Married - in Waldkirch, Grand Duchy of Baden
Lorenz Allgaier and Magdalena Gerspach
To the lower right of Waldkirch you
can see Furtwangen home of the
Ferenbach's Bihlmartinshof
Albert made his 1881 journey across the Atlantic Ocean during the month of May, but Katharina braved
making her 1893 voyage during the month of February.  That was her birthday month, and the previous
February found her working in the home of a French Army officer in the Tunis area of Tunisia, Africa.  Prior
to that she worked for a time in Moscow, Russia.  We have no record of the dates she was there
Triberg near Waldkirch the
highest Falls in Germany
In 1972 Bertha went to Germany with her daughter Bernie to visit her Mother’s hometown in the
Black Forest area of Germany. My mom's cousin Darlene Fessler had been successful in
reestablishing contact with our family’s German relatives still living in the area where our
grandmother was raised, and she asked Frank to visit these long lost family members. Having
done so, and discovering the goodness of these German relatives, Frank and Mary made plans
to have mother visit the places that her mother had told her so much about over the years.  
Katharina so wished that she herself could have returned to Germany for a visit because she
truly missed the family she left behind when she ventured off to America. When Bertha first met
her German relatives, who she knew spoke little English, she was unsure if she would
remember how to speak to them in German.  As she soon discovered, although it was almost
thirty years since her mother died, she not only did not forget how to speak German, she spoke
to them fluently in their local Elz dialect,  That was the dialect of German she learned from her
mother, Katharina, who spoke only in German to her children throughout her life.  In fact,
Katharina never learned more than a few basic words in the English language.  Grandmother
told the story she discovered there was no Santa Claus when she was about 13 years old.  That
year Santa Claus spoke with the dialect of her mother.  It turned out her father had always
dressed up as Santa, but that year was at work and Great Grandmother Ferenbach filled in, and
her dialect gave her away.  Although Bertha herself had not learned how to speak English until
she went to school, she decided not to teach her own children the German language because of
the hostilities  that eventually led to America joining the allied movement against Germany in the
Second World War.
Hurdy Gurdy in Waldkirch
Church in Waldkirch where her mother Katharina prayed as a child and young adult.
The Lorenz Allgaier Family (around 1890 Germany).  First row - Bertha, mother Magdalin Allgaier, Pauline, Rose, Caroline Second row - Katharina, father Lorenz Allgaier, Lawrence JR, Fridolin
Bertha with Evi Lubowski (first cousin once removed) during
her visit to Evi and her husband Herbert in Waldkirch 1972
When she was sixty-four years old, she and daughter Bernadette “Berni” Polizzi flewWhen she was
sixty-four years old, she and daughter Bernadette “Berni” Polizzi flew to Germany to visit the town
where her mother was born and raised. The German people in the Black Forest (Schwartzwald)
town of Waldkirch loved to walk, so her new found German relatives enjoyed taking her on many
walking tours of the area. Of course the first place she wanted to visit was the Catholic Church in
Waldkirch where her dear mother attended mass as a child. Her daughter Berni, and her son
Frank (who was living in Germany at that time) then took her throughout southern Germany and on
into Italy, where she wanted to stop and say a prayer in every cathedral she saw. (She saw a lot of
cathedrals because almost every parish church in Europe looks like a cathedral.) Frank and Berni
were only in their early to mid 30s at the time this European travel took place, but they were unable
to keep up with the walking pace set by their sixty-four years old mother. They discovered why her
son-in-law John “Mick” Maurer referred to her as the “Energizer Bunny.”   

