

Free State (Freistaat): 19th century German word for a republic. When

Imperial Germany became the Weimar Republic after WWI, most of the

German states within the German Reich called themselves a Free State. The

Nazis abolished this concept. After WWII (actually in 1952), Bavaria still called

itself a Free State, which became a symbol of Bavaria. After reunification,

Saxony (successor to the Kingdom of Saxony) called itself a Freistaat (1992)

and Thuringia did the same in 1993.

Free City (Freie Stadt): Historically, Germany’s Imperial Free Cities enjoyed

considerable autonomy and were subject only to the Emperor. Germany had

only three Free Cities in 1871—Hamburg, Bremen, & Lübeck. However,

Lübeck lost that status in 1937. Today, Hamburg and Bremen both still have

the official title of (Freie und Hansestadt, Free and Hanseatic City). Berlin is

also a Free City or City-State (Stadtstaate), but never was a Hansestadt.

These three cities have no special rights in the federation other than those of

other German states.

Federal State of Bavaria (Bayern)

General Introduction

• One of Germany’s 16 Bundesländer. Bavaria is one of Europe’s oldest states. It was founded as a duchy in the 6th century and maintained its independence until the unification of Germany in 1871. The Kingdom of Bavaria was dissolved in 1918, as was the German Empire, and became a federal state.

• Bavaria is the largest German state (27,200 sq. mi.) and covers almost 20% of Germany. It’s about the size of Ireland and is larger than each of the ten smallest U.S. states (larger than WV and smaller than SC). With 12.5 million people, it is Germany’s second most populous state (North Rhine-Westphalia has 18 million). Munich (München) is its capital, Germany’s third largest city.

• External borders with the Czech Republic, Austria, & Switzerland; internal borders shared with Baden-Wuerttemberg, Hesse, Thuringia, & Saxony.

• The Bavarian Alps define the border with Austria and the Bavarian Forest with the Czech Republic. Two major rivers, the Danube (Donau), and Main, flow through Bavaria.

• Bavaria is divided into seven administrative districts or regions: Upper Franconia (Oberfranken), Middle Franconia (Mittelfranken), Lower Franconia (Unterfranken), Swabia (Schwaben), Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz), Upper Bavaria (Oberbayern), and Lower Bavaria (Niederbayern).

General Introduction (continued)

• Companies with industrial bases in Germany include: BMW, Audi, Allianz, Grundig, Siemens, MAN, Continental, Adidas, Puma, and others.

• Some famous people from Bavaria include (chronologically): Albrecht Dürer, Levi Strauss, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi), Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm (Ludwig II), Aloysius Alzheimer, Bertolt Brecht, Richard Strauss, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Henry Kissinger, Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger) Philipp Lahm, and Bastian Schweinsteiger.

• Religion—In 2010, 54% Roman Catholic; 20% Ev. Lutheran, 21% irreligious or other religions; and 4% Muslim. Southeastern Bavaria is primarily Roman Catholic, but Franconian and Swabian regions are more diverse.

• Tourism—Bavaria is a popular tourist destination. Attractions include Oktoberfest in Munich, Passion Play in Oberammergau (every year ending in 0), Wagnerian Festival in Bayreuth, King Ludwig’s fairytale castles, Alpine vacations, traveling the Romantic Road through quaint towns and villages, and visiting UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

• Bavaria’s GDP per capita is 35% higher than the EU average and is second only to Hesse among non-city states in Germany. If it were an independent country it would rank as the EU’s 7th or 8th economy in size.

• Bavaria has more breweries than any other German state. They include Augustiner, Ayinger, Erdinger, Franziskaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu Munchen, Lowenbräu, Spaten, Weihenstephan, and many others.

Some Popular Tourist Attractions in Bavaria

Castle Neuschwanstein Oktoberfest Parade in Munich

Inside Wagner Festspielhaus, Bayreuth Königsee in Bavarian Alps near Berchtesgaden

From B.C. to WW I

• Before the Roman invasions, this area was inhabited by Celtic tribes with small settlements, e.g., Ratisbona was the Celtic name for Regensburg. Tacitus, the Roman historian, observed that 300 B.C. Germanic tribes migrated to Bavaria from the east. These people, unlike the fair skin, hair, and blue eyes of other Germanics had higher cheek-bones, darker skin, hair, and eyes. They mixed with the Celts and eventually prevailed against the Romans. Names such as Regnitz, Karwendel, and Scharnitz Pass seem to have evolved from these invaders.

