Changes

During the initial development of World Showcase, Imagineers knew that Germany would be one of the countries represented. Between American's familiarity with the country, the opportunity to create an Oktoberfest dining location, and a plethora of German companies interested in sponsorship, Germany seemed like a perfect fit for [[EPCOT Center ]] <ref name="progress"/>. One mitigating factor in the pavilion's creation however, was the fact that at the time Germany was still a divided country. Although this division was not represented in any official sense, Imagineers based the pavilion on West Germany, specifically Bavaria and the other surrounding German states<ref name="progress"/>.

When designing the Germany pavilion, Imagineers drew on Southern Germany's Baroque architecture<ref name="progress"/>. The pavilion is made up of architectural styles from the 13th through the 17th century. Because of this, the structures in Germany do not feature aspects of modern architectureconstruction. Initially, Imagineers had planned on constructing a boat ride attraction titled [[Rhine River Cruise]] in the pavilion. This ride would have taken guests on a historical tour, down the Rhine River, where they would experience Germany’s history and culture <ref name= "Imagineer"> http://www.imagineeringdisney.com/blog/2012/2/17/rhine-river-cruise-mysteries.html </ref>. Along with this feature attraction, plans for the pavilion also called for a tourism area to be built, which would have held small exhibits and a travel agent who would help guests plan a trip to Germany <ref name= "Spence"> http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2011/10/germany_pavilion_part_one.html </ref>. While neither the Rhine River Cruise nor the tourism area were a part of the Germany pavilion by opening day, a large show building was constructed for the River Cruise's loading and unloading areas, with the idea that the attraction would open at a later date as a part of EPCOT Center’s Phase II <ref name= "Imagineer"/>. According to the 1982 book “Walt Disney's Epcot Center: Creating the New World of Tomorrow”:

As previously mentioned, the The Germany pavilion, sans the Rhine River cruise and the tourism area, opened with the rest of [[EPCOT Center]] on October 1, 1982. The pavilion is themed to look like a German plaza in Bavaria set in eternal Oktoberfest <ref name= "Spence"/>. The platz, called St. Georgsplatz, features a large clock tower, a central fountain which is guarded by a statue of St. George (the patron saint of soldiers) and a dragon, as well as various storefronts <ref name= "Spence" />. Shops that opened with the pavilion in 1982 included: Glas und Porzellan (a ceramic and glassware shop), Porzellanhaus (a china shop), Süssigkeiten (a bakery), Weinkeller (a wine shop), Der Bucherwurm (a bookstore), Volkskunst, and Der Teddybär. The pavilion also included the [[Biergarten]] restaurant.

Since Germany opened in 1982, the pavilion has seen a substantial amount of changes. In 1988 , a small crystal cart was added to the pavilion <ref name="intercot"> http://www.intercot.com/edc/wsfoodshop.html#ger </ref>. The next year, in 1989, Porzellanhaus was renamed Die Weihnacts Ecke, which features predominantly Christmas decorations <ref name= "Epcot"> The Epcot Explorer's Encyclopedia: A Guide to Walt Disney World's Greatest Theme Park </ref>. Also in 1989, a sign that the planned Rhine River Cruise was perhaps shelved further came when the counter service [[Sommerfest]] restaurant opened near the [[Biergarten]] <ref name= "Epcot"/>. Sommerfest opened in front of the planned location for the Rhine River Cruise's entrance. When the Germany pavilion originally opened, guests could see a large set of doors that led to the attraction's partially built show building. Today, If guests go to the back of [[Sommerfest]], they will find a large mural painted on the wall. This wall replaced the original Rhine River Cruise doors. In a similar fashion, in 1990, a new shop called Kunsterbeit in Kristall opened in the location formally earmarked for a German tourism office <ref name="progress"> http://progresscityusa.com/2011/05/09/examining-epcot-the-germany-showcase/ </ref>.

In 1995, to celebrate the International Flower and Garden festival<ref>AUTHORS NOTE: Some sources site the 1995 Food and Wine Festival as the debut of the railway</ref>, a miniature railroad display called the Garden Railroad was erected in the Germany pavilion <ref> http://www.thisdayindisneyhistory.com/Apr15.html </ref> . After being set up and torn down for a series of festivals, the display proved to be so popular that Disney decided to leave it up year round. Subsequently, in 1999 Der Bucherwurm was replaced by Das Kaufhaus, which sells various sportswear <ref name= "Epcot"/>. the The next change came in 2002 , when Glaskunst opened in 2002 in the Germany pavilion's former WorldKey location <ref name="intercot"/>. At this time, the crystal cart that had opened in 1988 closed.

On June 29, 2009, the Germany pavilion got a proper meet and greet area for the pavilion's popular Snow White meet and greet interaction <ref> https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/germany/news/29jun2009-snow-white-meet-and-greet-construction-at-the-germany-pavilion-now-complete.htm </ref>. Another opening day shop, Glas und Porzellan was closed in 2010 (after sponsor Goebel did not renew their contract) and the location became Karamell-Kuche (a confectionery) <ref name= "Epcot"/>.