Erfurt Travel Forum

Hi,

My husband and I are coming to Erfurt next week. Looking forward to it(except the plane ride). He wants to buy a pair of lederhosen. Can you commonly find them in Erfurt? I'd also like to buy a beautiful cookoo clock.

Thanks

Lederhosen come from Bavaria, and cookoo clocks from the Black Forest region.
It's therefore unlikely you'll find them in Erfurt.

Hi,
sorry,have to agree with turtleshell.Erfurt is usualy not the right spot to find Lederhosen and cookoo clocks...But maybe you find time to visit Munich or Black forest region(both beautiful destinations)Driving on German highway should bring you quite fast to this places.
Wish you a very good time and safe travel
regards
Herwig

Just checked on www.Lederhosen.com Maybe you have a look.
regards
Herwig

I agree, you're not likely to find Lederhosen or a cuckoo clock in Erfurt. Which airport are you flying into? Frankfurt? If you have some time there, you can find souvenirs typical to several German regions in the airport shops. Or if you have more time, you can go to the shops near the Römer area in downtown Frankfurt. There you can also find this kind of souvenir, even though they're not typical for Frankfurt.

this post (sorry ... dont want to offense you) is typical american ... ;-)

Wait, i try to write something so the american guys may lough as i did when reading it ;)

Hi Guys, i will visit Kentucky next week, which bus should i take to the beach?

or: are there ice-bears in arizona ? i´m noit sure and i am a little bit scared then ...

sorry, just kidding .... you guys think that all the 80 million germans are running around in lederhosen the whole day ? :D

btw, i was in DC last weekend, and i misses the "Hollywood" letters at the hill ...

wish you a pleasent stay ;)

btw, dont try to drink "Apfelwein" a.k.a. "Äppler" when you are in Frankfurt (if you fly from FFM) ... don´t do it ... :D

Hi,
Very funny :) Trust me I don't assume everyone in Germany wears lederhosen. I assumed they were popular all over Germany b-cuz of Oktoberfest. I don't think all Italians have moustaches and eat pizza either. I mean, it's like asking an American where to find a hot dog. They're common all over America, and yummy.
Oh, BTW, why not drink the Aplfein(spelling?)? Does it have alcohol? I dont' drink. I WILL check out the airport store in Frankfurt(yes we fly in and take the train to Erfurt). For the the last poster, you said "sounds like you're married to one..." I don't know what that means.

> I assumed they were popular all over Germany b-cuz of Oktoberfest.

Nope, Oktoberfest is a festival in Munich, some other cities have similar festivities, such as Freimarkt in Bremen or Dom in Hamburg, but those are independent from Oktoberfest. It's not something Germans celebrate, and if Oktoberfest gets cancelled, for whatever reason, all you would hear from the average Joe in Erfurt would be a "so what?"
It's just that many foreigners consider Oktoberfest, along with Hofbräuhaus, Lederhosen and cookoo clocks "typically German". In fact it's not, and many (if not most) Germans would sigh and add a "fortunately" to that statement. :-)

Besides, wearing Lederhosen outside of Bavaria is a sure fire method to make yourself a laughing stock - any time of the year. Even in northern Bavaria, Lederhosen are rare.

If your husband wants a pair of Lederhosen, and you manage to visit Bavaria (best: Munich or south of Munich), it may be good to know that the *original* Lederhosen are made of deer leather. In other words: They will cost you an arm and a leg. Yes, there are cheaper copies made of calf leather, and many Bavarians buy those to save some money (we are talking about a 3-digit number here), but those are not the traditional Lederhosen.

Oktoberfest, Lederhosen and Dirndl are Bavarian things. The federal state of Bavaria covers perhaps 10% of Germany. The other 90% of Germany aren't Bavarians, don't feel Bavarian and are annoyed if their culture and traditions are considered Bavarian. Some will laugh at this typical overseas visitors' attitude that Bavarian = German, others will be offended. All of them, however, will think that said overseas visitor is not too well informed about Germany.
I do not recommend entering a shop in Erfurt, Hamburg, or Cologne and asking if they have Lederhosen.

The Frankfurt Apfelwein (apple wine, thus alcoholic) is yummy and I love it, by the way. Everyone hates the first sip because the stuff is not sweet at all, but after a glass or two one becomes addicted for life. I do recommend trying.

> The federal state of Bavaria covers perhaps 10% of Germany.

Not to nitpick, but it's actually 20%.

> I do not recommend entering a shop in Erfurt, Hamburg, or Cologne
> and asking if they have Lederhosen.

Right.

Sometimes I wonder why consider traditional Bavarian things and Blck Forest cookoo clocks typically German (does any of you fellow Germans here actually have a cookoo clock? I don't, nor do my friends in Freiburg /Black Forest.)

One reason is certainly that most tourists visit Bavaria, rather than say: East-Frisa. Another reason is that Bavarians, compared to other Germans, are very proud of their tradition and actually wear their traditional costumes (some do).
Another reason would be the ... well ... idiosyncratic looks of Dirndls, Lederhosen and cookoo clocks.
Would I wear a Prinz-Heinrich-Mütze and a Finkenwerder Fischerhemd (typical for north-west Germany where I was born), I suspect hardly anyone would notice that I'm wearing a traditional costume.

