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New
Braunfels (pronounced - nu
brownfells) is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of
Texas that is a principal city of the San Antonio - New Braunfels
metropolitan area. Braunfels means "brown rock" in German;
the city is named for Braunfels, in Germany. The city's population was
36,494 as of the 2000 census, and estimated at 51,804 in 2007. It is the
seat of Comal County.
New Braunfels
has a sizeable German Texan community. During the 19th century, its name
was often spelled Neu-Braunfels, even by English speakers. The town holds a
German-style festival, Wurstfest ("sausage festival"), every November to
celebrate the city's German heritage. The newspaper Herald Zeitung was originally two newspapers: The Herald (published in English) and The Zeitung (published in German) until
1967.
New Braunfels draws a
fair amount of tourists from across the state, particularly because of the
cold-spring rivers that run through the city. Many generations of families
still return during the summer to tube down the Guadalupe River and Comal
River. New Braunfels is the site of a water park, Schlitterbahn Water Park
Resort. The Comal River is one of the shortest in the world at just 3.2
miles (5.2 km) long, before emptying into the Guadalupe River. The
headwaters of the Comal are located in present day Landa Park, where
hundreds of artesian springs flow from the Edwards Aquifer. The upper
reaches are surrounded by park and private residences, while the lower
portions are open for recreation.
New Braunfels was established in 1845 by the German Prince, Carl of Solms-Braunfels, Commissioner General of the "Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas", also known as the "Noblemen's Society" (in German: Mainzer Adelsverein). Prince Carl named the city for Braunfels, his hometown in Germany. The Adelsverein
organized hundreds of people in Germany to settle in Texas. Immigrants
from Germany began arriving at Galveston in July, 1844. Most then traveled
by ship to Indianola in December, 1844 and began the overland journey to
the Fisher-Miller land grants purchased by Prince Carl. At the urging of
Col. Jack Hays, who realized the settlers would not have time to build
homes and plant crops further inland before winter, and as the German
settlers were traveling inland along the Guadalupe River, they stopped
near the Comal springs. Prince Carl bought two leagues of land from the
Rafael Garza and Maria Antonio Veramendi Garza for
$1,111.00.
The land, known as
"Las Fontanas", was located northeast of San Antonio on the Camino Real
and had strong freshwater springs. It was also approximately halfway
between Indianola and the lower portions of the Fisher-Miller land grant.
The first settlers forded the Guadalupe River on Good Friday, March 21,
1845, near the present day Faust Street bridge. As the Spring of 1845
progressed, the settlers built "Zinkenburg", a fort, divided land, and
began building homes and planting crops. Prince Solms would also lay the
cornerstone for the Sophienburg, a permanent fort and center for the
immigrant association. Soon after founding the city, Prince Carl returned
to Germany, leaving John O. Meusebach to manage the
settlement.
In December 1845, Texas became a state in the United States of America, eliminating any ambitions the German aristocracy may have had to establish a German principality within the politically and militarily weak Republic of Texas, and undermining the United States. A second wave of German immigrants began arriving in 1846, even as the sponsoring Adelsverein teetered on bankruptcy. As hundreds of German immigrants continued arriving at the Texas coast in 1846, three disasters hit the German immigrants. The Mexican-Americal War broke out between the United States and Mexico, and oxcart teamsters who were contracted to carry the Germans and their belongings inland were diverted to the war effort along the south Texas coast. Additionally, heavy rains flooded creeks and rivers, rendering passage inland difficult. Finally, cholera broke out among the immigrants, and several hundred people died in the outbreak. Meusebach stabilized
the community's finances, and encouraged the settlers to establish
additional neighboring communities. The largest of these secondary
settlements was Fredericksburg, 80 miles to the northwest of New
Braunfels.
New Braunfels thrived, and by 1850, it was the fourth largest city in Texas, with 1,723 people, following only Galveston, San Antonio, and Houston in population. In 1852, the Zeitung newspaper was established, edited by German Texan botanist Ferdinand Lindheimer. The newspaper continues to publish under its current name, the Herald-Zeitung. New Braunfels Texas Geography New Braunfels is
located at (29.701724, -98.123559). This is 30 miles (48 km)
northeast of San Antonio and 45 miles (72 km) southwest of
Austin.
The city is situated
along theBalcones Fault, where the Texas Hill Country meets rolling
prairie land. Along the fault in the city, a string of artesian springs
known as Comal Springs give rise to the Comal River, which is known as one
of the shortest rivers in the world, as it winds three miles through the
city before meeting the Guadalupe River.
Gruene Texas and Gruene Historic District Gruene, Texas or the
Gruene Historical District, is located within the city limits of New
Braunfels. Founded by the sons of settlers Ernst and Antoinette Gruene, it
had a bank, post office, school, general store, lumberyard, gristmill,
dance hall, and cotton gin. It also had access to two railways for
shipping cotton bales, a real coup in those times. Its most famous
attribute was the dance hall, a family activity in those days. Due to the
failure of the cotton crop from Boll Weevils, and the failure of the banks
after 1929, commercial activity slowed to a crawl. This village is now a
Nationally Registered Historic District where you can dine in the ruins of
the original Gristmill or enjoy live music at Gruene Hall. The community
may also be researched through the Sophienburg Museum and
Archives. |
Texas Kuebler Waldrip Haus Bed and
Breakfast
1620 Hueco Springs Loop, New
Braunfels, TX 78132
Call
for RESERVATIONS (830)625-8300 or 800-299-8372
A friendly innkeeper is always around the phone
from 9 am to 9 pm.
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