During January, we have been parked about 15 miles from the small, fascinating German town of Fredericksburg. How German is it? Well, it was founded in 1846 by Baron Otfried Hans von Meusebach, new Commissioner General of the “Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas.” It was named after King Frederick of Prussia. Some people it town still speak German. We are told that people actually come from Germany to celebrate Oktoberfest here.
While “Freddy” is not the biggest town in the area, it is one of the more prosperous, as the primary town in the largest winegrowing area in the US outside of California. They also grow peaches, olives, and pecans, all great tourist attractions. This has allowed the town to preserve and proudly display its heritage.
So, I took my trusty Nikon to capture just a little bit of the architectural charm of this delightful city.
This beautiful house epitomizes the core of the architecture of the town. Two story limestone structure, second story deck, beautiful railings. These developed from the original, more simple houses which are still here. Downtown structures often add false fronts to the same formula. Marktplatz (town square) is beautifully landscaped block with interesting 6-sided building in the center. The original bank is now a book and cowboy hat store. Isn’t this gorgeous? Railing may be gorgeous woodwork... Or sometimes wrought iron. How’s this for German “engineering?” A wagon wheel turned into a 3 seat rocking chair. Cool! This picture embodies the whole downtown in 1 shot. Two story limestone German restaurant, with fancy gingerbread-style railings and decoration, and decorative fish scale roofing, proudly waving a German flag. And here is the flagship of downtown. This is the Nimitz Hotel, originally owned by Admiral Nimitz’ grandfather, restored with its original steamboat-shaped superstructure. It is now part of a world-class museum. But that is another story…