Learning & Leisure in “Little America” exhibit and discussion in Munich, Germany

On Saturday, May 9, 2026, MAMF members met some former UMMC and military-connected folks and toured the Münchner Kindl brewery under construction at the site of the former AAFES gas station in the Perlacher Forst housing area. While no longer a military installation, the many current residents want to preserve the housing area as a protected historical entity, keeping the look and feel of “Little America” alive and well in Munich. A brew master is building a brewery on the site of the former gas station, and hopes to start his first batch of beer at the end of 2026. We were honored to be invited to tour the building and meet the architects and volunteers working very hard to preserve local history.

On Sunday, we were at Giesinger Bahnhof cultural center and met photographer Elvira Auer, who has preserved the former University of Maryland buildings through her photos, and some of the authors who have contributed stories to our latest anthology, Servus!

MAMF Director Circe and Historian Karin Pohl presented on historical and cultural topics, and then the other authors shared some of their writings. Laura Seidel made a short presentation about the 1960 plane crash which killed 52 people, including 12 University of Maryland students. A representative from St Paul’s church (into which the plane had crashed) attended the program on behalf of the parish.

One of the day’s highlights was when David Fanelli played recordings of his opera-singer mother and shared an original US Bicentennial poster. We’d like to thank the wonderful team at Giesinger Bahnhof who hosted us, provided support, and were a welcoming presence.

To read more about the history of McGraw Kaserne and the UMMC, some of the faculty and students, as well as the tragic plane crash in Munich, purchase a copy of Servus!

https://www.lulu.com/shop/circe-olson-woessner-and-karin-pohl/servus/paperback/product-65jn7dn.html?q=servus&page=1&pageSize=4