Frank Nechvatal
The German Club met on Tuesday, September 22, 2015, in the Horizon Room. Co-Presidents Delores Kline and Larry Schoenborn conducted the meeting with focus on the upcoming season of meetings and activities. The October 24 meeting is slated to be the club’s Oktoberfest celebration. Additional information will be forthcoming from our callers, Marge Beggar and Mary West.
Our Meetings are the fourth Tuesday of the months of September, October, November, January, February, March and April. We are on summer hiatus during the months of May through August. December meetings may differ from the fourth Tuesday as the Christmas Party is scheduled as based on availability. Anyone in Sunbird may join if they are of German descent or their spouse is of German descent. Activities range from potlucks, invited speakers, movies and lectures to visitations outside of our community. Come join us.
Throughout this season the monthly newspaper articles will not only contain club meeting news, but historical tidbits from German history as well.
This month we will touch on the early development of the Germanic areas of what is today Europe. The tribes east of the Rhine River owe their name to Julius Caesar who, after he and his Roman Legions conquered the area of Gaul (France), referred to the area east of Gaul as Germania. The tribes became known as Germani. These Germanic tribes resisted Roman annexation and at the Battle of Teutoburg finally held off the Roman advance. The tribe called the Franks took control of all the West Germanic tribes and formed the Frankish Empire under the leadership of Karl der Grosse or Charlemagne. This empire had a great deal to do with contributing to the fall of the Roman Empire. After the fall of Rome, the Frankish Empire was divided among Charlemagne’s heirs and the eastern part became East Francia (Germany). In 962 Otto I became the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, the Medieval German state. More next month.
Auf wiedersehen!