Okay, the Federal state of Bavaria covers 20% of the country (I stand corrected, turtleshell is right: 70.000 of 350.000 something square kms). The area that's really 'Bavaria' in terms of culture, dialect etc. covers, subtracting Franconia and Oberpfalz and the Swabians in the west, maybe half of the Federal state of Bavaria. (BTW, never tell an inhabitant of, say, Nürnberg that he is a Bavarian. Serious warning.)

P.S. My ex is a real Black Forest native. No one in his family owns a cuckoo clock, at least none that's actually running because the things drive one mad after a day or two.

Interesting to see the reactions regarding ,,Lederhosen``:-)In my area(Styria,part of Austria)Lederhosen are quite common and it is no problem to wear them or a dirndl(rather the opposite)
The real Lederhosen are quite expensive,really costly.I grew up by wearing Lederhosen on a daily basis.And nothing wrong with that.It is a part of our traditions and therefore nothing wrong with it.I have been in New Glarus,Wisconsin ;last year and they did their Octoberfest there and it was fun and nice and good and of course some have been dressed in Lederhosen and simply nothing is wrong with that.I am married to a girl from black forest and we do not have this special clock but I do not understand why it is soooooo bad to go for it....Rather the opposite.Live and let live.And there are a lot of traditions involved in Lederhosen and this clocks...
I do hope that you find this by visiting Germany!
All the best and enjoy your travel to the full
Regards
Herwig

In many parts of Austria ,Lederhosen are a status symbol.In the countries of Vorarlberg,Tyrol,Salzburg,Carinthia,Styria and Upper Austria you can walk on a daily basis with your Lederhosen or Dirndl.And even in Vienna you may run around with Lederhosen.There is a tradition behind and there is simply nothing wrong with it.In my oppinion many people now a days have a problem with tradition and therefore you get this reaction....From my point of view there is nothing wrong with enjoying Lederhosen and the clocks.Go for it!But simply you are at the wrong part of Germany to find this traditions.Go South and you will find it.
Enjoy your travel
Herwig

I must admit, I own a cuckoo clock. And my son likes to go to Oktoberfest and even bought some Lederhosen this year.
I loved our cuckoo clock when I grew up, so I got one myself. But I soon realized it makes a difference if you live in a house where the cuckoo clock is downstairs at night, or in an apartment where the clock is right outside your bedroom. The poor cuckoo had to stop cuckooing here, as it was driving everyone crazy hearing 12 cuckoos at midnight.

hi there!

there is a hunting store called Frankonia in erfurt.
they sell lederhosen in the upper price range. you might want to call them up in advance because they might not have them in stock in erfurt but will be able to get them in several sizes to try. but this is EUR 400,- stuff.

if you want an economi alternative check the local C&A (yes , that C&A aka Cheap&Awful ;-))
at least in nuremberg they had lederhosen in the budget ctegory last time when iwas there. (about a year ago) maybe they have them in erfurt too.

good luck hunting for lederhosen :-)

B.

>It is a part of our traditions and therefore nothing wrong with it.

This is the point: in areas where it's part of the tradition. In most regions of Germany it's NOT part of the tradition, thus the reactions.

Herwig, There's nothing wrong with buying a cuckoo clock. Maybe you got us wrong, but Jenna, the thread starter, can of course feel free to buy 2 or 5 if she likes. I (and certainly others) wouldn't care for the slightest. All we wanted to achieve was to keep Jenna from entering - say: Karstadt - and ask for Bavarian Lederhosen or cuckoo clocks. This could provoke an embarassing situation. Not because Lederhosen or cuckoo clocks are embarassing per se, but to ask for them in Erfurt. Moreso if you are American, because you could be labeled the "ignorant American" who confuses Bavaria with Germany.

Somebody mentioned "Frankonia". I checked their website. It could be worth to ask them (along the line of "I know this not Bavaria, but ..."), but the Lederhose they have on their website is not a traditional Bavarian one. More kind of a leather jeans with some (few) appliques "Bavarian Style" on it.

Thank you all for your information. Yes, I don't want to look like the rude American and I apologize if it seems I do not know a lot about German culture. My father is a Chef and is competing in Germany(hence the reason for the trip) and his co-worker is Bavarian. My dad jokes with him, calling him German and he says NO, Bavarian! It's similar to Italians and Sicilians(from Sicily). They're not the same. However, I probably wouldn't go into a store and ask for Lederhosen, rather I would look and if I didn't find them, not open my mouth. This way I wouldn't look like a fool. I would probably ask my father's friend where to find them and I plan to ask him more German-related questions so I don't look like a fool. However, people here like CHristinej and Hertwig(sorry if spelled wrong) and Turtleshell, etc. have given me a crash course on German culture so I feel more confident about going and not looking like the Rude American.

Big Thanks!

you are right, the pair on their site is not what tvnut is looking for. i dunno why they have only this one on their website.
however, i know for a fact that they stock the "traditional" ones. since i am not sure if they stock them in erfurt i suggest mailing them in advance so they can get them from another stor (frankonia is a huge chain)