3 Lazy Ways To Learn More About Your German Ancestors From The Comfort Of Your Couch

Are you curious about your German roots, but not quite ready to pack your bags and jet off to the home country yourself? No problem! You can embark on an exciting, ancestry-inspired journey right from your favorite spot on the couch. Here are three delightfully lazy ways to connect with your German ancestors without leaving your home:

1. Read a book about German (emigration) history

It might sound a bit boring at first. But books are still one of the best resources to learn more about German history and your German ancestors’ lives.

Books (either traditional paperbacks or as an e-book) are also a great starting point if you want to approach the huge topic of German history slowly. One chapter at a time.

It’s easy to pick up a book and take it with you anywhere you like. In the fall and winter, you can cozy up with a good book and a cup of tea or coffee on your couch. In the summer, you can take it with you to your favorite spot in your garden, at the beach or swimming pool. 

But: There are dozens of books out there. So you might ask yourself where to start? Therefore, one tip I have for you (and this is probably one of the things that would interest you the most) is to start with the emigration history of your German ancestors. 

During my work as a tour guide for ancestry-inspired travel, my guests often ask me questions such as “How did my German ancestors get to their emigration port?”, “What ships did they travel on?” or “What was their journey like?”.

The answer is usually: it depends. On the time period and their hometown region.

But: my mom, Elisabeth Irani, answers these questions in her book about emigration history from Germany.

It is called “Passages to America: German Emigration in the 19th Century” and is available on Amazon.

*Disclosure: This link is an affiliate link to Amazon.com. If you click on this link and make a booking through this link, I will receive a small affiliate fee.

2. Watch a movie or series set in Germany and travel back in time

Time travel is one of my favorite (lazy) past times ever. And since an actual time machine has not been invented yet, the two closest things to time travel that you will get are:

Option 1: Traveling to Germany yourself and visiting historical sites and houses. If you are lucky and they still exist, these might even include your ancestors’ former homes or the church they used to worship at.

Option 2: Watching a movie or series set in a different time period in Germany. You can do this much more easily than traveling to Germany. Just tap on your remote control or other streaming device and you are there! 

The advantage of this second option is that you can start today with this fun and relaxing “learning activity”. After all, you do not have an ocean to cross first. 

The hard thing is of course that, similar to books, there are dozens of movies and series out there.

In a past life, I used to be a film-inspired travel blogger. Thus, I watched a lot of movies and series in order to write about them for my film location travel blog.

Here are just a couple of my recommendations, which I think are great to either travel back in time or give you a good idea of the modern-day Germany you will experience on your trip:

So, which time period will you travel to today?

Time Period 1: Early German history

“Barbarians” (2020-2022) on Netflix: This series is based on the real history of Arminius (Hermann), a child of the Germanic tribe of the “Cherusci”. He was taken to Rome, where he was raised as a Roman, but betrayed and defeated the Romans when he returned to Germania years later.

The decisive battle, which caused the Romans never to attempt conquering any areas north of the Rhine again, was called “Battle of the Teutoburg Forest”. But today we know from archeological finds that in the year 9 AD, this battle actually took place in Kalkriese near Osnabrück. This is very close to my hometown of Ankum in Lower Saxony.

“Die Päpstin” (2009, international title “Pope Joan”): Based on the novel by American novelist Donna Woolfolk Cross, this epic historical drama film tells the story of the legendary Pope Joan, who may or may not have been a woman.

In the 9th century, Johanna is born into a poor peasant village near the German town of Ingelheim. Disguised as a man, she rises through the Vatican ranks, eventually becoming Pope. This movie was an international production and is actually in English. In my opinion, it’s also an amazing opportunity to travel back to the literal “Dark Ages” – the Saxon or early medieval period in Germany.

Time Period 2: Before, during and after World War I

“Im Westen nichts Neues” (2022, international title: “All Quiet on the Western Front”) on Netflix: The story of this German anti-war film centers around a young German soldier named Paul Bäumer. His initial enthusiasm quickly turns into despair as he fights on the brutal Western Front in France during World War I. The movie is based on the 1929 novel of the same name by author Erich Maria Remarque (1898-1970).

The novel is in part autobiographic, as Remarque included his own horrible experiences in World War I through this work. Remarque was by the way from my hometown of Osnabrück and had French ancestors called “Remacle”. Quite ironic really that he later fought against the French, and yet another reminder of the pointlessness of all wars.

Like all war films, this is a very difficult watch, but a big part of German and European history. The acting is spot-on as well and the movie won four Academy Awards in 2023.

“Der Club der singenden Metzger” (2019, international title: “The Master Butcher”) is a German television film. It tells the story of a young butcher who emigrates from Germany to the USA after World War I. The movie is based on the novel of the same name by the American writer Louise Erdrich.

Time Period 3: Before, during and after World War II

“Zeit für Legenden” (2016, international title: “Race”): In my recent blog post about Berlin, I mentioned the Olympiastadion as a sightseeing tip. It was the location for the 1936 Summer Olympics that took place under Hitler and the Nazi regime.

The movie tells the story of the black American track and field athlete Jesse Owens and his unlikely friendship with German athlete (and rival!) Luz Long.

“Napola – Elite für den Führer” (2004, international title: “Before the Fall”): This movie is based on the real elite schools during Nazi Germany that were called “National Political Institutes of Education” (NaPolA). And in my opinion, one of the best and most powerful films about this gruesome era.

