DDP Sip ‘n Shop - German American Heritage Center

germanamericanheritagecenter

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Museum exploring the German immigrant experience and history of Davenport and Iowa!

For #PrideMonth, we are sharing important stories of LGBTQ+ history in Germany.

In 1920s Berlin, the Eldorado nightclub stood as one of the most visible and vibrant queer spaces in the world. During the Weimar Republic, Berlin was home to an estimated 170 LGBTQ+ venues. Within these spaces, people found something rare for the time: the ability to gather openly, build community, and express themselves with joy and authenticity. The Eldorado was especially well known for its drag performances and lively atmosphere, drawing both locals and curious tourists.

But this visibility existed alongside risk. Laws like Paragraph 175 still criminalized same-sex relationships between men, and gender nonconformity could lead to arrest. Queer spaces like the Eldorado were tolerated, but often contained and monitored. Even so, they offered something powerful: a place to be seen.

That visibility is exactly what made the Eldorado significant—and vulnerable.

In 1933, shortly after the Nazis came to power, the club was shut down. The building was quickly transformed into a headquarters for the SA, the Nazi paramilitary. In a stark and deliberate image of control, photographs show the once-celebrated nightclub covered in swastikas and Nazi propaganda. A space of joy, community, and self-expression was turned into a symbol of fear and oppression almost overnight.

The story of the Eldorado is a reminder of how quickly spaces of belonging can be erased—and why they matter. For a time, it offered a glimpse of what was possible when queer people could live openly. Its loss underscores the devastating impact of Nazi persecution, but also the importance of visibility, community, and resistance.

Learn more about Eldorado Nightclub here: https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/celebrating-queer-joy-in-1920s-berlin/
Exterior photos show Eldorado Nightclub in 1932 and 1933. …

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🏛️ This week is #IowaMuseumWeek, which highlights the people, stories, objects, and connections that make museums vital to Iowa’s culture and future.

🇺🇸 Engage with your local museums this summer and check out all of their offerings. This summer, the German American Heritage Center and Museum is excited to bring lots of programs and exhibitions to Davenport. Celebrate America`s 250th this year by engaging with history and learning something new:

Sunday June 14th: Kaffee und Kuchen: Germans in the Military from Von Steuben through WWII
Sunday June 28th: Kaffee und Kuchen: Hamburg on Mississippi: Davenport`s Germans and the Musical Mecca of the West
Sunday July 12th: Best of the Wurst 2026
Sunday July 19th: Kaffee und Kuchen: Davenport Civil Rights Movement
Summer Architectural Walking Tours on Select Saturdays

🎟️ FREE ADMISSION in July sponsored by Cal and Jill Werner

Current Exhibitions:
📜 Shaped by Immigrants: Celebrating 250 Years of the United States
🪗 Play On! German Immigrants and the Quad Cities` Musical Legacy
Upcoming Exhibitions:
✊ Davenport Civil Rights Movement: A Traveling Exhibit from the Putnam Museum
Iowa Museum Association …

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Deutschland to Davenport Part 1: Ernst Otto
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Learn more about the life of Ernst Otto, a German immigrant who came to Davenport. You can learn more about music history in Davenport in our current exhibition, "Play On! German Immigrants and the Quad Cities` Musical Legacy" on the 3rd floor through August 2nd.
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#history #museum #IowaMuseumWeek #german #music #quadcities #qcthatswhere …

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For #PrideMonth, we are sharing the stories of LGBTQ+ individuals from history.

Gertrude Sandmann (1893–1981) was a Berlin artist who refused to let persecution erase her life or her work.

As a Jewish woman and a lesbian under Nazi rule, Sandmann faced constant danger. She was banned from exhibiting her art, pushed out of public life, and stripped of her professional identity. But she did not disappear.

Sandmann had built her artistic career at a time when women were often excluded from formal training. She studied at the Berlin Association of Women Artists and later worked under Käthe Kollwitz, who remained an important mentor and friend.
In her personal life, Sandmann also challenged expectations. She knew she was a lesbian from a young age. After a brief marriage to a man due to social pressure, she developed a lasting partnership with Hedwig Koslowski in 1927. Their relationship would later become a lifeline.

By the early 1940s, the threat of deportation was real and widely understood as a death sentence. In 1942, Sandmann made a desperate and courageous decision to stage her own death. Leaving behind a suicide note and her belongings, she went into hiding in Berlin.

