Leavenworth, Washington, was settled as a timber town with a productive sawmill. In the early 20th century, the town opened its first ski resort. Then in the 1960s, as the timber business was declining, they launched a scheme to draw in tourists and they rebuilt the town on a Bavarian theme. Leavenworth now sells beer, lederhosen, and pretzels. There are Bavarian restaurants, a "Krampus Kave," extensive Christmas shops, and a huge Oktoberfest every year. But how authentic is the experience?
Four journalism students from Austria, two of them born in Munich, Germany, spent the summer at the University of Washington in Seattle. Friends recommended that they visit Leavenworth to see how it compares to the real thing. To sum up their first impressions, "Wherever we look, it feels irritatingly familiar and completely strange at the same time." The students were baffled at how Americans associate Christmas ornaments with Bavaria, while they celebrate with Santa Claus and Mariah Carey. Krampus was another puzzler -why would Christians in America object to Krampus? Read what they thought of the food, the architecture, and the American idea of Bavaria in their report on the visit. -via Metafilter
(Image source: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration)