Although the Ferenbach family farm was eight miles from church, Katharina made sure the whole
family got to church every Sunday.  Their only means of transportation was horse and buggy, and
they made the trip in all kinds of weather. Her mother also prayed the Rosary every day, and every
night she sprinkled each child with Holy Water while they lie in bed.
Allgaier
German: variant of Allgäuer, a regional name
for someone from the Allgäu, a district of
southern Bavaria, named with Old High
German alb ‘mountain pasture’ + gouw
‘area’, ‘region’.
Emmendingen (district)
Emmendingen is a district (Kreis) in the west
of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. clockwise)
Ortenaukreis, Schwarzwald-Baar,
Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald and the
district-free city Freiburg. To the west it
borders the French département Bas-Rhin.
The district dates back to the Bezirksamt
Emmendingen, which was created in 1803
when the area became part of Baden.
Freiburg (region)
Freiburg is one of the four
Regierungsbezirke of the south-west of
the country. It covers the Black Forest
(Schwarzwald) hills as well as the Rhine
valley. It's sub-divided into the three
regions (Regionalverband)
Hochrhein-Bodensee,
Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg and Südlicher
Oberrhein.
Waldkirch is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is known as "the
and played on the streets from well known manufactures, like A. Ruth and
Sohn, Bruder and Carl Frei (from Breda, Netherlands). The Mack Company
builds attractions for holiday-parks, like the Europapark in Rust.
There had been two breweries in Waldkirch:
Waldkircher Burgbräu (till 1999) and Waldkircher Hirschen-Bräu.

Buchholz belongs to Waldkirch, it is a part of this small city, that is located
near Freiburg in the Black Forest of Germany. Normaly in this region the
weather is the best and warmest in Germany. That is the reason for the high
quality of the wine that grows here.

Baden is the name of the area.

There is agriculture, vine, fruit and catering in Buchholz. Buchholz itself has
three vineries:
Weingut Hinn,
Weingut Moosmann,
Weingut Nopper

And there is the vine-dressers company: Winzergenossenschaft Buchholz .
Elz Valley (Elztal) is part of Black Forest, a mountain range in
Baden-Württemberg, situated in the South-Western part of Germany,
bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. Elztal's highest peak
elevation is between 240 and 1,200 meters above sea level.
Approximately two thirds of the area is covered by forest; the remaining
area is mostly meadow and pastureland.

Highly visible from anywhere in Elztal is Kandel Mountain. In the early
Middle Ages Kandel was called Channun, a name stemming from the
Indo-German word "scand" meaning visible, sparkling, and then
becoming in Celtic "cantos" (white). As the importance of wood supplies
declined over centuries, so did Kandel as a source of income for local
population. Back in 1923, in times of hyperinflation, local money was
printed with the note "Accept me; I am backed by Kandel wood". Today,
Kandel is a major tourist spot with occasionally too many cars spoiling
the scenery. Throughout the year, sports are popular, skiing in winter,
followed by para-gliding, mountaineering, and mountain biking in the
remaining three seasons of the year.

Besides Kandel, further peaks along Elztal are Hörnleberg with its
pilgrimage church (942 m), Hornkopf (1127 m), Brend (1150 m), and
others such as Rosseck, Ibichkopf, Rohrhardsberg, Braunhörnle,
Tafelbühl, and Gschasikopf.

The Elz, giving the valley its name, is a side-river to the Rhine. Many
small rivers join the Elz on its route, such as Bergbächle, Frischnau,
Biederbach, Yach, Spitzenbach, Erzenbach, Siegelbach, Gutach,
Kohlenbach, Siensbach, Altersbach, Dettenbach, Wegelbach, and
Suggenbach. River Glotter (coming from Glotter valley) joins the Elz in
Riegel.
Waldkirch, the center of Elztal, dates back to
the beginnings of St. Margarethen
Monastery established during 10th century.
Throughout its history, Waldkirch inhabitants
had to adopt their skill base to changing
environments. Whereas agriculture
dominated the beginnings of the city, it was
silver mining during the Middle Ages,
followed textiles and jewelry in the 15th
century, after the silver mining age ended
abruptly on 15. May 1298 in Suggental (now
Waldkirch), when a heavy rain flooded all
mines killing workers and destroying
dwellings; in the historic church of Suggental
it was inscribed "1258, Suckenthal sinking"
(an error made during renovation mistaking a
"9" for a "5"). During the 30 year war, the
church was destroyed but rebuilt in 1661.
Since 1834 organs are being manufactured in Waldkirch; in the
19th century textiles became popular again, followed by printing
businesses. Looking back, Waldkirch lost all its mining and
almost all textile companies (garn-spinner Gütermann in Gutach
is the only one left in Elztal), one gemstone cutter (Wintermantel)
Castle (Kastelburg)

With traditional red-roofed houses lining streets filled with the sound of organ
music, the town of Waldkirch hardly looks like it’s on the leading edge of an
innovative movement now sweeping Europe. While other cities modernize,
homogenize and speed into the information age, the “Cittaslow” movement has
residents embracing old traditions and cottage industries — and slowing down
to chew their food.

