Decline of Kleindeutschland

Although the German theater scene subsided considerably after World War I, there was still a small community of German entertainers, artists, and theatergoers in New York City. The Bowery was the de facto home of German-speaking peoples in New York City in the 19th to early 20th centuries. A dramatic turn of events, however, would completely transform the German community. Kathryn Jolowicz, founder of The  Yorkville/Kleindeutschland Historical Society, writes on her website,

“In 1904 the Slocum Disaster claimed the life of 1,021 German men, women, and children who perished in the burning of the excursion ship, the General Slocum, ablaze off the shores of Yorkville on the East River.  So many lives of the German community from the Lower East Side, called then Kleindeutschland, brought the grief stricken German families to Yorkville where they started to build a new, Yorkville/Kleindeutschland.”

All the beer gardens, concert halls, saloons, theaters, and other gathering places that the Germans frequented in the Bowery shifted uptown soon after the Slocum Disaster. Today, there is no record of the once-expansive  German presence in the Bowery.

The Thalia and Atlantic Garden today – via Manhattan Unlocked

Yorkville – The New Kleindeutschland

Yorkville, best known today as the Upper East Side, would become the home of German immigrants and their descendents for the majority of the 20th century. Jolowicz, who was born and raised in Yorkville, mentioned in an interview that

Drindl (left) and lederhosen (right) – via The Ski Week

“Yorkville was like Chinatown or Little Italy. Everyone spoke German here (even in the cafes and dance halls) and I remember that it wasn’t uncommon to see people in lederhosen or dirndls.”

 

 

 

Unfortunately, just like the Bowery, Yorkville has lost nearly all of its German flair. The theaters, beer gardens, saloons and shops that once littered the area are no more.

Hofbrau, a beer hall that once existed in Yorkville – via BierHallCrawl

The Steuben Day Parade

 

Von Steuben Day Paradegoers – via TimeOut

Although a centralized community of German Americans no longer exists in New York City,  German culture is still remembered and celebrated; in fact, New York City hosts the largest German parade of the country. Each September, German-Americans celebrate Von Steuben Day in honor of Baron Friedrich von Steuben, a Prussian volunteer in General Washington’s army. According to NYCData, the parade is the “biggest celebration of German heritage and culture in the world.”