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34-641: The Gießener Auswanderungsgesellschaft ( Gießen emigration society ) was founded in 1833 in Gießen with the aim of establishing a German-populated federal state within the United States. A majority of the five hundred politically motivated members, from the middle and upper class, settled in Missouri in 1834. The effort was considered a failure, but its leaders did much to contribute to the German influence of

68-460: A farmer, and I still am a farmer. We have cattle, pigs, and I grow soybeans and corn. We have chickens, ducks, turkeys, a bit of everything - a donkey. Yes, I started in the post office in 1979- 1979 and as well, I could speak German like the others in the post office location. Everyone could speak German, and it was good that I could also speak German. But all of my friends who were in the postoffice are now dead -- except for one: Carl Ploeger. He still

102-508: A future German Republic. The small publication was circulated privately throughout Germany, secretly passed and discussed. Muench and Follenius's followers grew and became so large, they could not take all that responded on this first call, and closed at 500 members. The Statutes of the Society were lengthy, and the costs were high. Members were required to post dues in advance, have enough funds for all of their travel, their land purchased and

136-591: A journey to the western states of North America") in 1829 which gave romantic and glowing descriptions of the Missouri River valley between St. Louis and Hermann, Missouri . The romantic description of the free life in the US motivated the Protestant minister Friedrich Münch and the attorney Paul Follenius/ Paul Follen in 1833 to found the Gießen emigration society. Muench and Follenius had participated in

170-542: A moated castle in 1152 built by Count Wilhelm von Gleiberg , although the history of the community in the northeast and in today's suburb called "Wieseck" dates back to 775. The town became part of Hesse-Marburg in 1567, passing to Hesse-Darmstadt in 1604. The University of Giessen was founded in 1607. Giessen was included within the Grand Duchy of Hesse created in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars . After

204-793: A wine-growing area around the Rhine river. Rhinelanders settled the region, along with other Germans; by 1860, nearly half of all settlers in Missouri Rhineland were from Koblenz , capital of the Rhine Province . The Rhenish Germans resided in the Missouri Rhineland: St. Louis , Kansas City , and the towns: Gasconade , Franklin , Lincoln , Montgomery , Osage , Cole , Moniteau , Morgan , Pettis , Benton , Westphalia , Deepwater , Henry . The German settlers of Hermann , known as " Deutschheim ", came from

238-511: Is a dialect of rotwelsch spoken in and around Giessen by people in lower income neighbourhoods, some of which are known as "Eulenkopf", "Gummiinsel", "Heyerweg" and "Margaretenhütte". Approximately 700–750 residents spoke the dialect fluently as of 1976. Although the dialect still influences the Giessen vernacular , it is nearly extinct in terms of fluent speakers. Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there

272-1055: Is a form of Rhenish German ( German : Rheindeutsch ), and there are other German settlements and German American farms where German is still spoken to this day. "Ah... Ich heiße Terry Loehnig und ich war... mein ganzes Leben war ich ein Farmer, und ich bin noch Farmer. Wir haben Rindvieh, Schweine, und ich baue Seubohne und Mais. Wir haben Hähne, En'en [Enten], Truthahn, bisschen von alles - ein Esel. Ja, ich habe 1979 angefangen im Postamt - 1979 und ah, ich konnte deutsch sprechen wie die andere im Postamtplatz. Alli konnten deutsch sprechen, und es hat gut gepasst, dass ich auch deutsch sprechen konnte. Aber diese sind... Alli meine Kameraden, wo an dem Postamt waren sind jetzt tot -- außer einer: Der Carl Ploeger. Er lebt noch. So er ist 89. Alli anderen sind tot.' Hermann German ("Hermanndeutsch") - Missouri German speaker, McKittrick, Missouri, 2014 "Ah... I am called Terry Loehnig and for my whole life I have been

306-510: Is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is " Cfb ". (Marine West Coast Climate). Missouri Weinstrasse#The Weinstrasse The Missouri Rhineland ( German : Missouri Rheinland ) is a German American cultural region of Missouri that extends from west of St. Louis to slightly east of Jefferson City , located mostly in the Missouri River Valley on both sides of

340-700: The First World War , it was part of the People's State of Hesse . During the Second World War , a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp was in the Heil- und Pflegeanstalt Licher Straße . Heavy bombing destroyed about 75 percent of Giessen in 1944, including most of the town's historic buildings. It became part of the modern state of Hesse after the war. In 1977, Giessen was merged with

374-585: The Rhineland through Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . In the 1800s, nearly half of all Germans in Missouri Rhineland owned real estate, and were the highest employed group in the region, besides the Missouri French ; they were artisans, and enjoyed a high success in their artisan trades. The soils of the Missouri River valley and surrounding areas are mainly rocky residual soils left after

