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LEIPZIG, GERMANY Date Established: April 1992, under Mayor Bob Lanier GEOGRAPHY Location: Germany is in central Europe, bordered by France, Belgium,
Denmark, The Netherlands, Poland, Austria, The Czech Republic, Luxembourg,
and Italy. Leipzig is 215 km (134 miles) southwest of East Berlin, in the
Saxony Province
PEOPLE Ethnicity: Anglo-Saxon
ECONOMY Natural Resources: Lignite coal
HISTORY
FACTS
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT Head of State: President Roman Herzog
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT
An Educational Packet Prepared for the Houston International Protocol Alliance by Kathleen Silva
Germany is located in Western Europe, south of Denmark and east of France. The entire country of Germany is about half the size of the state of Texas. Germans call their country Deutschland (doych-land). Germany is known for its culture, commerce, music and art. There have been many wars that have taken place in Germany. World War I and World War II destroyed many parts of the country. After World War II, the country was split into two parts, and the famous Berlin Wall was built in 1961 to divide the country into East Germany and West Germany. It wasn't until 1990 that the Berlin Wall was torn down and the two sides united and became one nation again. Houston’s sister city, Leipzig, (LIPE-zig) is located in what was formerly East Germany. Leipzig has a very interesting history. It was the crossing place of two of the Roman Empire's most important trading routes, so people were always passing through. Like many of the cities in East Germany, it suffered many years of neglect. Nevertheless, Leipzig has always been considered a very important city, and the people of Leipzig are working very hard to restore Leipzig to the beautiful city that it was before World War II. Leipzig is a center of culture, printing, music and trade for Germany. It is often called "Paris in Miniature" because of the beautiful art, music, and film that are produced there. Leipzig and Houston have been sister cities since 1992. The two cities share many similar characteristics. They are both leaders in trade and business and they both place importance on culture and the arts. As sister cities, Houston and Leipzig have many different programs to help them learn more about each other. Recently, the Leipzig sister city volunteers helped bring a 600 year-old boys choir from Leipzig to Houston. The boys gave musical concerts for the people of Houston.
Music The Heart of Leipzig
Leipzig is the center for culture in Germany, and it is known throughout the world as the center for beautiful music. Leipzig was home to some of the most famous classical music composers – Johan Sebastian Bach and Felix Mendelsson.
Bach made beautiful music, and so can you… Here’s a fun project for you to do with your classmates or at
home. Try making the musical
instrument below and have a good time playing it when you’re done! Pan Pipes Supplies Six Straws Glue Paper, about 1” x 8” Markers or Crayons Color and decorate the piece of paper. Cut the six straws so that they are all different lengths. (None of the lengths should be less than 1".) Now, prearrange the straws from longest to shortest, touching side by side. Put glue on the back of the paper so that the straws will stick to it when dry. The straws must be placed across the paper so that both ends of the straw stick out. One end of the straws should lie even while the other end is at different lengths. Now simply wrap the paper around the center of the straws keeping them flat and let dry. Play this instrument by holding it in your hands and gently blowing air over the straws - not through. Lips need not touch the straws. Did you know...?
Leipzig used to be called “Little Venice” because it had rivers and canals that ran throughout the city. Many years ago, the waterways were filled with cement, but now the people of Leipzig are trying to re-open them.
A Taste of Germany
Did you know...?
A German Treat...Let’s Bake and Eat! Here’s a recipe for a German cookie that we also eat in the United States, especially around Christmas time. Like the Germans, we sometimes bake these in the form of a person or even build elaborate houses out of this cookie! Be sure and get an adult to help you! GINGERBREAD Ingredients 1 stick unsalted butter (softened) 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (peeled and minced) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 tablespoon ground ginger 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 pinch salt Directions Cream the butter, sugar, fresh ginger and vanilla together in a large bowl. In a medium sized bowl, mix the ground ginger, flour, baking soda, and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir. Form the dough into the shape of a thin log. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour or until it’s firm. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take the plastic wrap off the dough and slice the log into 1/4-inch pieces. Bake for 8-10 minutes and let the cookies cool. ENJOY!
