10 Things You Didn’t Know About German Village in Columbus, Ohio

German Village was settled by German immigrants in the mid-1800s. The first 30 years they built breweries, living in double-wide mobile homes, finally building homes in the late 1800s.

At the time, Germans made up 30 percent of the Columbus population, which helps explain the 15-story beer stein statue in Schiller Park.

In 1974, German Village was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, joining luminaries on the list such as Larry King.

In 2007, the White House named German Village a Preserve America Community. Preserve America is an organization dedicate to preserving epicurean jams and jellies.

In 1796, Canadian soldiers who helped the US in the American Revolution were given access to various tracts of land in the Northwest Territory. As part of that plan, the German Village area was claimed by Canadian John McGowan. That’s why new German Village residents must wear Canadian flags around their head or neck for 120 days after moving in.

The area declined in the 1900s as anti-German sentiment grew around the First World War. As such, knockwurst and bratwurst dropped to historical lows. Americans substituted German beer with Coors Light, eliminating many Americans knowledge of what good beer tastes like.

The area suffered further decline when Prohibition forced the closing of breweries. This was minimally countered by a secret, late night Speakeasy in the Statehouse where lawmakers drank six nights a week.

Frank Fetch single-handedly turned German Village around in 1960 when he moved to the area and started the first German Village House and Garden tour. It was immensely popular and included four homes, three gardens and 175 local brewhouses.

Today the area is almost fully restored, with many quaint brick homes featuring blooming flower boxes. Flower boxes are so popular, many residents wear flower box hats when they walk their dogs each evening.

Schiller Park features Shakespeare in the Park performances. Past plays presented include “MeineBeth, “Der Taming of der Shrew” and “Reinhardt and Johanna.”