Frankenmuth, Michigan’s Little Bavaria

Willkommen, in German means Welcome. Frankenmuth is all things
welcome, from family time, playtime, a famous chicken dinner, a ride
in a horse-drawn carriage, a cruise down a river and most importantly,
Christmas time all year round.

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Frankenmuth is one of my favorite places to visit no matter what time of
the year, but it’s especially beautiful around the holidays. The city is
all decked out for the Holidays and with a little snow it turns into a magical
Christmas Bavarian Wonderland. Probably the number one attraction
is Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland. It truly is a wonderland of over 7
acres of all that is Christmas. Founded in 1945, by Wally Bronner, it is
visited by over two million people and is known for the “World’s Largest
Christmas Store”.

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This Chapel is an exact replica of the Silent Night chapel in Oberndorf,
Austria, and was built for Bronners in 1976 with the blessing of the
Oberndorf Mayor and the Austrian Government, who also attended the
dedication.

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Decorations inside the Frankenmuth chapel include replicas of the
Oberndorf hand-crocheted alter cloth, an 1818 crucifix, pews, stained glass
windows, and information about the original chapel and composer of the
most favorite Christmas song, Silent Night.

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These pictures were taken this summer on one of my visits to Frankenmuth.
I had never before taken the time to go in the chapel and fell in love with it.
I think I need to visit Oberndorf real soon to see the original chapel in
the setting that made the Christmas Carol, Silent Night, so special.

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Frankenmuth has always been known for their famous chicken dinners.
Whether it is Zehenders or the Bavarian Inn, both are pretty good. It’s
just part of the experience of Frankenmuth, a chicken dinner and a visit
to Bronners.

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The Bavarian Inn Lodge is huge with an indoor water-park.

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Another view of the Bavarian Inn along the River.

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Frankenmuth is a city with many festivals that include a Holiday Candlewalk,
a Zehnder’s Snowfest, Bavarian Easter Celebration, Bringing back the
80’s, Beer fest, several Summer fest, a Bavarian fest, Music fest, Old
Auto fest, Oktoberfest, a Crabby Clam and Lobster fest, and several
more, but to me the Christmas Holiday fest is my favorite.

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