| Among America's most successful cultural and heritage tourism destinations are towns with a distinct and identifiable German character or theme. These "Little Germanies" are popular tourist destinations because of their historic and architectural ambiance and the natural beauty of their location. They are "German in every particular," just as their visitors demand it. A multitude of special events and celebrations add to their popularity and success. Although they have in common their cultural theme and character, they are all very different in regards to their location, history and purpose of their founding, efforts in historic preservation, community profiles, tourism programs, and in many other respects.These "Little Germanies" can be divided into three different categories: "Historic Settlement," "Theme Town" and "Historic Settlement turned Theme Town." In their efforts to market themselves as a viable destination to tourists seeking a German cultural experience, America's "Little Germanies" employ differing approaches and unique characteristics in order to sell a similar product. Whereas the "Historic Settlements" emphasize the substance of their historical significance and German cultural heritage, the "Theme Towns" focus on the surface aspect, the carefully designed alpine- or Bavarian-themed appearance of their town. Frankenmuth, the sole "Historic Settlement turned Theme Town" of this study, although still drawing on its substance, far more emphasizes its surface, its Bavarian village architecture, in its tourist marketing efforts.In this study, Hermann, Missouri, was selected as a prominent example of a town with a distinct and identifiable authentic German heritage and ways. The towns of Leavenworth, Washington, and Helen, Georgia, will be included in this study as examples of perceived or assumed German culture. They will serve as examples in our discussion of the phenomenon of the creation of German "Theme Towns," which do not have any actual German heritage at all, in different areas of the United States. These places are attractive because they give the appearance of German culture, since they adopted an alpine Bavarian architectural theme in the sixties and seventies. The fourth "Little Germany" included in this study is "Michigan's Little Bavaria," the town of Frankenmuth. Frankenmuth will serve as an example for a historic German settlement, which in the middle of the twentieth century decided to adopt a Bavarian-inspired alpine architectural theme for its business district in an effort to offer its visitors a more "authentic" German or Bavarian experience.There can be little doubt that the successful preservation and fostering of an ethnic heritage, a worthy endeavor in the eyes of most Americans today, very much depends on its commercial viability. This, on the other hand, brings with it a danger to over-accentuate certain stereotypical aspects of the heritage, which can sometimes even lead to distortion and actual falsification. We have to keep in mind, however, that we are not dealing with the actual culture of Germany proper, but with German culture in the United States. We also must remember that we are not talking about groups like the Amish and Mennonites, who to this day have maintained their unique way of life, separate from their "English" neighbors, ever since establishing their communities in North America. |
