Bavarian Hodgepodge Trivia Quiz

Answer: Regensburg

The fort was known as Castra Regina (fortress by the River Regen) and occupied what would now be considered the old city of Regensburg. By late Roman times, the area was also the see of a bishop. Even today, Regensburg still houses many buildings from the medieval period.

Answer: Adriatic Sea

Marcher (that is border) territories under control of the Duchy of Bavaria extended into what are now Austria, Switzerland, and northern Italy. In the sixth century, Bavaria came under the control of the Frankish Empire and its successor states. Bavaria would eventually lose control of its southern areas that bordered the Adriatic Sea.

Answer: Beer

The Reinheitsgebot of 1516 is sometimes translated into English as the "German Beer Purity Law". The law describes several factors related to beer such as where and for how much it can be sold. It also decrees water, barley, and hops as the only ingredients that can be used in making beer.

It does not mention yeast since its existence was not known at the time. A positive reason for the law was to avoid price wars between brewers and bakers for access to barley so sufficient bread would be available for the general population. William IV reigned as Duke of Bavaria from 1508 to his death in 1550.

Answer: Holy Roman Emperor

Maximilian I served as Duke of Bavaria from 1597-1623 and as Elector from 1623-1651. The Electors were part of the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire. The Diet functioned more like a council than a legislature. The Electors chose the Holy Roman Emperors, although from the fifteenth century to the eighteenth century, the Emperors were almost always members of the House of Habsburg and the outcome of the elections was a foregone conclusion.

Answer: Wittelsbach

The first member of this family to rule was Maximilian I. The last was Ludwig III (1913-1918). There were a total of 12 rulers from this family as well as two regents for two emperors who were declared unable to rule because of insanity. The Hohenzollern Dynasty ruled Prussia. The Habsburg Dynasty ruled Austria. The Wettin Dynasty ruled Saxony and the Thuringian duchies.

Answer: Potato

In German, the term "Kartoffelkrieg" means "Potato War". The war featured Austria on one side and Bavaria, Prussia, and Saxony on the other. The war sprang from the death of the previous Elector of Bavaria, Maximilian III Joseph. One successor, Charles IV Theodore, had the closest claim, but no legitimate children. Who would succeed him was somewhat up in the air.

The war only had a few battles and therefore limited battle deaths, but disease and starvation (hence the name Potato War) among the armies led to several thousand deaths.

Answer: King

Maximilian I Joseph, the last Prince-Elector of Bavaria became the first King of Bavaria (1805-1825). Royal rule over Bavaria lasted until 1918 and the conclusion of World War One. The 1805 Treaty of Pressburg between Napoleon and Emperor Francis II recognized the elevation of several Imperial Electorates to the status of kingdoms.

Answer: Sleeping Beauty Castle in Anaheim, CA

The castle was built from the period 1869-1886, with extensive renovations periodically occuring. It was intended as a home for King Ludwig, but was not opened until after his mysterious abdication and death. Ludwig was a fan of the operas of Richard Wagner and had the castle built in his honor. The castle was built with Ludwig's personal funds and through extensive borrowing rather than drawing on Bavarian state money. Exterior shots of the castle were used in several films including "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" (1968). Over one million tourists visit the castle each year.

The design for Sleeping Beauty Castle was personally approved by Walt Disney. Opening along with Disneyland in 1955, the castle stands 77 feet tall. In 2018, renovations began to transform the castle in the "Princesses Castle".

Answer: Munich's Beer Hall

This event is also known as the Beer Hall Putsch. The Bürgerbräukeller was a beer hall opened in 1885 in Munich and was a location were people could gather to enjoy beer and discuss various social and political topics. Many cities in southern Germany had similar locations.

It would serve as a staging area for the Nazis in their attempt to overthrow the government. While the other three locations are all prominent locations in modern Munich, they were not a focus of the Putsch. In fact, the Olympic Stadium in Munich was not built until the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

The Beer Hall was torn down in 1979.

Answer: American zone

Roughly speaking, the USA occupied the southern part of Germany, the British controlled the northwestern part, the French two areas in the southwest, and the Soviets the northeastern part. Cooperation between the US, British, and French led to their zones being re-unified as the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) in 1949.

The Soviet zone would remain separate as the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Dwight Eisenhower, the future US President, was the first military governor of the American zone.