Spaß und Gemütlichkeit

Spaß und Gemütlichkeit. (Fun and Fellowship). , The traditions of spaß (fun) and gemütlichkeit (fellowship) came with the German immigrants to the Texas frontier in 1845. From the time of their arrival, settlers had to rely on their own skills and ingenuity to provide the necessities of life. Food, drink and entertainment were home grown, home brewed and home made. , Krause’s Café, established on this site in the 1940’s, served as a place of gathering around the stammtisch (table) to discuss the topics of the day from current politics to local gossip. This tradition is still enjoyed today. , Sausage making was a means of preserving venison, pork and beef which was a vital staple to daily life. Every family had their special recipe and generations still continue these treasured formulas. Native mustang grapes and agarita berries were the source of wine and jelly making and home brewing beer was an important practice. , Bread making and baking sweets were daily activities. Special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas, Easter and the wonderful informal kaffeeklatch (afternoon coffee) called for kuchen, stolen, strudel and platzchen. Weihnachten (Christmas) baking preparations began weeks ahead and included cookies such as mandel kranze, lebkuchen, zimtsterne, pfeffernusse and springerle. , These early Germans used their inventiveness in a new land to carry on their traditions from the old country. In New Braunfels, you will find many of these same customs still present today. , Who’s Who at the stammtisch. , 1. Herman Steel educator , 2. Nicolaus Zink engineer for Verein , 3. Carl Iwonski artist , 4. Rev. L.C. Ervendberg Protestant Pastor , 5. John Meusebach Verein representative , 6. David Karbach Methodist Minister , 7. Dr. Theodor Koester apothecary – physician , 8. John Torrey trading post , 9. W.H. Meriwether 1st U.S. patent for wire fencing , 10. Jean Von Coll Verein bookkeeper , 11. Joseph Landa industrialist