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Chicago

Everywhere you Look Chicago © Goethe-Institut

Everywhere you look in Chicago you will find something German. From the numerous restaurants, classic buildings, and institutions that support furthering the German language and culture in the community, you are sure to find something that will keep you connected to Germany in one way or another.

    Crown Hall

    Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed this building at the Illinois Institute of Technology. It was completed in 1956 and clearly reflects his architectural philosophy.More ...

    Merz Apothecary

    In 1875, Peter Merz, a Chicago pharmacist of Swiss descent, opened the Apothecary on the city's north side. It was not much different from the other corner drugstores which existed in every American neighborhood and town at the time.More ...

    Schönhofen Brauerei

    The first buildings of the Schoenhofen Brewery complex were completed at the intersection of Canalport and 18th Street in 1862. The company was started by two German immigrants, Peter Schoenhofen and Mathaus Gottfried.More ...

    Historic Overview: Germans in Chicago

    Germans came to the United States in the mid 1800s for a variety of reasons. Many sought religious freedom, but most were looking for political, social and economic opportunities. More ...

    Architecture, Monuments

    860 - 880 North Lake Shore Drive

    Located at 860 and 880 North Lake Shore are two apartment buildings designed by the famous German Architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.More ...

    Crown Hall

    Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed this building at the Illinois Institute of Technology. It was completed in 1956 and clearly reflects his architectural philosophy.More ...

    Dewes Mansions

    Located on West Wrightwood Avenue on Chicago’s North Side are two neighboring mansions once belonging to the brothers August and Francis Dewes.More ...
    Picture of the Germania Club

    Germania Club

    The Germania Club is located on Clark Street in Chicago’s Near North neighborhood. The architecture firm Addison and Fiedler designed the limestone and terra cotta structure; it was completed in 1889.More ...
    Inside of the Thompson Center

    James R Thompson Center

    The James R. Thompson Center opened in 1985. The building, comprised of steel and glass, was designed by the German architect Helmut Jahn.More ...
    Picture of Joe & Rika Mansueto Library

    Joe & Rika Mansueto Library

    The German architect Helmut Jahn designed the new library at the University of Chicago. The building has two main levels.More ...

    Museum of Contemporary Art

    The Museum of Contemporary Art chose Josef Paul Kleihues as the architect for its new home in 1991. In 1996, construction of the German architect’s new building was complete and the Museum moved in.More ...

    Schönhofen Brauerei

    The first buildings of the Schoenhofen Brewery complex were completed at the intersection of Canalport and 18th Street in 1862. The company was started by two German immigrants, Peter Schoenhofen and Mathaus Gottfried.More ...

    Wingert House

    John Wingert built this farmhouse in 1854. Like many others, he had immigrated to the United States from Germany in search of religious freedom.More ...

    Statues

    Throughout Chicago one can find a number of monuments dedicated to well-known Germans. These individuals are honored for their important contributions to science, literature and philosophy.More ...

    The Maypole

    Chicago's first maypole was erected in July, 1999 as a gift from the German Day Association, the Hofbräu Brewery of Munich, the Glunz Brewery family and the Himmel family.More ...

    Kempf Plaza

    Giddings Plaza on Lincoln Square was officially renamed Harry and Guenter Kempf Plaza on September 10, 1999.More ...
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    Institutions

    Sulzer Regional Library

    Lincoln Square's neighborhood library was once located in the same art deco building that the Old Town School of Folk Music now occupies.More ...

    Steiner Branch

    The Anthroposophical Society in America is the national branch organization of the General Anthroposophical Society, founded by Rudolf Steiner in 1923 as "an association of people who would foster the life of the soul, both in the individual and in human society, on the basis of a true knowledge of the spiritual world."More ...

    D.A.N.K. Haus

    The German American National Congress, also known as D.A.N.K. (Deutsch-Amerikanischer National-Kongress), is the largest organization of Americans of German descent. It has some 30 chapters and over 100 associated member societies from coast to coast.More ...
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    Food, Shopping

    Salamander Shoes

    Salamander is perhaps the one German shoe retailer with the longest tradition. Apart from the Salamander name brand, the Chicago store carries other European-made shoes, with an extended line of German products.More ...

    Merz Apothecary

    In 1875, Peter Merz, a Chicago pharmacist of Swiss descent, opened the Apothecary on the city's north side. It was not much different from the other corner drugstores which existed in every American neighborhood and town at the time.More ...

    Huettenbar

    The Huettenbar is a great spot to relax and watch the traffic on Lincoln Square.More ...

    Carola's Hansa Clipper

    The Hansa Clipper, an earthy German bar, caters to your every need when it comes to European beer.More ...

    Chicago Brauhaus

    Treffpunkt was the name of the first restaurant run by Harry and Guenter Kempf; it opened in 1967 but burned to the ground in 1984 after a fire broke out in the shoe store next door. And yet, this did not break the Kempf brothers' entrepreneurial spirit.More ...

    Café Selmarie

    Café Selmarie is located on a corner of Lincoln Square. The bakery offers a variety of European-style cakes and pastries.More ...

    List of Restaurants

    You can find German and Austrian specialties in the following restaurants and shops:More ...
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    History

    A Touch of Europe - Welcome to Lincoln Square

    In a city where the neighborhoods seem to change overnight, Lincoln Square is a bit of an anomaly. Populated mostly by farmers from Germany and Luxembourg in the mid-1800s, this North Side neighborhood has managed to retain much of its distinctly European character.More ...

    Lincoln Avenue

    Lincoln Avenue once was an Indian trail leading to Green Bay and the Fox River ports. Little Fort Road, as the street was called in the mid-1900s, was the main road of Lakeview Village.More ...

    Historic Overview: Germans in Chicago

    Germans came to the United States in the mid 1800s for a variety of reasons. Many sought religious freedom, but most were looking for political, social and economic opportunities. More ...

    The Chicago Lager Beer Riots

    In the mid-1800's, the Know-Nothings, an ultra-conservative "Americans only" group, managed to ride a surge of ethnic bias to power. So it was that their candidate, Dr. Levi Boone, came to the Mayor's seat.More ...
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    Environment

    Green Germany, Green Chicago

    Germany has been at the forefront in matters of energy, climate and environmental conservation for many years. German knowledge and experience are in high demand around the world. More ...