Fredericksburg, Texas

Today we headed north about 40 miles into the heart of the Texas Hill Country and the town of Fredericksburg (named after Prince Frederick of Prussia).  Fredericksburg, as well as other communities in the area, was established by German immigrants in the mid-1840s.  The German influence is very prominent all over town; all over the Hill Country for that matter.

Old St Mary's Church

We decided to do the Volkswalk on this visit.  The walk box was located at the Quality Inn.  The AVA Club in this community has several walks here.  We chose the Pilgrimage Walk through the historic downtown district.  The walk began at the Quality Inn which was a good place to leave the truck, however, the City Visitor Center downtown had a large free parking lot which would have been just fine.  They also have a walking tour which included all the same sites that were on the Volkswalk.

Old County Jail

One of the most interesting things along the tour were the “Sunday Houses”.  These were small, one-room houses built by German farmers for use when they brought their goods to market in town.  The journey to market from their homes and then back again was too far to be done in one day.  These dwellings typically consisted of one room plus a loft which was accessed by a ladder or stairs from the outside and a lean-to kitchen.  The farmers made their trip into town on Saturday, did their trading, went to church on Sunday morning and then returned home in the afternoon.  There are three or four remaining—one in the pioneer museum complex and the others privately owned.

A Sunday House

Another Sunday House

In the Marktplatz is the Vereins Kirche (translated “community church”), an 8-sided structure which is the centerpiece of this small park.  This Vereins Kirche is a reproduction of the original which was the first public building in the settlement and stood near the center of town.  It was a multipurpose building serving as a school, a church, a town hall, and a fort to protect the townspeople from the Indians.  Also located in the park was a tall pole with various characters depicting community life.  I don’t know what the purpose of this poll is (or was).  I’m wondering if it might be a May pole.

Vereins Kirche

It had been recommended to us to go inside St. Mary’s Catholic Church.  We went in both the old (built in 1863) and the new (built in 1908) buildings.  The new St. Mary’s is a “painted church” and is beautiful inside.  The sanctuary was far to large and too dark for my little flash to do it justice.  In the picture I took you can’t even see the fabulous detailed stenciling.

Main Street is lined on either side by boutiques, antiques, and restaurants.

To round out our German experience for today, we had a late lunch at Der Lindenbaum Restaurant.  Two restaurants had been recommended to us, however, the lady at the Visitor Center (who was obviously German herself) said Lindenbaum had the most authentic German food.  Truly, it was very good.

 A May pole, maybe?

We didn’t spend as much time in Fredericksburg as we would have liked, so I expect there will be a return trip before we leave the area.

The 6-mile walk, a healthy dose of history, a great lunch of bratwurst, German potato salad and sauerkraut, all made for a couple tired travelers this afternoon.  Translated that means:  sandwiches for supper and don’t ask me to get off the couch.