A visit to the Sophienburg Museum and Archives offers locals and visitors a unique glimpse into early German immigrant life in Texas.
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Story by Jenny Jurica
New Braunfels is one of those storied, significant Texas communities that is managing to gracefully balance growth with history. One essential fixture in the town’s efforts to honor its heritage is the Sophienburg Museum and Archives.
An Immigration Story
If you’re not looking for it, you might drive right past the Sophienburg.
Sheltered in the middle of a historic neighborhood and shaded by centuries-old trees, the museum is a repository of Central Texas history. Inside, the museum manages to take the story of the German immigrants who first settled the town and weave within it a narrative of survival and determination that leaves visitors yearning to not only learn more about the area, but often to delve deeper into their own ancestry.
“Right now, immigration is such an important topic in our world, and it’s important that people know how immigration shaped this area 175 years ago, said Tara Kohlenburg, the museum’s executive director.
Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels Germany arrived in central Texas and settled the land, on the edge of Indian territory, now known as New Braunfels on March 21, 1845. There he, along with other forward-thinking German settlers, set out to build a fortress on a hill and planned to call it, “Fort Sophie,” after his beloved, whom he left in Germany. This parcel of land is now the site of the aptly-named Sophienburg Museum and Archives.
“The people who came here from Germany were important and the settlers literally plopped down in the middle of nowhere and created a town from the ground up,” said Kohlenberg. “Education was of utmost importance and schools started educating immigrant children within a few months of the settlers’ arrival.”
The museum’s exhibits illustrate what early life in New Braunfels might have looked like, complete with the work of local craftsmen, churches, and saloons.
“Saloons were an important fixture in early New Braunfels,” noted Kohlenberg, “and there has been a recent resurgence of saloons in our modern downtown that harken back to early New Braunfels!”
Although not widely known to the general public, the museum is rich in details and historic artifacts and objects while remaining accessible and engaging for people of all ages. Together with several other area museums, it provides visitors with a deeper understanding of Hill Country life and culture.
The Archives
If you’re a genealogy buff with ties to New Braunfels or just curious to know more about the town’s early days , the on-site archives at the Sophienburg are a treasure-trove of fascinating facts, documents, and photographs. There are over a million images accessible on-site, in fact. People come from all over the world to dig through the archival material, in search of answers or closure to human stories that began and ended hundreds of years ago.
Explore the Store
During your visit, be sure to stop by the museum gift shop. The well-curated shop features New Braunfels-specific merchandise. It will also be the exclusive retailer for a coffee table book that is being published to celebrate the town’s 175th birthday in 2020.
The Sophienburg Museum gift shop is also represented at Wurstfest every year, where authentic German imports are the stars of the show. Then, the weekend before Thanksgiving, the Sophienburg hosts its annual Weihnachtsmarkt (pronounced Vy-noks-markt and translates to “Christmas market” in German ). This incredibly popular shopping event is the largest fundraiser for the museum and draws crowds from all over the state. The perfect excuse for a girls’ shopping trip or just to get a kick start on your own shopping and holiday spirit, Weihnachtsmarkt features local stores and craftsmen, offering unique decorations, gift items, and even clothing to help you get all set for the upcoming season.
Celebrating 175 Years
Over the next year, the Sophienburg and New Braunfels will morph into full-blown celebration-mode, as the town celebrates the 175th anniversary of its founding.
“The entire museum will be a celebration of the anniversary and there are tons of events, galas and festivities planned all over town to mark the occasion. It will be a fun, as well as reverent time to be in New Braunfels,” said Kohlenberg.
The Sophienburg Museum and Archives is open Tuesday through Saturday , from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. To learn more, visit their website or visit in person at 401 W. Coll Street in New Braunfels [Google Map It!].
Jenny Jurica (Instagram) is a freelance writer and columnist who lives in the Texas Hill Country with her family (some of them have two legs, some have four).
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