Omaha daily bee., 1892-02-29
WILL REVIVE FATHERLAND
Reproduction of Medieval German Burg
and Villages at the Worlds Fair.
WORK IN CHARGE OF AN OMAHA MAN
What German Com missioner wcrmuth Has
In Uand-Dr. Jahn's Ethnographlc
Museum-Thc Teuton ms He Lived
and Worked Centuries Ago,

ana WOrkcu centuries Ago
Mr. G. B. Schmidt, who represents the
Lombard Investment company in Germany,
has just returned from a years sojourn in
that country and Is now in Omaha, the guest
of his son-in-law, George b. TzschucR of
The BEE.
Mr. Schmidt is boiling over with Worlds
fair information aud grows especially elo-
quent and entertaining in his descriptions OF
one striking feature of the German exhibit
OF which he has charge, as the representative
OF two great German banking itutions.
Mr.. Schmidt has been talking with q BEE
man over his pot and, for the time, only sub
iect ana from his conversation the following
interesting information was cullod
A feature of the recent London exposition,
which attracted so much public attention
and interest, was an photographic museum
under the direction of an eminent Berlin
scientist, DR.. Jain. Encouraged by his
| success in London, Immediately after the
close of the exposition DR.. Jahn sailed for
America to arrange for reproduction Of the
museum at the Columbian exposition. The
voyage was made in company with German
Commissioner Nermuth, who has charge of
the entire German display at the fair. This
| gentleman is an indefatigable worker, a gov
ernment officer, and experienced in this kin d
of work, having had charge of n similar dis
| play at Melbourne, Australia. Commissioner
Wermuth is doing magnificent work for the
| fair IN Germany. He is travelling all
| the time and has worked up re-
markable interest among all classes
| of the empire. Through his efforts the Ger
| man emperor has been made an ally and mas
| used his influence to induce such great insti-
tutions as Krupp's WORKS and Stumm, the
great iron master, to make exhibits.
With the cooperation OF the commissioner
| 1T was not long till the enterprise of DIR.
| jain outgrew his plans and his financial
| capacity for handling it. From an ethno-
| graphic museum 1t has grown to grand,
| living, moving picture of German life ana
customs in all ages.
The fair directors have allotted to the ex-
hibt space embracing l75,50O square feet,
| with frontage of 1SO feet and depth of
225 feet This, of course, will be separated,
| enclosed and suitably arranged. Inside the
inclosure there will be- first, reproduction
of medieval German city in all its pic
| turesqueness and quaint beauty. This city
| will consist of thirty-tivo houses arranged
along street of typical crookedness, and all
| faithfully reproducing the characteristic
varieties OF German architecture in the
middle ages. The entrance to the city walls
| will be through fac simile of the historic
city gates-the Holsten ThoralL Lubbock.
! The lower floors of these houses will consist
| of stores occupied by artisans skilled in all
| branches of German art and craftsmanship.
| Working in meerschaum and amber, for in
| stance, will be picturesquely illustrated by
| workmen in national costume. The occu-
| pants of these stores are allowed to sell
| direct to the purchasers any OF their products.
| This, it is thought, will encourage manufac-
| turers and artists to bring their workmen
| and illustrate the process of manufacture Of
| the various wares. A prominent feature of
| the little city will be reproduction OF the
| far famed Toion hall of Hellbronn, in which
| will be placed the German ethnographic mu-
scum.
From the town, through another famous
| gateway, the visitor passes along typical
| German highway to n little village whose
| cottages ook as though they had been picked
up bodily from the Black forest Westphalie,
| and the Spreewald. Here, in costumes, oc-
| cnpations and architecture are faithfully re-
produced the interesting features Of German
| peasant life.
On the village common will be reproduc-
| tions of historic German structures of the
| times of the ancient Teutons, like the Pfaa-
ban, the celebrated King grave of the island
! of Ruegen the Huenengrab and the like.
Adjoining the village will be an ideal Ger
| man castle, fitted up as restaurant of the
| good, old German style, where perfection of
| cuisine and mellow old German wines will be
| the attraction, all in charge of one of the
| most noted of German caterers.
From both city and village winding walks
| will lead to a grand concert garden sur
rounded by re5taurant pavilions. Here two
famous German military bands in uniform
| will give concerts daily. The restaurant and
| garden will together accommodate 5000 peo-
| pie at tables IN orthodox German fashion.
| A number of regimental bands have al
| ready obtained permission to attend, and
among them the band of the Imperial Horse
| Guards, composed of the finest set of men In
| the army. Each band will consist Of from
| forty-five to fifty musicians.
Every visitor to the Worlds fair will be
admitted free 10 the city and village, but to
| the museum and concert garden small ad-
mission fee will be charged.
| The two banks at the back of the enter
| prise are the Deutsche bank and the National
| Bank Fuer Deutschland, which, between
| them, represent capital of 100. 0OO, 900 marks.
| They are the two institutions most closely
| identified with American enterprises, the
| capital for which has come from Germany.
| These concerns undertook to capitalize the
undertaking to the amount of 1000, 900 marks
| on condition that Mr.. Schmidt should agree
| to take the management in Chicago. Omaha
| gains an additional feather in this from the
fact that MIR. Schmidt is former Omaha
| man.
The banks have also associated with them
| sisting Of some OF the leading artists and
| scientists of Berlin. such as Prof. Virchow,
Prof. Won Heyden, Prof. Eugen Bracht
| Prof. Dohme, Baurath Wallot the builder of
| the new German parliament building, and
| Others The designs for the structure were
| made by Prof. Hoffacker of the Berlin art
school.