Kaffee und Geschichte is served! Join us for a lively and enlightening Coffee Talk as Educator and Historian Mike Haas of the DANK Haus German American Cultural Center uncovers the rich and often surprising history of German Chicago.
Discover how German immigrants helped shape the city’s identity through major events like the 1854 Lager Beer Riot, the Civil War, and the infamous 1886 Haymarket Labor Riot. Learn about their lasting influence on Chicago’s music scene, including the founding of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and explore the German influence on Chicago’s architecture—from ornate churches and bustling schools to bridges, hospitals, parks, and even skyscrapers.
Meet some of the entrepreneurial legends of German Chicago, including Ignaz Schwinn (bicycles), Oscar Mayer (sausages), and Emil Brach (candy), and stroll through the historic "Nord Seit" neighborhoods, where most German immigrants settled along Lincoln Avenue aka “Sauerkraut Boulevard” from Old Town to Lincoln Square.
This insightful, fact-filled, and fun presentation is an excellent opportunity to gain an essential understanding of German Chicago from its very origins to the present.
This program is open to the public, but REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED as space is limited and these talks quickly reach capacity.
To reserve your spot, call 847-391-5399 or email us at
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Our monthly Coffee Talk series is supported by sponsorships from Village Bank & Trust and the Kiwanis Club of Des Plaines.
Coffee Talks are free to attend. Please consider a donation of any amount to help us sustain future programming.
About our presenter:
Mike Haas’s German Chicago roots run deep. His grandfathers both served in the German Army during the first World War before immigrating in the 1920s for economic opportunities. His grandmothers came to America for similar reasons around the same time. They all eventually met each other through Chicago’s lively German Social Clubs like the Bayern Verein and the D'Lustigen Holzhacker Buam.
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