Bavaria: Deutschland's Texas

Bayern (or Bavaria) is one of 16 states in Germany, and formerly the Kingdom of Bavaria. I've been living here for a little over 2 months now, and after a while it started to bare a striking resemblance to another of my former dwelling places: Texas. The more I think about it, the more similarities I draw between these two countries within countries.

A History of Independence

Flag of the Republic of Texas

Having only lived in Texas for about 6 months last year, I wouldn't say I got the full impression of the state. However, I would say that I stayed long enough to learn one thing: Texans LOVE Texas. And I don't mean they love America (which most also do); they love the idea of Texas as its own separate entity. I actually shared a plane with a man from Dallas to Houston who legitimately was in favor of Texas seceding from the union (fun fact: he wore a cowboy hat, and traded natural gas in Western Texas-- yes, really).

See, Texas has at one point or another lived under 6 separate flags, including the Republic of Texas, an independent nation in the mid-19th century. Many Texans believe that as a part of their joining the US, they retained the right to secede. This isn't actually true, but even if it was, after Texas' secession and following military defeat (along with the rest of the South) in the Civil War, they would have lost this right. My point is this: Texas has a history of being on it's own, and it's people haven't lost that sense of independence. Texans will tell you: They are Texans first, and Americans second.

Flag of the Free State of Bavaria

Ask a Bavarian the same thing about their beloved land. I think the general feeling is similar to that in Texas: Bavarians first, Germans second. Before the formation of Germany as a unified state, Bavaria was a strong and proud Kingdom with it's own separate culture and history from what is now North and East Germany. Just as in Texas, this has fostered a feeling of independence even after becoming part of the larger whole of Germany. While I haven't heard any murmurs of secession,  Bavaria (or "The Free   State of Bavaria") already feels like it's own Kingdom already

Politics and Religion

Another somewhat defining characteristic of Texas is that it is (often jokingly) thought of as a Conservative, Christian state, the prototypical "Red State"; Texans have voted for a Republic presidential candidate 9 out of the last 10 elections, and only 2 Gubernatorial terms have been served by a Democrat since 1979.

Bavaria is also dominated by a single, right-leaning political party: the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU). Since the end of WWII in 1945, a CSU member has held the office of Minister-President (essentially Governor) for all but 4 years, and have been the incumbant party since 1957.

Bavaria is also an extremely religious state. There is actually a law that states no building in a city can be taller than it's Church (this may no longer be true, but as most of the architecture is old, the legacy is still there-- there are no skyscrapers in Bavaria). Freising, the city I live in, actually used to be an extremely important city to the Catholic church, and used to be the home of current Pope Benedict XVI. Texas also has a history of religious (mostly Christian) politicians including current Governor Rick Perry. It also is home to an extremely large Latino population which is historically a strongly Catholic demographic.

Wealth

Well known to most Germans is the fact that Bavaria is one of, if not the, richest area in Germany. Though wealth can't be attributed to just a few companies, the local headquarters of such giants as Siemens, BMW, and Audi certainly don't hur the economy of the state. Due to these domestic corporations, and due to the fact that the state suffered less infrastructural and economical damage in the aftermath of World War II than the North/East, Bavaria remains a very financially strong state. I've heard some people here say that builds a bit of resentment towards Bavaria from the rest of the country, but I can't say for sure.


It almost goes without saying what Texas is known for: Oil. But Big Oil is not the only thing Texas has: it is also a hotspot of technology, hosting the headquarters of AMD, Texas Instruments, and Freescale technologies just to name a few. Texas is an extremely wealthy state.

And a fun one...

Leather pants! Just as the stereotypical Texan Cowboy is depicted wearing leather chaps and boots as he rides through the desert on his mighty steed, so is the prototypical Bavarian depicted wearing Lederhosen, which translates directly to "Leather pants." While not every Texan owns leather chaps for horse riding, lederhosen are still very commonly owned and worn by Bavarians for special occasions like Oktoberfest!







Finally, I would just like to say that having lived in both of these places, they both have a similar "swag" about them; it's like that "Where I live is awesome, and I f**kin' know it" kind of thing. Bavaria has the same warm, welcoming feel as Texas while also sharing its pride. It's very cool to live in places like these, and I really feel like I've gotten to know the areas in each country with some of the most, how to say, personality.