Page 5 - GC-Nov-Dec-2025

German Leckerbissen topics

By Daniel Schwarz EU country citizens. The official
ne of the closest words website is https://travel-
to tidbit in German is europe.euripa.eu/etias
OLeckerbissen. Literally • US STEP program – The
Leckerbissen means tasty mor- U.S. Department of State initiated
sels or bits. The following may an update to the Smart Traveler En-
include some tidbits of German rollment Program (STEP) on Sep-
culture, foods/drinks, tradi- tember 16, 2024. This program
tions, folklore, myths, history, helps U.S. citizens traveling or liv-
language, and possibly current ing abroad receive safety and secu-
events. rity alerts, as well as assistance from
• Christmas Pyramid – the nearest U.S. embassy or consul-
This is a German Christmas ate during emergencies. The adviso-
carousel decoration, where the ries include 4 levels of increasing
heat from several burning can- risk, from level 1 to “exercise nor-
dles rises and turns a propeller slow- mal caution”, to level 4 advising
ly at the top. They are very popular “do not travel”. Presently in late
in German homes, being displayed 2025, Germany is at level 2 adviso- A new monumental mausoleum DNA gathered from known rela-
on tabletops. They are called Weih- ry. To enroll in this program use had just been constructed for the tives and determined that none of
nachtspyramide, where Weihnachts (step.state.gov). royalty of the house of Saxe-Wei- these bones nor skulls were of
means Christmas, and ends with mar-Eisenach dynasty, called Wei- Schiller! The remains of what was
pyramid. They are carved from marer Fürstengruft (Ducal Vault). thought to be Schiller’s were re-
wood, and most are multi-tiered and It was agreed that the famous Schil- moved from the casket, and the cas-
decorated with figures such as peo- ler would be entombed here also. It ket remains in place empty to this
ple, animals, musicians, biblical was not until 1883 that the authen- day. Visitors, still come to honor
scenes, Christmas trees, and more. ticity of Schiller’s remains was his memory at the Fürstengruft.
They are typically sold at Christ- questioned, based on the history of When visiting, they can also
mas markets in Germany and are his exhumation. An anatomist honor Schiller’s friend, the famous
very popular Christmas decorations claimed that at least the skull could German writer Johann Wolfgang
for the home during advent. The not be his based on Schiller’s death von Goethe (1749-1832), who had
majority of these are made in the are non-EU countries (Iceland, Nor- mask. The skepticism continued requested to be placed next to his
Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) region way, Switzerland and Lichtenstein). when in 1911 the original grave was idyll and friend Schiller upon his
of Saxony, Germany, which board- • EU Entry/Exit System (EES) dug up again and multiple skulls death. These two giants of German
ers the Czech Republic. The photos – A digital boarder control system • Where is Schiller? – How is were unearthed, where one was Weimar Classicism literature were
shown are examples sold at Kathe that includes US citizens has been it possible that the location of the again picked to be Schiller’s! This good friends and sometimes even
Wohlfahrt of America. initiated on October 12, 2025, for bodily remains of one of the most skull was then added to the Fürsten- collaborated on some works. How-
In many larger German cities non-EU citizens traveling to the 29 famous men of German literature gruft leaving the one already there ever, their works reflected their dis-
such as in Dresden, Hanover, Düs- country Schengen area. The system Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805) in place. Wow, now two skulls! tinct different personalities and
seldorf, and Berlin, they display still allows non-biometric passports is unknown, or at least cannot be As DNA testing became more approaches to life and art. Goethe’s
huge multi meter high Weihnach- (regular passports) for entry, how- verified! We know that he died on prevalent, samples were taken in works gave the German people the
tspyramide during the Christmas ever stamping them is being phased May 9,1805, of tuberculosis, was 2006 of the skulls and bones. They ideal of love, whereas Schiller gave
Market season. Even in the US they out. Also, at self-service entry sys- buried hastily in a common grave, a compared these DNA results from them the ideals of liberty.
can be seen in places with large tems only biometric passports are Kassengewölbe for distinguished
German heritage, such as in Freder- accepted. Traveler’s biometric data citizens of Weimar, Germany in
icksburg, Texas, Ferdinand, Indiana, includes fingerprints, facial images, Jacobs cemetery.
and one that is perhaps the tallest in and passport data, along with their Some 26 years later, the town’s
the US, standing over 40 feet tall is entry and exit dates. There is no cost mayor decided that Schiller needed
in Cullman, Alabama. to register for EES. a more formal shrine and had his
• Schengen Countries border • ETIAS 2026 Update – The remains dug up. However, since this
crossing controls – Based on the European Travel information and was a common grave, several bod-
Schengen agreement of 1985, vari- Authorization System (ETIAS) has ies and over 20 skulls were ex-
ous European countries including had several years of delays in im- humed. Not knowing which one
Germany have officially abolished plementation. The latest proposed was Schiller’s, the mayor, based on
border controls (passport-free travel start is planned for late 2026. This rudimentary phrenology, assumed
between them) at their common system will require applying and that the largest skull and bones must
boarders for EU citizens. Presently obtaining an ETIAS to travel to any have been that of Schiller!
there are 29 countries, of which four of the Schengen countries for non-

November - December 2025 • THE GERMAN CITIZEN • 5