Getting to Gemütlichkeit: German History and Culture in Southeast Louisiana

Louisiana’s German citizens constitute both one of the oldest and one of the newest populations in the state. The earliest recorded German immigrants to Louisiana arrived in 1722, and Germans continue to arrive every year, especially in the New Orleans area. The fact that residents of German descent actually comprise Louisiana’s largest cultural group is often overlooked, and it has only been in the last decade that scholarly forays have been made into this history.

15. German-American Cultural Center

Established to honor the German immigrants who founded Gretna, Louisiana, in 1836, the German-American Cultural Center has a free museum with historic photographs of Gretna and McDonoghville as well as educational displays about the German founders and their way of life.

The center’s building, at 519 Huey P. Long Avenue in Gretna, celebrates those German roots with large, colorful exterior murals that were painted by famed muralist, Robert Dafford of Lafayette, Louisiana.

Built in 1911 and part of Gretna’s National Historic District, the building originally was a primary school. Its history also includes serving as a hospital during the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918, a welding school that trained both men and women during World War II and as headquarters of the Jefferson Parish School Board.

The GACC has occupied the building for 21 years with its museum, a large room for meetings with members of the Friends of the GACC, and a genealogy research room that is also open to the public.

The center is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. Visitors must use face coverings and practice social distancing during this time.

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