{"id":13640,"date":"2021-12-22T13:32:41","date_gmt":"2021-12-22T13:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=13640"},"modified":"2021-12-14T13:33:00","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T13:33:00","slug":"the-german-lebkuchenhaus-gingerbread-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/the-german-lebkuchenhaus-gingerbread-house\/","title":{"rendered":"The German Lebkuchenhaus (Gingerbread House)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guten Tag und Frohe Weihnachten<\/strong> (Merry Christmas)! Over the years we\u2019ve made several posts on German Christmas traditions, of which there are many.<\/a> Today we\u2019re adding one more into the mix and talking about the Lebkuchenhaus<\/strong><\/em> \u2013 gingerbread house<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

\"lebkuchenhaus\"

Photo by Ksenia Yakovleva<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Made from gingerbread and lavishly decorated with coloured icing and a variety of other S\u00fc\u00dfigkeiten<\/strong> (sweets), making and decorating gingerbread houses is a beloved Christmas tradition for many families, not just in Germany and the US, but all over Europe! But what is it that connects this tradition to Germany, specifically?<\/p>\n

Gingerbread is called der Lebkuchen<\/strong> (or der Pfefferkuchen<\/strong>) in German, and is very popular in Germany. If you\u2019ve ever been to M\u00fcnchen<\/strong> (Munich) and seen the displays of Lebkuchenherzen<\/strong> (Lebkuchen hearts) in the markets, you\u2019ll know what I mean! Apparently, the earliest evidence of Lebkuchen<\/strong> baking in Germany was in 1296, so it\u2019s been a staple of German food culture for a long time. At Christmas time, baked goods made out of Lebkuchen<\/strong> are a firm favourite.<\/p>\n

The Lebkuchenhaus<\/strong> (gingerbread house) is said to have come about in Germany in the early 1800s, apparently inspired by H\u00e4nsel und Gretel<\/strong><\/em>, the famous fairytale written by the Brothers Grimm (die Br\u00fcder Grimm<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

\"lebkuchenhaus\"

Photo by Mariah Hewines<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

In this fairytale, a brother and sister (H\u00e4nsel und Gretel<\/strong><\/em>) find themselves lost in a big forest after their stepmother (die Stiefmutter)<\/b>\u00a0abandons them. Hungry and tired, they stumble upon a house made of gingerbread and start to eat it. Unbeknownst to them, the house belonged to a witch (die Hexe)<\/strong> who had designed it specifically to lure children in, so she could fatten them up and eat them. However, Hansel and Gretel outsmart the witch, burn her in her own oven (der Ofen)<\/strong>, and make it back home safely to their father!<\/p>\n

\"lebkuchenhaus\"

Photo by Bellava G<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

The main theory is that, following the publication of this story in 1812, German bakers began making Lebkuchenh\u00e4use<\/strong> (Lebkuchen houses), which made their way into the US via German immigrants. However, others say that the Lebkuchenhaus<\/strong> already existed before H\u00e4nsel und Gretel, and that it simply became more popular once this story grew in fame.<\/p>\n

Here is an 11-minute version of H\u00e4nsel und Gretel you can watch in German:<\/p>\n