An Historical Overview of Bavaria

• The German Baiovarii arrived here during the 5th and 6th centuries and gave this territory its name. The Franks conquered this area in the 6th century and ruled the territory as a duchy under various families for the next 400 years.

Prehistoric Neunischenberg by Kronach

Bavaria in the 10th century

Bavaria lost large territories in the south and southeast in 976 when Duke

Henry the Quarrelsome revolted. As a result, the territory of Ostarrichi

became a duchy of its own and given to the Babenberger family. The

founding of Austria.

From B.C. to WWI (continued) • Henry the Lion, founder of Munich and second most powerful man in the empire was deposed as Duke of Saxony and Bavaria in 1180 by his cousin, Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor (red-bearded “Barbarossa”). Bavaria was awarded as a fief to the Wittelsbach family, who ruled for the next 738 years (from 1180-1918). The Wittelsbachs acquired the Electorate of the Palatinate in Rhine (Kurpfalz) in 1214.

• Several divisions of the Bavarian duchy began in 1255. The Wittelsbach dukes acquired the Swabian territories, Emperor Louis the Bavarian gained Brandenburg, Tirol, Holland and Hainaut (Walloon area in SW Belgium) but gave the Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz) to another branch of the Wittelsbachs in 1329.

• During the Middle Ages, the Wittelsbachs split into the Upper Bavarian line (Straubing, Ingolstadt, and Munich) and the Lower Bavarian line (Landshut).

• The Landshut War of Succession reunited the other parts of Bavaria in 1506, and Munich became its sole capital.

• During the 16th & 17th centuries, Bavaria was the prime defender of Roman Catholicism within the Holy Roman Empire. During Maximilian I’s reign Bavaria fought against the Protestant Union in the Thirty Years’ War. In 1623, he was rewarded with the coveted title of Elector. This enabled him to vote for the HRE Emperor.

• During the first half of the 18th century, the ambitions of the Bavarian prince electors led to several wars with Austria and also occupations by Austria (Wittelsbachs vs. Hapsburgs).

Divided Bavaria in 1392

Kingdom of Bavaria (Königreich Bayern) 1806-1918

• One-thousand years after Charlemagne founded the Holy Roman Empire, Napoleon abolished it in 1806 and Bavaria became a kingdom. Three years earlier, most of present-day Franconia and part of Swabia became part of Bavaria thanks to its Napoleon alliance. Salzburg was also transferred to Bavaria in 1809, but was returned to Austria in 1815. The Upper Palatinate has been part of Bavaria since 1648.

• During the French invasion of Russia in 1812, about 30,000 allied Bavarian soldiers were killed in action. To preserve her continued sovereign and independent status, Bavaria then joined the Sixth Coalition (Austria, Prussia, Russia, United Kingdom, Sweden, & Spain) against Napoleon.

• Most of Bavaria’s present borders were set in 1814 with the Treaty of Paris, which ceded Tyrol and Vorarlberg to the Austrian Empire while receiving Aschaffenburg and parts of Hesse-Darmstadt. The Kingdom of Bavaria was second in area only to the Kingdom of Prussia. Bavaria has remained part of Germany ever since the unification of Germany in 1871. However, the action to join the German Empire was controversial for it’s major-Catholic population, a result of the Bavarian-Prussian feud.

• The district of Coburg was united with Bavaria in 1920. Ostheim was transferred to Bavaria in 1947, during the American occupation after WWII.

Borders of Bavaria from 1800 to Today

The Kingdom

of Bavaria in

1871

(in light

green)

The German

Empire in 1871

Bavaria in the 20th Century

• After WWI, members of the house of Wittelsbach stepped back from public affairs. A new republican government emerged under Socialist leadership and led to a short-lived Communist revolt in 1919. It was violently suppressed by units of the German Army. It was succeeded by the new Free State of Bavaria within the Weimar Republic.

• Extremist activity continued and resulted in the Beer Hall Putsch by the National Socialists in 1923. Munich and Nuremberg were Nazi strongholds under the Third Reich. Both were heavily bombed during WWII and were occupied by U.S. troops.

• The Rhenish Palatinate was detached from Bavaria in 1946 and became part of the new state of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz). Bavaria was part of West Germany during the Cold War. In 1949, the Landtag of Bavaria would not support the Basic Law of Germany because it was seen as not granting enough power to the individual states (Länder). But it did agree to support it if two-thirds of the other states approved it. The Basic Law was approved by the West German government in Bonn a day later.