For more than two years, Sandmann lived in secret. She moved between hiding places, relying on a small network of trusted friends, including Koslowski, who risked her own safety to help her survive. Cut off from her art and community, Sandmann endured isolation, hunger, and fear: but she survived.

After the war, Sandmann returned to her work. Despite lasting health problems from her time in hiding, she rebuilt her artistic career, exhibited her work, and even held a solo exhibition in 1974. She also became an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in postwar Germany. Her life reminds us that even in the darkest times, people find ways to endure hardship and remain inspired to create.

Learn more about her life here: https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/content/blog/kulturerbe-erzaehlt-die-kuenstlerin-gertrude-sandmann?lang=en

Artwork – Berlinische Galerie:
Grüne Schneeballen, 1949
Kauerndes Mädchen mit Schatten, 1940 …

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Our newest exhibition, "Shaped by Immigrants: Celebrating 250 Years of the United States," is now on display. We have many artifacts from our collection on display as well as loaned pieces from the @putnammuseum.

This Davenport Turner uniform belonged to Hertha A. (Berg) Vogel-Hildebrand (1906-2004), a life member of the Davenport Central Turner Hall. Her mother was the daughter of German immigrants and was a member of the Davenport Zither Club. Her father immigrated from Schleswig-Holstein and was a Scott County employee for over 25 years. He was also a member of the Turner Singing Society.

In her childhood years, Hertha spent many enjoyable days at Schuetzen Park in Davenport where her father ran the shooting gallery and her mother was the cook. They were actively involved in many German-American activities that were typical of many immigrant families.

Explore more stories about German immigrants, and other immigrant groups and how they have shaped the United States we know it today. …

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Sip on lemonade, enjoy live music and shop exclusive deals this Saturday, May 30 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. in Downtown Davenport.

We are participating in Downtown Davenport`s FREE Lemonade Sip N’ Shop, where downtown businesses are serving up their own take on lemonade alongside exclusive specials and deals.

Stroll through your favorite shops, sip on lemonade and see what catches your eye. Curbside Concerts will be popping up throughout downtown, so you might just stumble into some live acoustic music along the way.

HOW IT WORKS:
Start your adventure at any of the participating business below where you`ll receive…

➡️ Your FIRST cup of FREE lemonade to kickstart your shopping spree

➡️ A map with all participating businesses

➡️ A stamp card: Make a purchase, get a stamp! Collect five stamps and you`ll be entered into our Grand Prize Giveaway

➡️ Once you`ve completed your stamp card, turn it in to any one of the participating businesses

🇩🇪 The German American Heritage Center and Museum is offering:
Drink: Erdbeerfelder – Lemonade with Strawberry Syrup
Special Deal: 10% Off Any Gift Shop Purchase …

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We want to congratulate the @wiulovesmuseumstudies exhibitions class on the installation of their semester project, Partnerships in Practice: Learning Beyond the Classroom. The students have spent the semester working on developing a big idea, interpretive plan, design, and installation of three new exhibition cases on campus. They chose to highlight 3 local museums, The Figge Art Museum, Putnam Museum, and the German American Heritage Center and Museum. The students researched and shared their development process with guests last night at their opening reception.

We are grateful for our partnership with the Museum Studies program and the work their students complete with us. Some of the items chosen to display were projects completed by past WIU interns which include, education, interpretation, collections management, exhibition curation, and more. We are lucky to have such a vibrant Museum Studies Master`s program in our community which is mutually beneficial for the students and so many of our local museums and non-profits. …

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🚗 🇩🇪 Are you stopping by this Saturday, May 2nd for the annual VW Car Show? Admission to the show and the museum is free and open to the public. Food will be available on-site for purchase. See some of Germany`s most iconic cars and visit with the owners to hear about the work they`ve done on these unique cars.

Grab a brat to eat, check out the classic Beetles, Westfalia vans, and kit cars, then step inside the museum to see our historic building and explore our exhibitions. Make sure to check out the view from the 4th floor!

712 W 2nd St.
Davenport, Iowa
Car Show: 10 am – 1 pm
Museum open: 10 am – 4 pm …

DDP Sip 'n Shop

Visit us during Saturday's Sip 'n Shop!

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