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408-713: The abolition of slavery during the Civil War, and many created and joined companies of the Union Army that were made up completely of Germans. The influence of these first five hundred can still be found in the area today that follows the Missouri River from St. Louis to Hermann — often called Little Germany, Missouri. This area, also called the Missouri Weinstrasse , still retains much of the early German influence in its culture and historic architecture. Gie%C3%9Fen The name comes from Giezzen , as it

442-416: The carbonate (mainly limestone ) bedrock weathered away to impurities of clayey soil and chert fragments. Farther to the north, glacial deposits and wind-deposited loess , a silty soil also associated with the glaciers, are intermingled with the residual soils. While the soil could support other crops, the steep slopes of these areas were better used for viticulture . German settlers established

476-715: The 1960s and 1970s, when small winemakers began building in many different areas of the United States. In 1965, Stone Hill Winery in Hermann , south of the Missouri River, was the first in the state to be re-established. In 1980, the Augusta AVA in Augusta was designated the first American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the United States; Hermann AVA in Hermann was designated an AVA three years later. As of 2009, 88 wineries were operating in Missouri. The area along Missouri Route 94 between Defiance and Marthasville has

510-735: The Olbers, led by Paul Follenius, departed from Bremen, headed for New Orleans, where the group encountered cholera . As they ascended the Mississippi River , now headed for St. Louis, many members grew ill, and some died. At the same time, unbeknown to the first group, the second contingent led by Friedrich Muench was encountering their own difficulties in Bremen, and was delayed several weeks. They arrived in late July 1834 at Baltimore, and began to head quickly for St. Louis. At Cincinnati they met up with Baron von Bock of Dutzow who told them of

544-483: The first wineries in the mid-19th century. Italian immigrants later established their own vineyards, especially near Rolla in Phelps County . By 1920, Missouri was the second-largest wine-producing state in the nation. Then came Prohibition , which ruined the industry. In the 1960s, local winemakers began to rebuild, part of a movement in states across the country. In 1980, an area around Augusta, Missouri ,

578-539: The first 17 settlers arrived at what would become Hermann, Missouri, the land terrain was unexpectedly found to be unsuitable for a town. According to local legend and what could serve as a study for anthropological researchers into the ethnic characteristics of the Missouri Rhinelanders ( German : Missouri Rheinländer ) and other German ethnicities, the survival of this town is credited to German ethnic characteristic of perseverance and hard work. With

612-416: The first few years of living. Character references were also required. Members were made up from all areas of Germany, several different religious groups, and many professions, farmers included. Membership dues would cover the costs of travel and settlement for the physicians and teachers, who were granted free membership. The group was to travel in two contingents from Bremen in the spring of 1834. In May 1834,

646-761: The first group's arrival and misfortunes. Both leaders, Friedrich Muench and Paul Follenius, settled on farms next to that of Gottfried Duden near the German-populated Dutzow, Missouri . They soon realized that the plan for a separate German federal state would remain a utopia . Other families settled nearby in southeastern Warren County , and in nearby Franklin and St. Charles counties. Many of these early families would soon begin to write their own letters home, encouraging further emigration. As many were professionals and politically motivated, they were active in their communities' efforts and politics. These families were actively involved in efforts regarding

680-470: The first settlers arrived in 1837. An early leader of the settlers was George Bayer , who arrived in early 1838. The soil on the hillsides surrounding the settlement was not appropriate for many forms of agriculture, but was ideal for grapes. Hermann's trustees decided to sell tracts of land with the agreement that they be planted as vineyards. During the American Civil War , Missouri ranked as

714-534: The highest concentration of wineries in the state. Many sit high on south-facing bluffs above the river. The highway, which runs largely parallel to the Katy Trail , has been nicknamed the Missouri Weinstrasse (wine route). In 1837, school teacher George Bayer , a German from Philadelphia, traveled to Missouri and purchased 11,000 acres (4,500 ha) of land along the Missouri River. When

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748-586: The large influx of 2016. After the war, the city was twinned with Winchester , UK. Giessen is twinned with: Giessen is home to the basketball club Giessen 46ers , five-time champion of the Basketball Bundesliga . Its home games take place at the Sporthalle Gießen-Ost . Also, Giessen has an American football team called Giessen Golden Dragons. The Catholic Scouts of Europe were founded in Giessen in 1975. Manisch

782-524: The name of "Far West". His book American Grape Culture was published in 1859. Also in 1859, Muench's brother George founded Mount Pleasant Winery based upon the principles and advice of Friedrich Muench. In 1836, the German Settlement Society began to look for a place to build a German community insulated from the increasing diversity of nationalities found in many American settlements. They chose to settle in Hermann, Missouri , and

