Bavaria is the Texas of Germany.
A valid comparison?

Despite what many North Americans believe, any German will tell you that Bavaria is not “Germany.” Lederhosen and dirndls are not even worn by everyone in Bavaria, much less by all Germans. On the other hand, many Germans think that Texas is the United States. Germans who have actually visited the US know that not all Americans wear cowboy boots.

I have already written about Landeskunde for Expats, pointing out that that American, British, and other expatriates living in Germany do much better when they are aware of the key geographic, historic, and political aspects of their new home. If that German home is the Free State of Bavaria (Freistaat Bayern), there’s a lot to learn!

If we do nothing else here, I hope we can destroy some of the myths and stereotypes on both sides of the Atlantic. The Bavaria versus Texas comparison is not really new or original, but it is valid in many ways – with a caveat: Bavaria and Texas are both large, diverse states, and generalizing can be iffy – as can stereotypes. Texas is not all cowboy boots and hats, while Bavaria is not all beer gardens and lederhosen. In both places, there is a stark contrast between rural and urban politics and lifestyles.

Germans first settled in the Texas Hill Country in the 1830s. A view of the Hill Country State Natural Area in Bandera County. PHOTO: Cody Ely (Wikimedia Commons)

Most Bavaria/Texas comparisons I’ve seen tend to be superficial. Do the parallels hold up upon closer scrutiny? I think so in many cases, but before we continue let’s eliminate a few categories in which Texas is absolutely nothing like Bavaria, and vice versa.

Bavaria and Texas Not the Same at All

1. Size and population: Yes, both Bavaria and Texas are large in area related to the size of their countries. But Texas could swallow up almost 10 Bavarias! (See the map graphic below.) Texas (28.7 million) also has more than double the population of Bavaria (13.076 million; both 2018).
2. Religion: Both states are more religious than most others in their respective countries, but Bavaria is 51 percent Catholic and 19 percent Protestant (Lutheran), while Texas is only about 23% Catholic and 50% Protestant (13% mainline, 31% evangelical, and 6% historically black).* Both places have a Muslim minority population.
3. Geography and Terrain: Bavaria has high Alpine mountains in the south, with rolling hills in other areas. Texas ranges from dry desert in the west to humid coastal lowlands in the southeast. The central Texas Hill Country was partially settled by Germans, but no one would mistake its rugged hills covered with sparse vegetation for Bavaria. (See photo above.)
4. Gun Culture: Bavaria has shooting clubs (Schützenvereine) whose members gather to fire off small, handheld ceremonial cannons (Handböller) to celebrate Christmas, New Years, and other occasions. All firearms have to be registered and licensed in Bavaria. In Texas it’s another story completely. Texas has open-carry laws that allow civilians to carry handguns in plain sight. The state’s gun laws are among the most lax in the US. Texas has more than 1.2 million residents who are active holders of concealed handgun permits. The state has no laws regulating the possession of long guns, such as shotguns and rifles, other than existing federal restrictions.
5. Death Penalty: Bavaria, as part of Germany and the European Union, has no death penalty. Texas, which reinstated capital punishment in 1976, has the most active death chamber in the United States. Since 2010 Texas has put to death 114 convicted murderers by lethal injection. The state has executed 561 people since 1982 (as of August 2019). There were 13 executions in 2018.

See our detailed comparisons of aspects of Bavaria and Texas that are similar below.
*SOURCE: Pew Research Center, Religious landscape, adults in Texas

One thing both Bavaria and Texas do have in common: They were independent countries before they became states in their present nations. And both still have a few people who think independence would be a good thing today. Texas was a republic from 1836 to 1846. Bavaria was an independent kingdom until 1871, when it joined Prussia in a newly unified German Empire. Details below.

Republic of Texas (1836-1846)

Map showing the relative size of Bavaria (purple) and Texas. The Lone Star State is almost 10 times larger than Bavaria. GRAPHIC: Mapfight

The Republic of Texas lasted for a decade, from 1836 to 1846. Before that the region (“Spanish Texas”) was part of New Spain as one of the Provincias Internas. But just because it was claimed by Spain did not mean it was populated right away. That began sporadically, starting in the 1690s, with scattered missions before San Antonio became a permanent settlement (today the second largest city in Texas) in 1718. But the status of Texas and Louisiana was not settled until after the US bought Louisiana from France (which had just got it back from Spain) and the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819 established a clear boundary between Texas and Louisiana, and ceded Florida to the US.

The current state flag of Texas is exactly the same as the one used by the Republic of Texas in the 1800s. PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons

Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, at which time there were no more than 3500 settlers living in all of Tejas (Mexican Texas), mostly in San Antonio and the fort at La Bahia (today’s Goliad, Texas). Following disputes with Mexico over who could be a colonist in Tejas, Texians began pushing for independence. The Texas Revolution ended on April 21, 1836, but Mexico refused to recognize the new republic. The republic’s southern and western boundary with Mexico was disputed throughout the republic’s existence. (The republic covered a smaller area than the current state of Texas.) Texas was annexed by the United States on December 29, 1845 and admitted to the Union as the 28th state on that day, with the transfer of power from the Republic to the new state of Texas formally taking place on February 19, 1846.

