Minster and Berlin both have Germanic roots, however outside of that both places are almost complete opposites. Minster is a town with a deep German heritage and has not seen a vast influx of immigration. While on the other hand, Berlin has been a breeding ground for cultures to collide with one another and ultimately live in a cohesive city made up of all different backgrounds and origins. This has caused Minster to practically stay the same while Berlin has vastly changed and immigration is probably the biggest reason for this difference.

The first founders of Minster (originally called Stallowstown) were from Germany. Ever since my town’s first creation the German culture has been extremely thick and realistically is no less thick today. With very few minority races, and even very few other European originated family lineages. Minster is a unique place because families do not really leave and even when they do, usually they will come back eventually. This type of small town and tight knit community feel does not really allow for very many outside opinions and varying views (History of Minster). Resulting from this, not many outside families without roots in Minster decide to move in. This is extremely apparent when you see last names on the very first doctrines found in Minster that are still last names found today around town. Not many other places can claim town loyalty quite like Minster, and that is what makes it so unique.

Berlin on the other hand ever since it began has been a fairly diverse city. While still having a German majority, there have always been many other ethnicities represented in Berlin’s population. In fact, to date there are around 190 countries currently represented in Berlin, truly making it a very ethnic city (Population of Capital Region). This diverse population has lead to Berlin being a city that not only has a very diverse population, but resulting from that population Berlin has been an ever changing city. A large reason as to how Berlin is able to be so diverse is because of the Greater Berlin Act of 1920 in which largely expanded the area of Berlin, allowing for a much larger immigration to enter the city (Berlin in Brief). For instance, once Berlin gave permission in 2014 to enter the country, roughly 114,000 people (a quarter from Syria) has entered the city. Obviously in a town like Minster, it is very hard to get very many people to move there even if you would scale it down to size. Resulting from this fact, this again is another example as to why Berlin has changed much more in culture and ideals than Minster has over the course of its lifetime.

Minster and Berlin are two places that originate from the same culture but differ greatly after that. Minster is a stereotypical small town where the residents are stuck in their ways and pride themselves in deeply rooted heritage. Berlin on the other hand prides themselves in their heritage as well but instead of priding themselves in always staying the same they pride themselves in being an ever changing city. These differences are present because of the amount of immigration that each place has experienced, Minster practically never changing and Berlin has done everything but stay the same. Both places are unique in this aspect and that is not to say that one is better than the other; however, it is just two very different styles of life and both are beautiful in their own way.

“Berlin in Brief.” Berlin.de, 2016, www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/en/history/the-cosmopolitan-city-of-the-weimar-republic/. Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.

“The History of the Village of Minster.” Minster a Great Community, Village of Minster, 2016, www.minsteroh.com/residents/history-minster.

“Population of Capital Region.” Berlin Business Location Center, Business Location Center, 2016, www.businesslocationcenter.de/en/business-location/business-location/economic-data/demographic-data. Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.

Minster and Berlin are towns that have extremely similar cultural backgrounds to one another with both of them being predominately German. However, as these two places have grown they have become vastly unique even given their heritage. This would be expected with the size differentiation between the two; however, not only are their cultures different but so are most of their cultural barriers.

Minster is a small German town who is rooted deeply in a few aspects. Religion (Catholicism) and reputation are what most people in Minster hang their hat on. With almost everyone being a Catholic and white whose families have lived there for many generations, it is easy to see how a town can become so alienated to the outside world (History of Village of Minster). Not being from Minster, I experienced these biases that are formed through such a small tight-nit community such as Minster. It was almost like if you were not from Minster, they knew you were not whether it be the way you dress, the way you talk, or simply just because they know everyone in the town, they knew. For example, I am not a Catholic so I never attended mass on Wednesdays or church on Sundays with my classmates and neighbors. This is not to say my family was shunned from the town, I simply just missed out on a large amount of friendship making through experiences that are so crucial to your social life (German Culture). I guess you could say I did not assimilate completely to their culture like someone whose family has lived there for hundreds of years would, so in a way, I was an outsider living on the inside of a community I was never fully apart of. I never gained a truly great reputation because of this fact and resulting from this I just felt like I was always invited places a little bit less than everyone else. In hindsight though, I do not blame my classmates for this, it is simply what is is taught to them by their family members and their family members before them.

Berlin in regards to size and population makes Minster look like a city block. This obviously would allow for more diversity but also in the same way a richer culture. You would not feel different or left out in Berlin simply because of your religion, skin color, or political views. You would simply feel different because of the culture itself that is Berlin. To outsiders it may seem like Berlin is crude, rude, or even just down right mean, but to Berliners that is home. It is not something that is as easily fixed as just going to a certain church to feel like a part of the community like Minster, but it is something that just takes time to develop. Anyone can be a Berliner, it just takes time to adjust Some could see that negatively, but also you have to respect the culture that has developed through periods of great hardship. There is not another city in the world that has been through so much, is still so strong, but is still very unique compared to everywhere else in the world with excellence in all forms of arts, sciences, history, and their beautiful landscape (Berlin – City of Culture). Even though their culture may be a barrier to outsiders, it is still a beautiful thing that can not quite be copied anywhere else.

