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Tag Archives: history

The Curiosity of the German Word “Weg” Posted by on May 4, 2017

Wegisweg. That is the Dutch word for Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley. Weg means “lane”, but also “away”. They sound exactly identical, though. The same word, weg, means the same both things in German. But they are pronounced differently. Why? This is what weg sounds like: This is what der Weg sounds like: Ok, I already hear you say: But Sten, there is a…

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Did America Almost Speak German? Posted by on Apr 29, 2017

You have probably heard of that one Gerücht (rumor): The United States once had a vote that would have decided what the official language of the country was going to be. And only one vote decided whether that was going to be English – or German! The deciding vote was cast by Frederick Muhlenberg. This legend is…

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Check out this delicious German treat! Posted by on Mar 28, 2017

I bet you have not heard of this German treat! It is delicious, sweet shortbread filled with marzipan, but it was not always like that… So, before 1876, the Leipziger Lerche was a popular specialty enjoyed all over the world – from Spanien (Spain) to Russland (Russia). It was a Lerche (lark), which was filled with all kinds of Gewürze (spices) and Kräuter (herbs). These were roasted…

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The History of the German Shepherd Posted by on Mar 7, 2017

You can guess from the name, the German Shepherd originates from Germany. After getting lots of positive feedback from my last post about the history of the Dachshund (which you can find here), I’m keeping the theme of German dogs and will be writing about how and why the German Shepherd came about. The German…

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German Culture In The USA Posted by on Feb 22, 2017

Guten Tag! When you think about countries relating to the German language and culture, the first (perhaps only) countries that come to mind are Germany and Austria. But there are, in fact, many countries around the world that have German as a second or minority language, with towns & cities that have German roots. Today…

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The History of the Dachshund Posted by on Feb 21, 2017

Perhaps you have heard it before, that Dachshunde (also known as “sausage dogs” in English) are the typical dog to own in Munich, but why? Here ‘s a little bit of history about the cute, stumpy legged dogs. The breed originated from Germany and literally translates to “badger dog” (Dachs = badger, Hund = dog)…

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The German Expression ‘Bock Haben’ Posted by on Jan 4, 2017

Hallo! Gutes neues Jahr! 🙂 Today I’d like to bring you a curious German expression known as ‘Bock haben’, and show you how to use it. This phrase is quite commonly used in Germany nowadays, so you’re likely to come across it at some point!   Bock (auf etwas) haben This phrase is a more…

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