here i am: the first german-american heritage museum now open in dc -- a visit

humbly and unobtrusive, the neutral grey slim town house holds its ground against a soulless modern office building and a row of colorfully advertised chinese restaurants across 6th street between g and h streets in northwest washington dc. an equally low key yet easily visible white and black banner with a dash of yellow, red, and blue gives away its identity:

here i am, the german-american heritage museum. i am the first museum to celebrate german immigrants and german-americans in the capital of the united states. yes, i have companions across this country, at least one in each state according to indiana university.

but, i am the first of its kind in washington dc. over four years my parents, the german-american heritage foundation members, collected for my birth as the fellow who mans the reception desk on my first floor will tell you.


















he also will tell you how over 250 people celebrated my recent birth on march 21, 2010 by marching up these steps onto the second level exhibition hall.


















apart from the obvious germans such as albert einstein, wernher von braun, and ketchup heinz, i will show you other germans that played a big role in the united states and that even before this country was called like that!















there is general friedrich wilhelm von steuben who came 1777 from magdeburg in what is now saxony-anhalt helped by benjamin franklin to take foot in the new land. in return, steuben helped the revolutionary army to fight for independence with prussian discipline against the redcoats who also had hired germans. or have you heard of molly pitcher? her real name was maria ludwig and she was born to german parents in pennsylvania. the legend goes that she brought water to the revolutionary soldiers and even fired some shots when her husband fainted.











i can show you many more of these individual stories in my one long stretched room ringed with panels of explanations. the blue rather hunky kiosk in my middle is a bit more for propaganda purposes trying to lure you to actually go to germany, the tourist thing, you know.












back to history, which i will tell you concisely and chronologically along a yellow plastic frieze. i start off with the german pastor dr. johann fleischer who in 1607 was among the first english settlers to arrive in what is now jamestown, virginia.


















gliding along the walls, i make it easy for you to follow along the bigger steps of german-american immigration history. the first wave came in the 1600s and 1700s when the colonies desperately needed labor and attracted mennonites who sought religious freedom. in 1683 they began they started the first german settlement, called germantown and now part of philadelphia. then came the 1848er immigrants who fled from the failed revolution in germany and sought political freedom.


















by the time the first world war came around over seven million germans had left to the united states in the belief to find milk and honey.

"I went to America because I thought the streets where paved with gold. When I arrived, I found out that they weren't paved at all and that I was going to be the one to do it." -- anonymous immigrant, 19th century

when first world war was over, shame of their cultural identity was firmly hammered into germans and german-americans in the united states, it was better to shed old ways, to lose the language, and to blend in. treasures of the heimat [home] where stowed away in chests.














the third big wave of immigrants came in the 1930s and 1940s when intellectuals and refugees from germany had tohide from hitler and the second world war. but by then german culture was not as pronounced anymore. but as i proudly claim all over, german influence is still everywhere from kindergarten, heinz ketchup, turnvereine [fitness clubs promoted by fitness pope/turnvater jahn], the jeans from levi strauss who came from buttenheim, elvis presley who dates back to a german named pressler, and even the word dollar stemming from the german currency in the mid 19th century called taler.















in terms of literature, well, i can tell you immigration didn't work that well. germans have always loved u.s. american tales better than the other way around. indians, cowboys, huckleberry finn, tom sawyer, uncle tom's cabin, gone with the wind, stephen king crowd german shelves. in return only high level scribes such as thomas mann or guenter grass charmed american literary minds.


















by the way, talking about language, except for a few quotes in german such as the one above, i will tell you all of this and some more completely in english. after all, we are in the united states, blending in and so. apart from language skills you better bring some concentration, too, my chic flat screens are running constantly so you might have a hard time reading all the information while some german and english float by your ears.

to make up for that flaw, you will find me curiously uncommercial -- yet. i don't want money from you at the entrance nor do i trap you into a gift shop in the end -- yet. so hurry up and visit me before i get too americanized-commercialized!