816-642: The neighbouring city Wetzlar to form the new city of Lahn . However, this attempt to reorganize the administration was reversed in 1979. It was part of the Darmstadt region (regierungsbezirk) between 1945 and 1981, until the Giessen (region) was founded on 1 January 1981. A U.S. military base was located in Giessen after the Second World War. The U.S. Army Garrison of Gießen had a population of up to 10,000 American soldiers and their families. Gießen

850-611: The outlawed student revolutions and political movements in Germany prior to, and in the wake of, the French July Revolution of 1832. As there was no immediate hope for success, they established the Giessen Emigration Society, with their publication "A Call for a Large Emigration" with the intentions to establish a "new and free Germany in the great North American Republic" to serve as model for

884-775: The rise of Anti-German sentiment after the start of World War I in 1914, the Federal government banned the German language in Missouri Rhineland schools. The Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917 caused the closure of several Missouri Rhineland German newspapers, such as the Osage County Volksblatt , and the Sedalia Journal. Missouri communities motivated by the war attempted to outlaw German, and campaigned to change street names from "offensive-sounding" German to acceptable American names. Hermann German

918-426: The river. The region overlaps with Little Dixie , an Old Stock American cultural region populated by settlers from Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. Dutzow , the first permanent German settlement in Missouri, was founded in 1832 by an immigrant from Lübeck , the "Baron" Johann Wilhelm von Bock. The area was named by Rhinelanders who noticed its similarities in soil and topography to the Rhineland region of Europe ,

952-708: The state in the early 19th century. Author Gottfried Duden , a German attorney, settled on the north side of the Missouri River along Lake Creek (now Dutzow, Missouri ) in 1824. He was investigating the possibilities of settlement in the area by his countrymen. In 1827 he returned to Germany and in 1829 published Bericht über eine Reise nach den westlichen Staaten Nordamerika's und einen mehrjährigen Aufenthalt am Missouri (in den Jahren 1824, 25, 26 und 1827), in Bezug auf Auswanderung und Ueberbevölkerung, oder: Das Leben im Innern der Vereinigten Staaten und dessen Bedeutung für die häusliche und politische Lage der Europäer ("Report of

986-574: The top wine-producing state ; then slipped to No. 2. In 1920, Missouri had more than 100 wineries. Then came Prohibition , which outlawed the production of most alcoholic beverages. Vineyards were pulled up and used for other purposes or left untended. Winery facilities were converted to serve other purposes or left to decay. Just one winery was allowed to continue operations: Saint Stanislaus Seminary in Florissant , which made sacramental wine . Significant wine-making in Missouri did not resume until

1020-559: The village of Dutzow , founded by Baron von Bock of Mecklenburg , Germany, in March 1834. Led by Friedrich Muench and Paul Follenius of the Giessen Emigration Society , German immigrants arrived in the area in 1834. Resident Friedrich Muench became known for his expertise in the cultivation of grapes and wine making. Muench was a prominent writer and lecturer and wrote a number of books. He frequently wrote under

1054-653: Was also the site of the central US army depot for all of Europe as well as the site of a special ammunition depot. The base is a converted German Army Air Field which is reflected in some of the buildings including the housing area. A theatre, known as the Keller Theatre, is a converted German Army Officers' Club. As of 28 September 2007, the Giessen Depot and all other U.S. facilities in the greater Giessen area were returned to local German authorities. The former U.S. Army buildings were used to house refugees after

Gießener Auswanderungsgesellschaft - Misplaced Pages Continue

1088-515: Was designated by the federal government as the first American Viticultural Area (AVA), and one around Hermann, Missouri , was designated an AVA in 1983. Much of the region of the Missouri Rhineland from Augusta to Jefferson City along the Missouri River is part of the larger Ozark Mountain AVA . A German attorney and author named Gottfried Duden purchased land on the north side of the Missouri River along Lake Creek that he first visited in 1824. He

1122-532: Was first referred to in 1197, which refers to the position of the town between several rivers, lakes and streams. The largest river in Giessen is the Lahn , which divides the town in two parts (west and east), roughly 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of Frankfurt am Main . Giessen is also home to the University of Giessen . In 1969, the town hosted the ninth Hessentag state festival. Giessen came into being as

1156-455: Was investigating the possibilities of settlement in the area by his countrymen. In 1827 he returned to Rhineland , which he felt was overpopulated. There in 1829 he published Bericht über eine Reise nach den westlichen Staaten Nordamerikas ( Journal of a trip to the western states of North America ), extolling the Missouri valley as a better Rhineland. In 1832, members of the small so-called Berlin Society communally purchased land that became

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