Post WWII Occupation Zones of Germany

Bavarian Identity and Traditions

• Bavarians tend to emphasize a separate national identity; i.e., they see themselves as “Bavarians” first, and “Germans” second. Perhaps like some Texans in the U.S. After all, both come from large southern states that in the early 19th century were independent countries (Texas was a republic, Bavaria a kingdom). Both have rather distinguishing customs—Bavarians like their Tracht, Texans their boots, blue jeans, and bolo ties. Both groups also have rather distinctive accents when compared with their national mainstream languages.

• Bavarians take pride in their traditions. Traditional costumes are referred to a Tracht. Altbayern Lederhosen for males and Dirndln for females. Traditional folk music and dance from over the centuries is performed. The Maypole (Maibaum) custom from the Middle Ages is often displayed in village squares.

• These traditions have followed Bavarian immigrants to other countries as well. Oktoberfests and other Bavarian festivals are held in Frankenmuth, MI, Helen, GA, and Leavenworth, WA. Others can be found in Texas and other states.

Photos of Bavaria Tracht & Traditions

Bavarians Parading in Munich

Lots of Lederhosen

Dancing around the Maypole (Maibaum)

Schuhplattler Dancing in Bavaria

Bavarian Food & Drink • Bavarians take pride in their food and drink. Some of their specialty foods are

not usually found elsewhere in Germany. Weisswurst and Schäufele mit Kloss are examples. See below:

Above is the Franconian pork shoulder

and dumpling (Kloss)

Left is Weisswurst (white sausage)

• At folk festivals in Bavaria, beer is traditionally served by the liter (in a Maß). Bavarians are especially proud of their Reinheitsgebot, or purity law. It was established by the Duke of Bavaria in 1516. Law allowed only three ingredients in beer—water, barley, and hops. In 1906, the law became an all-German law.

• Bavaria is also the home of the Franconia wine region along the Main River. It is famous for its Bocksbeutel wine bottle (flat green bottle). Many villages and cities hold their own wine festivals in this region where Frankenwein has been produced for 1,000 years.

Bavaria Genealogy Sites

http://www.germangenealogygroup.com/records-search/bavarian_emigrants.php

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~deubay/

http://search.ancestry.com/Places/Europe/Germany/Bayern/Default.aspx

http://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Bayern_(Bavaria)K%C3%B6nigreich_(kingdom)_Church Records

http://www.bavariagen.com/lds.html

http://www.kahlgrund-genealogie.de/location.html

http://genealogy.about.com/od/germany/tp/German-Genealogy-Online-Databases.htm

http://www.genealoger.com/german/ger_2_bayern.htm

http://vgsgermansig.org/research/resources-by-modern-state/bavariabayern-genealogy-resources/

Wright, R.S., III; Rives, N.S.; Kirkham, M.J.; and Bunting, S.S. Archives in Bavaria (Bayern)(Chapter 5). In Ancestors in German Archives: A Guide to Family History Sources. Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc.: Baltimore, MD. PB $80. Sample pages can be reviewed online at http://www.amazon.com/dp/0806317477/ref=rdr_ext_tmb

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The information presented in the above Power Point presentation was taken primarily from: • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bavaria( November 2014). In Wikipedia. Silhouette map, flag, coat

of arms, map of Bavaria. • https://www.google.com/search?q=flags+of+bavaria+germany&biw=1920&bih=933&tbm=isch&t

bo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=6XGcVLOJIcKaNtO2hIAL&ved=0CDwQsAQ • http://www/bayern.de/English-.594.20473/index.htm • http://www.eupedia.com/germany/bavaria.shtml • DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Germany, 2014. P. 243 • https://archive.org/stream/briefhistoryofba00normiala#page/8/mode/2upA brief history of

Bavaria by Gertrude Norman, pp. 7-9

Wikipedia Commons (On-Line) • Map. “German Maps & Facts for Genealogy.” Columbus Ohio, OriginsBooks 2012 • Map. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/BRD.png • Map. http://02dddd4.netsolhost.com/travelogue/europe/bavaria2.jpg (regions of Bavaria) • Maps. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Bavaria (Bavaria in the 10th century and

divided Bavaria in 1392) • Map. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Bavaria (Borders of Bavaria from 1800 to date) • Map. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsches_Kaiserreich (Map of German Empire 1871) • Map. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Map-Germany-1945.svg (Post WII Occupation Zones)

Other Photos—Sources are listed in the notes of slides showing photos