Germany

	Germany
	The plaza in the Germany pavilion at night.
	Epcot
Land	World Showcase
Opening date	October 1, 1982
Number of Attractions	0
Number of Restaurants	Two

Pavilion Layout and History

The Germany pavilion was one of the original concepts for World Showcase, and it was ready in time for Epcot's opening day. The pavilion is themed to look like a small German village set sometime between the 12th and 17th century. the buildings architecture from the Rhine region, Bavaria and North Germany. Although Germany is not home at an "attraction" it does feature two restaurants and four shops. The center piece of the pavilion is a large clock tower, based on a time piece located in Rothenburg. Germany also holds the distinction of having one of the two Friendship Boat docks, which take guests to the World Showcase entrance. Original plans for the Germany pavilion called for a boat ride attraction. Like the Malestorm in Norway, and the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros in Mexico this boat ride was going to take guest through the history of Germany. The 1982 book, Walt Disney's Epcot featured a short discription of the attraction:

"The future River Ride promises to be as enjoyable as it is informative. An early concept has visitors boarding a "cruise boat" for a simulated ride down the Rhine and other rivers, the trip affording a visual impression in miniature of the cultural heritage of Germany's past and the highlights of its present. Among the detailed models envisioned are scenes in the Black Forest, the Oktoberfest, Heidelberg, the industrial Ruhr Valley . . . the possibilities are limited only by the planners' imaginations."
— Walt Disney's Epcot (1982)

Concept art for the proposed Rhine River.

The Rhine River Cruise was one of the attractions that Disney delegated to "Phase II" of Epcot (due to limited funds), then following their decision to only create attractions if they were sponsored, plans for the attraction were scrapped. During the pavilions initial construction however, part of the attraction building was built. The area is used today for storage, workshop and rehearsal. Also of note in the Germany pavilion, is a large fortress located in the back of the pavilion. The castle was based on the Stahleck Castle located in the RHine Valley and Eltz Castle found above the Moselle River. It holds the pavilion's main resturant (an attraction), the Bierharten Restaurant. The Bierharten is a buffet style restaurant which Imagineers, themed to look like a 16th century town in Rothenburg. Inside, the restaurant is always themed to night time and live music is often played for guests.

Restaurants

Biergarten- This table service restaurant celebrates Oktoberfest all year long! Here guests can eat a traditional German meal while entertained by live performers.

Sommerfest- This counter service restaurant specializes in Bratwurst.

Shopping

Der Teddybar Toy Shop- As it's name would suggest, this shop sells dolls and toys. Guests can also buy Steiff teddy bears here.

Inside the Biergarten restaurant, where it is always night.

Die Weihnacts Ecke- This store, who's name means "The Christmas Store" in English, sells Christmas merchandise year round.

Karmell Kuche- This shop which is sponsored by Storck USA, sells caramel and other candies. The name Karmell Kuche is translated to "Caramel Kitchen" in English.

Weinkeller- This whine cellar allow guests to buy over 50 kinds of vintage German wines. Guests can also taste 20 varieties of wine for 5-8 dollars. Weinkeller translates to "Wine Cellar" in English.

Kunstarbeit in Kristall- This shop sells jewelry, vases and other crystal works of art. Lunstarbeit in Kristall translates to "Art Work in Crystal" in English.

Volkskunst- This store used to sell craft art, but more recently it has carried more general German souvenir. Volkskunst translates to "Peoples Art" in English.

Characters

Snow White- Snow White can often be found just outside Karamell Kuche

Fun Facts and Trivia

In the center of Germany's plaza, a statue of St. George and the Dragon can be found.

At one time, the Germany pavilion was host to an "Earth Station" kiosk. From here, guests could video chat with a Disney

At one time the building that is currently where Kunstarbeit in Kristall is, was going to be a German travel bureau where guests could book a trip to Germany.