Saturday, April 5th to Monday, April 7th, 2025 - German Heritage of Bariloche

 

Many Beds for Many Bodies

Bariloche's full name is actually San Carlos de Bariloche and its population in 2022 was about 135,000. It  is a playground for vacationers in both summer and winter, so many additional beds are needed to accommodate visitors. 

What is he selling?

 I must pause to make a confession now. I took few photos of the lovely area downtown! As we took our orientation walk I said to myself, this is lovely - I'll be back to take photos later. Sorry, that never happened, so I can only share a slight flavor from the center of the town, with its Alpine characteristics. At least in the photo above, you can see the andesite (volcanic) rock that was used in construction, along with the lovely warm trim of the wooden windows. I was curious to see what this man was selling from his basket.

Churros

It was churros! We are definitely in Latin America. They looked good, but we were headed for the ice cream store - the best in town, according to Marta, who lives here.

Chocolate Heaven

The trip to the ice cream store was riddled with sweet hazards in addition to churros! Here is where the  European influence expressed itself strongly. It seemed there were several huge chocolate stores in every block, along with the wine shops, patisseries, ice cream stores and other food delicacies as well. I decided this is definitely a foodie haven!

Stone Inlay

Prior to colonialization, there were a variety of Indians living in tis area. The Pacific Ocean is only 110 miles to the west and the pass across the Andes is relatively low and easy to navigate. As a result, early population changes started from Chile - first with the indigenous groups and then with white settlement. In the mid 1800's, many Germans were dissatisfied with both their economic prospects and the failure of efforts to establish democracy there in the mid-1800's. The first white settlers came from the Pacific Ocean through Chile. It was easier than travelling overland from the Atlantic Coast. The 'familiar' feeling of the mountains and lakes appealed to Germans and Swiss who came here, and the town developed architecturally to resemble the homeland they had left.

Tomas Gilbert, Brew Master

We dug into German flavors with a lunch and beer tasting at a small artisanal brewery called Gilbert. It was established by Tomas Gilbert and his father in 2004, in an old barn that dated from the 1930's. Tomas appeared to really enjoy his work, but shared that he has developed an allergy to beer, so can't indulge in the golden beverage himself! 

He explained to us how he makes the beers with the three large vats behind him, and just four ingredients. 

Hops

The water (#1) comes from fresh glacial streams in the mountains nearby, the hops (#2) are grown on the property. Add barley (#3) and yeast (#4) and one has the makings of a fine brew. The hops had a divine smell - I've never encountered them outside a beer glass before and was intrigued by their color and odor!

The Stout

The stout was my favorite - it had a lovely robust flavor, but not was not bitter.

 

Haneck Family Barbeque

We had another opportunity to have a taste of life on a ranch about 10 miles from the center of town. It is run by a local family whose ancestor, Don Herman Haneck, arrived from Germany in 1874 with his wife and first child. He worked in the port in Buenos Aries - it would have been La Boca at that time, but not nearly as colorful as the place we saw. Herman was one of the first to work with electricity at the port. Like so many others, Herman left Buenos Aries during one of the the yellow fever outbreaks, seeking a life in a healthier environment. He was awarded acreage here by the government and set up a ranch where sheep and cattle were raised until the 1970's.

(L) Pablo (Our Bus Driver) and (R) Herman 'Chango' Haneck

Now the ranch is run by his great grandson, Herman, nicknamed 'Chango'. He works with his wife Monica, their son, Pancho and grand-daughter, Morena. The ranch is now used for horseback riding and 'Day In the Life....' experiences for groups like ours. Our bus driver, Pablo pitched in to help lead the horseback riding. I fell in love with the gaucho hats they wore. They could be worn like a French beret, but were most often shaped by their wearers to provide shade over the face - somewhat like a baseball cap. I bought one, but it seems to just look stupid on me. I guess I'm just not a gaucho!

You can see more photos and read more about the Haneck family at http://www.cabalgatashaneck.com.ar/index-english.html#abautus. (The website must have been created some time ago, as grand-daughter Morena is now in her late teens!)

Mate Gourds for Us

While the family heritage is German, our experiences were definitely from Argentine culture.

We were greeted with our first taste of  mate (pronounced martay, but no 'r' sound), a ubiquitous drink which is made by soaking the leaves of yerba mate, a form of holly, in hot water. We saw many people with their mate cups and straws during this trip - almost as if they were smoking pipes! Rather than the 'one cup' type of tea preparation I'm accustomed to, water is added to the tea leaves throughout the day and sipped until there is no more flavor. It is generally served in a calabash gourd, which has been cleaned out and dried. The metal straw has a filter in it, so the tea leaves don't get into your mouth as you sip. I thought it a pleasant flavor, not unlike my Chinese pu'er tea, but the constant re-filling and sipping would take me some practice to enjoy. I did get myself a gourd and straw, so now I just have to get the mate leaves!

A Dusty Ride

Horseback riding would also have been a new skill that the original Herman probably had to learn here to manage the ranch. We had the opportunity to ride their horses after our mate.  There was a wonderful platform to help people like me get on and off their steeds with dignity. I was surprised to discover that the horse I was riding actually understood my directions! It was very pleasing.