Minster and Berlin like I stated before are vastly different in terms of size and population. However, in their blood they are still German and all Germans hold at least one thing in common: camaraderie. I am not speaking of just in the sense of being happy for a sports team that won, but rather in the way that at the end of the day anyone would do whatever it takes to help out a neighbor, friend, or family member (German Culture). It may seem that people from each town are selfish from the outside looking in, but in reality it is just them looking out for their own. Love it or hate it, it is the way they live and nobody will change that, because they both share the trait of being stubborn too.

Works Cited

“Berlin – City of Culture.” Alpha Language Schools, Alpadia Berlin, 2016, www.prolog-berlin.com/en/berlin-art-culture.htm.

“The History of the Village of Minster.” Minster a Great Community, Village of Minster, 2016, www.minsteroh.com/residents/history-minster.

Zimmermann, Kim Ann. “German Culture: Facts, Customs, and Traditions.” Live Science, edited by Alina Bradford, Purch, 23 Jan. 2015, www.livescience.com/44007-german-culture.html.

Minster is a town deeply rooted with German heritage. Originating from the town Munster, Germany, the memories of the ancestors time in Germany are still alive and well today. In fact, not but two generations ago a majority of the town was still fluent in German and in English, a fact that the elderly never will let you forget. Minster has held close to its religion, to its heritage, and especially to its beer, just like Berlin has as well for centuries.

One of the most prominent showings of our town’s German heritage is our yearly Oktoberfest (yes that it spelled right) festival. Oktoberfest is a weekend full of historical German clothing, polka music, food like bratwurst, sauerkraut, pretzels, and of course: lots and lots of beer (“History of Oktoberfest”). Whether or not it is now just used as an excuse to be very publicly intoxicated or not, its original purpose was to celebrate a year with an especially large harvest for Minster (“History of Minster”). Berlin celebrates the Oktoberfest still today too except on a much larger scale and was actually started because of a Royal Wedding in October 1810. Regardless if you are in Minster, Ohio or Berlin, Germany you celebrate Oktoberfest not just because you want to drink alcohol, but because it means something much more to us all of German descent. By celebrating you are keeping the German culture alive today and helping it to flourish in the future. You celebrate to be connected to your ancestors before you, who also gathered every year for the same festival that brought a time of release and good times from the often hectic world all around them. You celebrate to connect the present with the past in little glimpses all around you, and that is a beautiful thing.

Another shared representation of European-Germanic history is the existence of a town seal. A town seal is supposed to capture a prevalent part of that town’s history, basically giving a small nod to the town’s heritage. Both Minster and Berlin have seals that were not just used commonly in the past, but that can be seen in multitude still today. Minster’s seal represents all important parts of its history with the Cross representing our strong Christian faith, the acorn representing strength, the canal boat which brought economic prosperity, and the dual horse heads which was used to ward off evil and upon good fortune (“History of Minster”). Likewise, with Berlin’s seal although the history is less concrete with its origin, the bear has stayed a constant symbol for the city of Berlin (Spirova). Perhaps it was just proposed one day, or perhaps it symbolizes the city of Berlin’s resiliency to ward off people who intend to do harm and to stay firm and loyal to where they live, just like a bear. Regardless of which theory you believe, one thing is for true: both towns stay loyal to their ancestors way of life and not just keep it alive but cherish it on a day-to-day basis to forever keep our history relevant in our lives.

I am not saying either town has had a perfect history; in fact, I am saying exactly the opposite. Whether it be the cholera outbreak of Minster nearly killing the entire town, or the multiple wars and rulers Berlin has endured throughout its existence, the people still prevail. Through any hardship one thing has held true: Germans will always push through. They will pick themselves up, brush off the dust, and go forward on their way just like they were taught to do by their parents and their parents before them. It is the Germanic way of life, that no matter how hard anyone has tried to oppress, will never fade no matter how many years may pass.

Cites:

“The History of Oktoberfest.” Ofest, LCON, 2015, ofest.com/history.html.

“The History of the Village of Minster.” Minster a Great Community, Village of Minster, 2016, www.minsteroh.com/residents/history-minster.

Spirova, Eva. “The Bear-The Symbol of Berlin.” Berlin: A Divided City, Willkommen In Unserem Blog, 6 Mar. 2013, berlindividedcity.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/the-bear-the-symbol-of-berlin/.

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