The Texas issue was not settled until after the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), which ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The treaty forced Mexico to cede the territories of Alta California and Santa Fe de Nuevo México to the United States. Mexico also acknowledged the loss of what became the State of Texas and accepted the Rio Grande as its northern border with the United States. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The Kingdom of Bavaria (1805-1918)

The Kingdom of Bavaria (Königreich Bayern) succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist as a kingdom until 1918, although it became a federal state of the German Empire (Deutsches Reich) in 1871. As a kingdom, Bavaria was second in size, power, and wealth only to the leading state, the Kingdom of Prussia. Bavaria became a republic in 1918, and the kingdom thus became the current Free State of Bavaria.

The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1805 as Maximilian I Joseph. The crown continued to be held by the Wittelsbachs until the end of the kingdom in 1918. Most of Bavaria’s present-day borders were established after 1814 with the Treaty of Paris, in which Bavaria ceded Tyrol and Vorarlberg to the Austrian Empire while receiving Aschaffenburg and Würzburg.

Bavaria has two different official flags, both with blue and white. This is the “diamond” version. IMAGE: Wikimedia Commons

One of the kingdom’s most famous kings was Ludwig II of the House of Wittelsbach, who was crowned as King of Bavaria in 1864. Also known as the Swan King or the Märchenkönig (Fairy Tale King), it was Ludwig II who built Neuschwanstein Castle and other whimsical residences before he was unjustly declared insane. He drowned under mysterious circumstances in Lake Starnberg in June 1886. The crown then passed to Ludwig’s brother Otto I, but he was not mentally stable, and the duties of the throne soon rested in the hands of the brothers’ uncle, Prince Luitpold, serving as Prince-Regent. Luitpold died in 1912 and his son Ludwig became Prince-Regent Ludwig and later, with the Landtag’s approval, King Ludwig III. An already weak Bavarian regency faded away in November 1918 when Ludwig fled from the Residenz Palace in Munich with his family. He was the first of the monarchs in the German Empire to be deposed. A few days later Wilhelm II abdicated the throne of Germany. The Bamberg Constitution (Bamberger Verfassung) was enacted in August 1919 and came into force on 15 September 1919, creating the Free State of Bavaria within the Weimar Republic.

Bavarian Identity
This is what Wikipedia has to say on this topic: Bavarians have often emphasized a separate national identity and considered themselves as “Bavarians” first, “Germans” second. This feeling started to come about more strongly among Bavarians when the Kingdom of Bavaria joined the Protestant Prussian-dominated German Empire while the Bavarian nationalists wanted to keep Bavaria as Catholic and an independent state. Nowadays, aside from the minority Bavaria Party, most Bavarians accept that Bavaria is part of Germany.

German Texans (Deutschtexaner)

About 10 percent of Texans today claim at least some German ancestry. The first Germans arrived in what is now central Texas in 1831. In the 1840s, a larger wave of (mostly peasant) Germans arrived, founding the towns of Fredericksburg and New Braunsfels. The immigrants were encouraged and partially supported by the Mainzer Adelsverein in Europe. In the end, the Adelsverein proved to be a financial disaster, but between 1844 and 1847 it brought more than 7,000 German-speaking settlers to the “German Belt” in Texas – an area that stretched across Texas from the eastern fertile, humid Coastal Plain to the semiarid Hill Country in the west.

The Gruene Historic District in New Braunfels, Texas was named after Ernst Gruene, a German immigrant who arrived in Texas in 1845. He built the first home in Gruene in the German “Fachwerk” (half-timbered) architectural style. Later his son, Henry Gruene, built a larger Victorian-style home that is a bed-and-breakfast inn today. PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons

The Sept. 16, 1853 edition of the Neu Braunfelser Zeitung. The German-language newspaper began publishing in 1852. After a later merger, the paper had English and German sections until 1957, when declining numbers of German subscribers forced the newspaper to drop German. Today’s New Braunfels Harald-Zeitung is published six days a week in English. PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons

New Braunfels, founded in 1845 by Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels (“Texas Carl”, 1812-1875), the Commissioner General of the Adelsverein, just five years later became the fourth largest city in Texas (pop. 1,723). New Braunfels, about 30 miles northeast of downtown San Antonio, now has a population of just over 79,000 (2017).

In 1846, a year after New Braunfels was established, another German town was founded in Texas. Fredericksburg is located 70 miles north of San Antonio, and 78 miles west of Austin. Nicknamed “Fritztown” or the “Burg,” the town of about 10,000 residents promotes itself as a tourist attraction (including the annual Oktoberfest and the local Schlitterbahn water park) and the home of the Texas German dialect.

Just a few miles down the road from Fredericksburg is the small unincorporated town of Luckenbach, Texas – also founded by German farmers around 1850. Known today as an “outlaw” country-music mecca (“Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and the boys”), the town’s population peaked at 492 in 1904. By the 1960s Luckenbach was literally a ghost town. It was saved in the 1970s after it was purchased for $30,000 by a dance hall operator. The town’s post office closed in 1971, but Luckenbach still has a ghost-town atmosphere for its weekend music events. The town’s slogan is “Everybody’s Somebody in Luckenbach.”

