Ya, Das Ist A German Townne
The best way to pull off an authentic German town look is to use Manuscript font for all your signs, call everything a “Haus” and add “nn” to the end of all your words. That is, if you take the town of Leavenworth, WA, as the shining example of doing things rightte.
I had heard quite a bit about this faux German town and I thought it would be an excellent Saturday jaunt in the Subaru.
I was half right. It was a jaunt.
The town is a surreal example of Marketing on Steroids. You could easily tell the townsfolk from the tourists. One side wore plastic smiles and traditional German clothing, the other carried cameras and oohed and aahed at all things kitsch.
All it took for anyone to open a shop in Leavenworth, it seemed, was to have a collection of knick-knacks. The more kitschy, the more successful. There were kitchen plates emblazoned with the German flag and beer mug (with foam) hats. I spied a potholder with the words “A grumpy German is a sour Kraut”. I actually laughed. In my mind.
And just to throw this out there before you go: Did you know that the etymology (big word to mean history) of the word “kitsch” is German?