The Castles of Germany
Germany has a long history. Many castles were built in Germany, particularly during a time period known as the Middle Ages. Many of the castles are still standing today and thousands of tourists visit them. Other castles are even used as homes or hotels now. Can you imagine living in a home that is over 1,000 years old? Life in the Middle Ages wasn't easy for most people. For example, there wasn't always clean water to drink or food to eat. People worked very hard in the Middle Ages, too. There were also many battles and wars over things like land and money. Because there were so many battles, knights and the wealthy people built castles to protect themselves from enemies. Since a castle had to be secure from attackers, walls were 12 to 24 feet thick. These walls were made of stones on the outside with inner spaces filled with rubble, or smaller stones and pebbles. The windows on a castle were different sizes depending on how high they were from the ground. The lower the window, the smaller it would be so that the enemies could not climb or shoot arrows into the castle. Castles often had towers that were 40 - 60 feet high. An outside courtyard held many stores and workshops. Sometimes a castle had a moat around it. A moat was like a river that went all around the castle. A drawbridge was lowered over the moat so that people could walk across into the castle. Building one castle could take a whole lifetime of hard work! Although castle life was busy, there was also plenty of time for play, too. On days where the weather was bad, the noble and royal families enjoyed games much like our own. For example, they played checkers, chess, and backgammon. Girls played with dolls and danced to the music of flutes while boys played with traps and pretended to be grownup knights.
Folk Tales by the Brothers Grimm Brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, known as the Brothers Grimm, were two German men who lived in the 1700s. They collected folk tales from around the world. Some of the tales they changed slightly to make them more enjoyable for children. Do you know the story of Aladdin? Beauty and the Beast? Cinderella? Hansel and Gretel? Pinocchio? And the Three Little Pigs? These are all folk tales that the Brothers Grimm helped make famous. Turn the page to read a folk tale from the Brothers Grimm. No one knows the true origin of the story, but the Brothers Grimm got it from a man named Friedrich Schultz of Leipzig, Germany in 1790. RAPUNZEL
Rapunzel grew into a beautiful child. When she was twelve years old, the enchantress locked her into a tall tower in the middle of the forest. The tower didn’t have stairs or a door, just a little window at the top. When the enchantress wanted to go in, she yelled from below: “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair.” Rapunzel had beautiful long hair, and when she heard the voice of the enchantress, she unfastened her braid, and let her hair fall twenty feet below to the floor. The enchantress climbed up by it. After a year or two, the King’s son rode through the forest and went by the tower. He heard a song that was so charming that he stood still and listened. This was Rapunzel, who sang when she was alone. The King’s son wanted to climb up to her, and looked for the door of the tower, but none was to be found. He rode home, but the singing had so deeply touched his heart, that every day he went out into the forest and listened to it. Once when he was standing behind a tree, he saw the enchantress come and yell: “ “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair.” Then he saw the enchantress climb up Rapunzel’s hair. The next night, he tried it himself. He went to the tower and said, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair.” Immediately, the hair fell down and the King’s son climbed up.
The enchantress learned of Rapunzel’s new love and got very mad. She grabbed Rapunzel’s beautiful braids, and SNIP, SNIP, she cut them off. Then, she took poor Rapunzel into a desert. That evening, the enchantress fastened the braids of Rapunzel’s hair to the hook of the window, and when the King’s son came and cried, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair”, she let the hair down. The King’s son climbed up the braids, but rather than finding Rapunzel above, he found the enchantress waiting for him. “Aha!” she cried, “You came looking for your love, but she is no longer here. You will never see her again.” The King’s son was beside himself with pain, and in his despair he leapt down from the tower. He survived the fall, but the thorns into which he fell pierced his eyes. He wandered quite blind about the forest, ate nothing but roots and berries, and did nothing but cry over the loss of his dearest wife. He roamed about in misery for some years, and one day came to the desert where Rapunzel was living. He heard a voice, and it seemed so familiar to him that he went towards it, and when he approached, Rapunzel knew him and hugged him with all her might. She began to cry out of happiness and two of her tears wet his eyes, and he could see with them as before. He led her to his kingdom where they lived happily ever after. The END
Bibliography Culturegram 2000 – Germany. Millenium Star Network and Brigham Young University, 2000. Insight Guide – Germany Third Edition. Edited by Tony Halliday, 1999 Langenscheidt Publishers, Inc. Various websites on the World Wide Web, including:
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