Ok, maybe I'm being a little unfair to just characterize Germantown as a hotbed of hipsters, though it is a
fair point. Germantown is closely identified with the smaller neighborhoods of Schnitzelburg and Paristown, which underscores how this area was populated with immigrants moving to Louisville in the 1800s. These days, despite the hipster stereotype, Germantown has residents of all walks, of life, including many people who have lived in the neighborhood for decades. They love their neighborhood and are tolerant of the crowd that comes to their
Oktoberfest every fall to try on some German heritage by drinking out of a beer stein and participating in feats such as the bratwurst throw and yodeling contest.
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| Historical marker for Schnitzelburg, on the corner of Goss and Hoertz. |
Germantown, like many places where immigrants settled, was not an ideal plot of land. It was actually malaria-infested marshland originally called "Frogtown", thanks to the Beargrass Creek. No one else wanted the land, so early German immigrants ended up settling on it. The
Encyclopedia of Louisville states that the people who settled there were so cutoff from the rest of the city that they lived off their own home gardens and dairy cows, and built bread ovens in their backyards. Once the area was finally drained, many residents took their expertise in dairy farming to dominate the dairy market in Louisville. Remember that every time you eat an
Ehrler's ice cream cone at the fair or a U of L game. Ehrlers? Yep- German speaking Swiss immigrants!
There were so many Germans in the Louisville area by the1850s that 35 percent of the population spoke German. And many of these immigrant families successfully taught their American-born children German at home and at their schools in Louisville- both at the Catholic schools and at the public schools in the city. The community also published around THIRTY German language newspapers that attest to the community's ability to hold on to their language even into the Twentieth century. That is, up until World War 2, when being German became a social liability.
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| St. Therese Catholic Church, rising up behind Germantown shotgun houses |
These days, Germantown is know for some of Louisville's most popular bars and restaurants along on the quaint, unassuming Goss Avenue.
Eiderdown, a German-American restaurant that hearkens back to the neighborhood's roots, is a favorite. As are
Sarino and
The Post, which bring some Italian- American flavor. And you can wash it all down afterwards with a drink at
Four Pegs Beer Lounge. While you are there enjoy the neighborhood's iconic shotgun and camelback houses and note how many of the street names reflect the German roots of this little slice of Louisville.
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| Iconic shotgun houses in Germantown |
The Germantown Oktoberfest is happening September 28th from 5 to 11 PM, so gram some friends and head on down! Don't forget your beer stein and lederhosen!
(Sources for this post are from
Germans in Louisville by C. Rober Ullrich and Victoria A. Ullrich and T
he Encyclopedia of Louisville by John E. Kleber)