A telephoto lens reveals the Bavarian Alps and a Munich landmark, the Frauenkirche, in 2008. PHOTO: Reinald Kirchner (Wikimedia Commons)

Bavaria, Germany vs Texas, USA

Here are some detailed comparisons between Bavaria and Texas. (Figures are for 2017 unless noted otherwise.)

Area
BAVARIA: 27,239 sq mi (1/10th of Texas) – Largest state (Land) in Germany
TEXAS: 268,818 sq mi – Largest of the lower 48 U.S. states (Alaska is the largest U.S. state by area.)

Population (2018)
BAVARIA: 13 million (16% of total 82 m)
TEXAS: 28.7 million (8.7% of total 325.7 m)

Capital City
BAVARIA: Munich, pop. 1.47 million (2018); metro 6 million; two universities: LMU 51,000 students, TUM 41,000 students. Munich is the largest city in Bavaria.
TEXAS: Austin, pop. 964,254; metro 2.1 million; University of Texas at Austin: 50,000 students. Austin is the 4th largest city in Texas. Houston is No. 1 with 2.3 million (2018).

The Texas State Capitol Building in Austin. PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons

Highest Point
BAVARIA: Zugspitze – 9,718 ft (2962 m)
TEXAS: Guadalupe Peak – 8,751 ft (2667.4 m)

GDP
BAVARIA: $672.24 billion (€594.45 billion)
TEXAS: $1.75 trillion

History
BAVARIA: Was an independent kingdom before becoming part of the Deutsches Reich in 1871. Has occasional separatist impulses.
TEXAS: Was a republic before becoming the 28th state in 1884. Has occasional separatist impulses.

Attitude
BAVARIA: Bavaria is the best of all Länder. Saying: Mia san mia (“We are who we are.” [whether you like it or not]) Strong regional patriotism.
TEXAS: Texas is the best of all states. Saying: “Don’t mess with Texas.” Strong regional patriotism.

Economy
BAVARIA: Strong economy with low unemployment. The capital, Munich, is a high-tech start-up center with 2 large universities.
TEXAS: Strong economy with low unemployment. The capital, Austin, is a high-tech start-up center with a large university.

Sport
BAVARIA: FC Bayern München is Germany’s top pro Fußball team, ranked No. 1 in 7 out of the last 10 seasons (never below 3). Munich’s Allianz Arena seats 75,000.
TEXAS: Texas hosts many pro sports teams (baseball, basketball, football, soccer) with famous teams (Dallas Cowboys, Houston Rockets, etc.). Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium seats 80,000.

Taxes
BAVARIA: 19% sales tax (nationwide VAT) and national income tax
TEXAS: 6.25-8.25% sales tax, no state income tax

Dialect
BAVARIA: Austro-Bavarian dialect difficult for non-natives to understand. Several major dialects from Franconian in the north to Bairisch in the south (which is itself divided into subdialects: Nordbairisch, Mittelbairisch and Südbairisch). Standard German (Hochdeutsch) is also commonly spoken.
TEXAS: Texas twang can be difficult for non-Texans to understand. Standard English is also commonly spoken.

Speed Limit
BAVARIA: 80 mph (130 km/h) on the autobahn. No speed limit on some sections
TEXAS: 80 mph (130 km/h) on some freeways. 85 mph (137 km/h) on one state freeway.

A Few More Bavaria and Texas Things

Here are a few more traits that Bavaria and Texas have in common:

• Beer drinking. Bavarians probably outdo Texans in this, but both places enjoy their beer.
• Conservative politics (with some exceptions)
• Bavaria and Texas are both southern border states: Bavaria with Austria, Texas with Mexico (plus shared cuisine)
• High value placed on independence and individual freedom
• Marked regional differences: Bavaria has its Franconian and Swabian regions, distinct from “Bavaria.” But Texas also has its own regional differences. The deserts of West Texas and El Paso are very different from the Texas Gulf Coast and Houston, not to mention historical San Antonio, the second most populous city in the Lone Star State.
• Cattle culture. Yes, cattle driving in Bavaria (cow bells) is very different from that in Texas (cowboys and spurs), but they do have cows in common.
• Major International Airports. The Munich airport (MUC) is Germany’s second largest airport (after FRA in Frankfurt). Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) is a major international hub and one of the busiest airports in the US.
• Strict law enforcement. Texas may be a bit more strict than Bavaria, with its death penalty.
• Leather. In Bavaria mostly for pants (Lederhosen = leather pants). In Texas mostly for saddles.
• Yodeling. Not everybody’s thing in either place, but Bavaria and Texas both have yodelers.
• Music. See “Norteño” below.

Norteño Mexican music features a diatonic accordion (melodeon) and a bajo sexto (12-string) guitar. PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons

Do you have any thoughts about Bavaria and Texas? Did we miss anything? We welcome your comments below.