Being a volcanic area, layers of ash have built up over time and the lack of moisture makes it difficult for soils to form. As a result we encountered dust during our ride. Many of us wore masks, or face coverings to filter it. 

It Felt a lot Like Texas!

We had a beautiful day, the landscape was expansive and highlighted the soft yellows greens of this semi-arid land. The horses behaved and I even felt emboldened to fiddle with my phone to get these photos. Normally I'd be hanging on for dear life!

BBQ

The highlight for me at the Haneck's was the barbeque - not so much because I liked the meat (although it was good), but I really appreciated seeing how it is prepared. Before the trip I had read 'In Patagonia' by Bruce Chatwin where he often referred to this method of barbeque. In our world, we place the meat directly over the fire. The dripping fats tend to flare up the flames and it is easy for the meat to get charred and burned. Here, the grill is placed diagonally over the fire, so it still gets that lovely barbeque flavor, but there was no charring. I thought it brilliant, but it did seem to demand its own shelter so that the coals would not be thrown around by the winds.

Again, this was an experience that was deeply rooted in Argentine, rather than German heritage.

Cottage on the Haneck Ranch

The 'season' for the Haneck's is summer. While tourists come here in the winter, it is the snow that attracts them, rather than riding horses in the cold. This is the time the family turns their energies into building new spaces, slowly expanding the offerings for visitors. This lovely cottage with its almost hobbit-like entrance was very appealing and one could see, why people came here from afar.

Incognito - Protection from Dust

Being so far from North America and Europe has been an attractor for people who wanted a better life, but also for those who wish to avoid the long arm of the law. Among the most famed were Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, who spent time a little over one hundred miles south of Bariloche, where they had a ranch. Their money management must not have been very good, as they ended up raiding an Argentine bank which enticed them to move yet again!

Nazi Presence in Argentina

North American outlaws were not the only ones who came to escape facing consequences for crimes they had committed. We were privileged to meet Nora Schulz, sister to the author of the book pictured above. She was born in the 1960's to Argentinian, German speaking parents in Bariloche. Hans was her older brother and as a history teacher and anthropologist he became very interested in the Nazi presence here - not only in Argentina, but also in Bariloche. During WWII, Argentina was neutral and supported the immigration of Jews from Germany. She described a time between the wars when Argentinian youth were invited to join the Hitler Youth and offered trips to Germany which came with a contract to fight to support Germany if needed. 

Our Lady of Nahuel Huapi Cathedral

  Following WWII, Peron was the Minister for War. He had seen that the USA had accepted the brains of Wernher von Braun to help develop space technology. Peron was also interested in  bringing the intellectual abilities and skills of Nazi, however, unlike the US who gave the freedom for real names to be used, Peron hid them with fake passports and protected them by ensuring that immigration officials did not look into it further. 

Hans Schulz's extensive investigation reveals that 300 war criminals came and 5,000 collaborators. They had power, money and connections and many came through 'ratlines' - informal escape routes. The book also presents evidence that Nazi sympathizers in the Catholic Church and Red Cross were helpful in helping them obtain papers to facilitate their escape.

Volcanic Ash Slopes

I'm reaching for a photograph to match he narrative here, but thought I'd settle on this photo of a hillside not far from the Haneck Ranch which showed clearly, slopes that had been covered with volcanic ash at one time. To me, the ash represents the possibility that eventually chaos and hot messes can become settled.

 The people in Bariloche found themselves in the middle of a hot mess in 1994 when after nearly 50 years in Argentina, a man whom many respected, was revealed to be the war criminal Erich Priebke. At the time he was 'discovered' and confronted by ABC reporter Sam Donaldson, he was owner of a deli that made very good sausages and was head of the school board. There was a 1973 movie made about his crime in Italy - 'Massacre in Rome', starring Richard Burton.  Priebke co-ordinated the deaths of 330 male civilians in Italy. He was extradited to Italy in 1996 where he was charged with a crime against humanity, found guilty and placed on house arrest at the age of 85. At the trial, he said that his actions had been morally OK because the orders had come from Hitler and the people killed had been 'terrorists', even though they included two 14 year-olds and a priest. He lived in northern Italy on house arrest for the remainder of his life until his death at the age of 100.

Our speaker, Nora Schulz said that even after Priebke had been discovered, the Italian community here supported him. She said that while there are still holocaust deniers in the community, there is no active, organized Nazism here now.

 

Our Lady of Nahuel Huapi Cathedral - Stations of the Cross

I decided to end this blog with one of the Stations of the Cross that I saw in the sweeping space of the cathedral here. The church was designed in 1946, about the same time Priebke arrived here. The stations are beautiful bas-reliefs by Argentine artist, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, who is also a human rights activist. According to Google's AI, 'his Stations of the Cross paintings explore themes of colonialism, poverty and other forms of suffering'. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1980 for his commitment to the non-violent defense of democracy and human rights during the military dictatorship in power at the time.

I thought his creations were very beautiful and the historical representations made sense to me. Our next blog will take off from the theme represented in the photo above. We will take a peek at some of the history of indigenous people here, before we move on across the Andes to Chile.