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As a descendant of German great-great-grandparents, one from Hesse and another from Niedersachsen, when I visit Adelaide from Queensland, I make a pilgrimage with my family to Hahndorf to remind ourselves of our Germanic background! I understand your feedback about the Germanism of Hahndorf, it was unfortunate that German Australians has virtually been assimilated into Australian society though they have left a strong influence in both Queensland and especially South Australia. You might see Schnitzel in almost all pubs in South Australia and occasionally elsewhere in Australia for example. I do make homemade schnitzel with panko crumbs! However, the German language are still being taught in schools especially in Lutheran schools and universities though English is spoken by German Australians. The architecture are different from Europe because of availability of building materials in Australia but German Australians did an amazing adaption of building. Hats off to people who did their best to retain German heritage although it has been adapted a lot just like Chinese dinners were adapted to Australian taste!

Excellent

Hello from a Liebelt descendant - my ancestors came over on Zebra, the ship Captain Hahn commanded. I think the Barossa towns and Klemzig (now an Adelaide suburb) were settled the same time as Hahndorf. I know German was still being spoken by my grandparents generation in the Barossa and the German club still has original German settler descendants that speak German.

Here are some SA bakeries that make beesting.

Very Tourist trappy here

You guys missed the better lunch place option 😢

Unfortunately Hahndorf has because very commercialised during the last 25 or so years. I grew up in the neighbouring town of Verdun, leaving about 1995. There are still alot of people related to the first settlers living there.

wait so you guys are not even German? I am a bit confused

It’s unfortunate that after 2 generations the language is gone and the food has changed to meet local conditions. Considering that any German descendants in Hahndorf are 6th and 7th generation family, if you had assessed the history as well I believe a fairer evaluation could have been made.

The original German settlers were Lutheran and fled Germany because of persecution. There are Lutheran churches everywhere in SA. These settlers and their descendants have enriched SA with their culture and especially wine. Go to the Barossa Valley for wine.

My girlfriend is German Australian and we been to Hahndorf a few times. It's a nice day out with some good food. Yes she takes her mash potato and schnitzels seriously lol

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I love Hahndorf ❤️ its definitely super touristy but still such a cute little town with lovely architecture and a very interesting history and is always a fun day out. Me and my hubby love to get our fix of wurst and sauerkraut when we're there. Its especially pretty during Autumn when all the European trees lining the road have golden/red leaves - which is unusual to see in Australia. I think you gave a fair review. 😊

My grandfather died in a German concentration camp. He got drunk and fell out of his guard tower.

You guys were so polite about your disappointment. Haha. 😂 I am from SA and I agree, it's overrated. Like it's worth a visit, but it's not as good as it's made out to be to tourists. The little cultural clubs that still exist are where you'll find authentic stuff. Thanks for visiting!

Its not GERMAN ANYMORE and its not disability friendly the food used to be great back in the 70s 80s not anymore and i live in ADELAIDE

I live in Adelaide, and went to Hahndorf last year for the first time in years. Nice little town. I am Catholic now, but my grandparents Carl and Freida Strehlow were Lutheran missionaries at Hermannsburg, up in the Northern Territory for over twenty-seven years from 1895 until my grandfathers death in 1922. ( My grandparents returned to Germany in 1910/11 but went back to Australia in 1912,) My grandmother returned to Germany in 1930 to be reunited with her other five children while my father remained in Australia. My father was old when I was born.

I think the point is missed on everyone here. In the 19th century the Prussians settled in South Australia when the Brits didn't exactly want or know what to do with this section of land. The Prussians or Germans whatever you want to call them being hard working people farmed the land and > prospered< Furthermore the city of Adelaide was also named after Queen Adelaide who herself was German. South Australia has a proud history of being a Free State it was not settled by convicts like the rest of Australia it was settled by free men. It's not meant to be an exact replica of Germany. It's literally an Australian town that shouldn't forget the people who founded it, it's not meant to be a copy it's meant to pay homage to the people's roots and history that is the point. The families of this area may not speak fluent German but they have the German last names and the German blood.

Hahndorf in South Australia has developed over many years to accommodate multicultural Australians, much like the evolution of Germany's cuisine to embrace tourism and immigration. Du bist sehr respektlos...

Ottos sell a nice beesting on saturdays.

Please read about the history of Hahndorf to understand why it is the way it is. It was settled by Lutheran Germans who were being persecuted in their own country. They came and settled here; (my husband's great grandparents were some of them) bringing their traditions with them but also over time assimilated with the locals. Their offspring became more australian and so some of the traditions/way of cooking etc became a melange of german and aussie. A lot of the main street is heritage listed; the old buildings you like were built by the german settlers - using local materials so of course couldn't be 100% german. Today it is a tourist town; holding onto the history of the area. There is a genuine german bakery off the tourist strip that does the bread you were looking for, pity you didn't know about that.

