A Taste of Germany in Lincoln Square

Siblings Maurice and Madeleine Apel grew up in Germany in the early 1900s. The Apels lived next door to my family for as long as I could remember and this wonderful pair were very special to us. One of my best childhood memories was of Miss Madeleine's baked breads, delivered fresh to our door on any given day. The aroma of her baked goods was heavenly and the taste was even better. Mr. and Ms. Apel have been deceased for a long time now, but stories of their homeland have always stayed with me. It wasn't until my son was given the assignment of completing a research report about German culture that memories of the Apels began to surface.   

While my son could have researched information on Google or Wikipedia, I didn't think a simple web search would do the project justice. Therefore, I decided to take my son on a day trip to German Village in Lincoln Square. 

Our first stop was the Dank Haus German Cultural Center located at 4740 N. Western.   Since we happen to visit early in the week and there were very few visitors, the curator was kind enough to give us a personal tour of the museum.  Every part of the museum is filled with German-American history, traditions and artifacts, which spoke to the German immigrant experience. We also learned about the German settlement in Chicago and the influx of German refugees after World War II.  The curator also shared information about the contributions of notable German Americans, including Frederick Sulzer, Carl Schurz, John Peter Altgeld, August Spies, Leonard Wells Volk and Oscar Mayer, to name a few.

In addition to the historical aspects of the museum, there are also five ballrooms which are great for hosting private events. The Dank Haus offers classes to learn German, you can listen to orchestral performances and visitors can also take a cooking class. For a nominal fee, you can learn how to make authentic German dishes with a very hands-on chef, complete with dinner and a wine or beer pairing.  Although the menu rotates, you will typically learn how to make some type of sausage or pate like weinerschnitzel, brunschweiger and a few side dishes.

After our tour, we were pretty hungry and decided to head to the Chicago Brau Haus located at 4732 N. Lincoln Avenue.  While I do not claim to be an expert of German cuisine, the food was pretty good.  My son and I ordered the chicken weinerschnitzels, potato pancakes and cabbage.  As a special treat, the server allowed me to sample several beer selections, including Stiegl, Bitburger and Hofbra.  Although I'm not a big ale fan, the samples were great...full-bodied, slightly bitter with fruity notes.   

After dining, we stayed a while longer to listen to the Brau Haus' polka entertainment.  The music and band members were very entertaining.  We also had an opportunity to meet the owner, Harry Kempf (pictured above, center), who took time out of his busy schedule to share his German-American experiences.

The highlight of our trip was something quite unexpected.  The Dank Haus' curator told us there was a remnant of the Berlin Wall permanently displayed in the nearby Brown Line CTA 'L' Station.  We left the Brau Haus and headed to the Western Street Station, between Eastwood & Leland Avenues. When you walk into the station, the first thing you notice is a portion of the Berlin wall and a dedication plaque.  On January 19, 2008, over 120 local residents and members of the German American community joined Chicago officials in celebrating the installation of a portion of the wall.  To be able to see and touch a moment in history was truly something memorable.

We could have spent another full day in the area just to visit all of the shops and eateries, but we decided we had enough information for the research project.  If you're ever in the Lincoln Square area, I encourage you to visit German Village and experience this historical community for yourself.  

Other Details: Free Admission to Dank Haus, Live Entertainment at Chicago Brau Haus, Free & Metered Street Parking, Public Transportation via CTA 'L' Brown Line

VISIT DANK HAUS, CHIAGO BRAU HAUS, CTA 'L' STOP/BERLIN WALL PORTION