No McDonalds and no Starbucks in sight

Don’t expect to see the familiar green Starbucks logo if you happen to pass
through Waldkirch. Craving a Big Mac? You’ll have to keep driving at least 15
minutes outside town to find the nearest McDonald’s. In fact, there are no fast-
food restaurants or any other large-scale franchises in the entire town.

That’s because Waldkirch, a settlement of 20,000 inhabitants in the nation’s
southwest, 17 kilometers north of Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg, is one of
four German cities designated as a Cittaslow, or Slow City.

Not to be confused with lazy or boring, Cittaslow refers instead to the calmer,
more deliberate pace of life enjoyed in these towns. As Waldkirch resident Jan
Dormanns, 20, puts it, a Slow City’s main goal is to “improve [the residents’]
overall quality of life” by resurrecting and prioritizing old traditions and cultural
values.

First coined in 1999 when the movement began in Orvieto, Italy, Cittaslow is
from the Italian for city (citta) and the English word slow. To win certification as a
Slow City, applicants have to convince the Cittaslow organization (www.citaslow.
info) that they meet a long list of criteria based on everything from their town’s
environment and increased use of local products to hospitality and area
politics. Only cities and towns with fewer than 50,000 residents need apply.

Slow food is good food

Dormanns and other residents agree that local farming and agriculture,
handmade crafts and a diverse food culture make Waldkirch worth living in. And
just as there are no global chains here, there’s also no heavy industry: The
settlement is dotted with independently owned businesses, most of them
working in traditional trades. Every June, the town’s marketplace is host to a
popular local food festival.

Among the top industries in Waldkirch: Craftworks such as organ building and
the cutting and polishing of gemstones. “We have only two bookstores in
Waldkirch,” Dormanns points out, “but there are four organ builders’ shops.”

Reliance on local trade and food production are among the fundamentals of the
Cittaslow movement, as are conservation, the celebration of local specialties
and the preservation of cultural diversity. Inspired by the related “Slow Food”
movement — a rebellion against the sprawling fast-food chains that seem to
be taking over much of the modern world — more than 50 European towns and
cities in five countries have been recognized as Slow Cities.

Cittaslow’s origins

Now popular in the United Kingdom and Norway, too, Cittaslow made its first
foray into Germany in 2001, when Hersbruck became the country’s first Slow
City. Waldkirch was next in 2002, and the movement is gaining ground:
Überlingen, and Schwarzenbruck have since won certification.

As you might expect from Cittaslow’s origins in the Slow Food movement, food
culture is central to social life in Waldkirch, Dormanns explains.

“Taking time to socialize, enjoy your food and resist the urge to eat and run is
something very comforting,” he says. “There is no time pressure, and you
always have the chance to eat lunch at home with your family.”

Both traditional and modern

Still, there’s more to life in Waldkirch than jewelry makers, organ repair, slow
dinners and pleasant conversation. Young people find work at local small
businesses and farms, and there are other employment opportunities in or
near the town. “There are apprenticeships and internships in industrial
businesses, as well as with smaller companies, to get young people into the
working world,” Dormanns notes.

Waldkirch also has a complete school system, sports teams and music
groups. Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg, only a short drive away, is one of
the best universities in Germany.

Although this small town may seem completely at odds with today’s world of
new-and-improved technology, fast food and constant multitasking, that doesn’t
mean it’s stuck in a time warp or has no contact with the outside world. Sure,
the Cittaslow movement embraces old traditions, but that doesn’t mean it
necessarily rejects change.

In fact, cutting-edge technology can coexist perfectly with the Slow City way of
life. Advances in farm equipment, for example, can give Waldkirch farmers an
edge over outside growers, while new developments in green energy can help
the city power itself using renewable and recycled resources.

Plans for the future

Dormanns himself plans to study bionics at university after he completes his
Abitur, the final exam marking his graduation from a top-level high school in
July.

First, though, he plans to spend a year in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, to complete
his year of mandatory national service. Growing up in Waldkirch has prepared
him well to appreciate local traditions and cultural diversity, he says, pointing
out that the imperative to “Think globally, act locally” would be a perfect motto for
a Slow City.

How better to practice Cittaslow’s appreciation for community and culture than
by testing his locally acquired skills in a global setting?