I lived in the Barossa during the 1970's, when the people over 70 still spoke 'Barossa Deutsch'. The schools in the Barossa still teach 'proper' High German. Hahndorf is a 'tacky tourist kitsch' town using its origins to attract tourists, without the depth of history of say Birdwood (AKA Blumberg before 1917).

It's full of bogans and bikies!

Dont give a damn for their opinion, love Harndorf ❤

Actually we are predominantly of "Prussian" descent. But it is true, very few genuine food places exist now. "Linke's" meats are gone from the barossa, too.

Someone commented that this town was established by Australians and that’s not true. It was established by Germans escaping persecution in Europe. South Australia is a free state. They went through a lot. Prior to global warming it would snow heavily. As a child we would go there for the snow days. Women had to walk from there down to Burnside village to seek their wares.

Nice but OZ can never be anything but OZZian. How about some real German heritage by visiting the interior of Argentina? I go there for Oktoberfest some years. In some ways it's more enjoyable than Munich.

More like 150 years

I hate to inform you but schnitzel is actually Italian........

My Oma and Opa came to Australia in the 60s and I grew up eating amazing food that she made and all of her friends made. When I went to Germany my Tante made great food but the kids, (gotta do something about your kids Marty) did not do food the same way

My great grandma mother still spoke Barossa Deutsch until she she passed at 91 in the early 70’s born in Cockatoo Valley.

Danke für Ihren Besuch in Hahndorf! Im Laufe des Jahres finden verschiedene Veranstaltungen statt, die deutsche Geschichte feiern. Hahndorf is definitely one of the most beautiful places in SA ❤

Pretty sure during the war all the german sounding towns changed name. Hahndorf became ambleside or something similar. They only changed back once people felt differently after the war amd wanted to claim back their heritage

If you check out the local cemeteries you will see that the inscriptions on tombstones suddenly changed from German to English in 1914. Can't think why.

I've heard the old people at Sedan speak German.

A lot of the older people of Handorf have passed on now, and those who are descended from those first families are not always the ones running the shops. Until recently, you could get a decent bienenstich, pre Otto's bakery changing hands from the original family. You would have loved old Mrs Thiele's general store years ago when she was still alive, as it was a step back in time and not at all designed with the tourist in mind. Gordon Kramm has passed, and he was a well loved local who delivered groceries in his van for decades. I believe Noske's butcher shop is still as authentic as it ever was. Many of the families are still here, just not on show :P If you like fachwerk houses, try a drive through Paechtown, where some of the original houses still survive. I think some of the more authentic German aspects are a little hidden, as they aren't always on show to tourists. However, I've never heard German spoken by any in Hahndorf, although some of us did learn it in school. Glad you enjoyed your stay!

I suppose they need to cater for what most there are eating. When I went to Hahndorf I did come across a couple of people talking German together. Most of my great grandparents when they came out to Australia during the 1840-1880s were German and a couple of them settled near Hahndorf. In another place my family settled in Sth Australia *Wudinna", I know at least one of my older family members still speak German but i don't think their kids (now adults) do. My Grandfather was also capable of speaking German from his family but he died about 10 years or so ago. So yeah not many of the German settler families still speak German.

Hahndorf is a tacky tourist town with nothing worth seeing but stupid tourists and overpriced coffee shops. End of story! Don't bother!

Have you checked out the German club in the Adelaide CBD?

The hot dog thing is by demand from families. Trust me when we take our kids anywhere they demand hotdogs or hot chips and nuggets 😂

Voonderbarten 👍👍

If you want to hear German speakers try Byron Bay! So many German backpackers!

You guys are going in Style, all very impressive🏄‍♀

Oh well you sound really German.Not

My partner and I live in the Adelaide Hills. He is from Germany and he always calls Hahndorf the Chinatown of Germany 🙈 We still go up 1-2 times a year to get his German beer and sauerkraut fix ☺️

Kaffehaus is what Otto’s used to be. BALHANNAH Bakery bought the property and kept the name Otto’s. Mum still makes the yeast buns and one of her daughters makes the other sweets. Otto passed away a couple of years ago 😢 Nobody speaks German anymore. I drove through last week thinking I would miss it when I did but honestly I’m glad I moved. It’s not like it used to be but I’m glad I had some of the good time there, when the locals all knew each other. You went to the worst German Pub. No locals go there. The German Cake Shop closed last week for a reason 😂

I leant German in primary school and in 2017 went to Germany and yet spoke English

Barossa Valley is more authentic.

You don't have to go there.....if you don't like it......leave and don't go back

My mother’s family came from Hahndorf they were some of the first pioneer families in that area. My Mum told me that they weren’t encourage to speak German because of the shame of the second world war. It was frowned upon and their language & heritage was kept hidden because of the Nazi stigma. ☹️