In the movie, we follow blond-and-blue-eyed Friedrich Weimer’s journey as he forges his father’s signature to attend the elite academy. Once there, he faces harsh discipline, bullying, and indoctrination into the Nazi ideology. He also befriends Albrecht – the very sensitive son of one of the town’s highest ranking Nazis, and literally “a lost soul” in all of this Nazi madness.

“Elser – Er hätte die Welt verändert” (2015, international title: “13 Minutes”): Did you know that there were 42 attempts (!) to assassinate Adolf Hitler carried out by German resistance fighters? Sadly, they all failed. In most cases due to a spontaneous change of plan.

Such as Hitler leaving 13 minutes earlier than he had originally planned to stay for a speech at the Bürgerbräukeller in Munich back in November 1939. This is where the ordinary carpenter Georg Elser had hidden a bomb in a wooden panel. This film tells his story.

Time Period 4: 1960s to 1990s – A divided Germany

“Der Baader Meinhof Komplex” (2008, international title: The Baader Meinhof Complex): This is one of the German films that made it across the border, even across the big pond, as it was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.

It tells the captivating true story of a handful of radical left-wing young West Germans. They wanted to change the capitalist world for the better, but applied violence and terror to do so.

“Deutschland 83” (2015), on Prime Video or Apple TV+, is a gripping German series that follows Martin Rauch, a young spy sent from the then walled-in East Germany to West Germany to uncover NATO’s military plans. There have also been two sequels called “Deutschland 86”, and “Deutschland 89”. 

“Good Bye, Lenin!” (2003): A German tragicomedy about a son who keeps his mother in the illusion that she still lives in the “good old” GDR (the former East German state) after she wakes from a coma during the reunification in Berlin.

A great film to see what it was like to live in the GDR and the times when everything started to change after the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. 

Time Period 5: Modern-day Germany

“Dark” (2017-2020): A mind-bending sci-fi series that intertwines time travel, family secrets and a nuclear plant in a small German town. Although the town and the stories are fictional, it provides glimpses into German life across different eras.

A little bit of a warning though: As the name suggests, this series is very dark and horrible at times and there are even scenes of murder. At the same time, it’s fascinating to watch how everything and everyone is connected. I also love the time-traveling element.

“RubbeldieKatz” (2011, international title: “Woman in Love”): One of my favorite German comedies (yes, these do exist as well!). In this hilarious, Berlin and Hamburg based mix-up comedy, Matthias Schweighöfer plays a struggling actor who dresses up as a woman to get a part in a Hollywood movie set in Nazi Germany. Too bad though that he falls head over heels in love with the lead actress, but can’t tell her that he is in fact a man…

“ÜberWeihnnachten” (2020, international title: “Over Christmas”) on Netflix: This is my seasonal German comedy tip for the month of December. As every year, Bastian, a struggling musician, who normally lives in Berlin, returns home to his parents’ house somewhere near Cologne to spend the Christmas holidays with his family. This year, he is particularly dreading the visit because he is still not over the breakup with his ex-girlfriend and he is not getting anywhere in his career as a musician.

The series was filmed in Monschau – a small town of about 12,000 inhabitants that is located very close to the French border and near the German city of Aachen. It’s quite pretty actually, with a lot of half-timbered houses and a little river that runs through the hilly alleyways. 

Ancestry Travel Tip: If your ancestors are from the Alsace, you should definitely put the area around Monschau on your to-do list while on your ancestry trip in Germany.

“The Reluctant Traveler” (2023-): I watched this series most recently on Apple TV+. It’s about Canadian actor Eugene Levy as he steps out of his comfort zone to explore the world’s most beautiful and intriguing destinations.

In season 2, he visits the German island of Sylt. This island is kind of like Germany’s “Hamptons” – a place which a lot of very rich people like to go to for their holidays.

“Modern Germany has always been a bit of a blank page to me: Beerhalls, Big sausages, nice cars. That’s all I’ve got.”, Eugene says while sitting in a beach chair on Sylt. “I didn’t know Germany even had islands… or beaches”. He also says that Germany boosts the largest wellness industry in Europe. Something I didn’t know either. 

Ancestry Travel Tip: Maybe your ancestors were from Sylt’s neighboring islands of Amrum or Föhr? A lot of people emigrated from there in the 19th century due to the fact that there were not many jobs available and frequent wars with nearby Denmark. Many of these emigrants settled in New York City and opened deli (delicatessen) shops. Here, they often sold cakes and salads based on the Frisian recipes they brought from back home.

So, if your German ancestors were from here, you definitely want to include a trip to the North Frisian islands in your itinerary. Choose Hamburg or Bremen as your starting city. From here, you can get there quite easily by train or rental car.

By the way: The Scotland episode is also worthwhile watching because Eugene’s mother is originally from here. So in this episode, he goes on his own ancestral travel request to connect with his Scottish roots.

So, grab your popcorn (or another of your favorite snacks) and dim the lights. It’s time to immerse yourself in Germany’s often dark, yet fascinating past or contemporary Germany through a movie or series of your choice!

3. Enroll in an online course 

My final tip for learning more about your German ancestors from the comfort of your couch are online courses about German history. This background knowledge offers you a convenient and compact way to really understand the times that your ancestors lived through – even before you set foot in Germany. 

This will save you precious time for when you do travel to Germany yourself. I bet you would prefer using the few days that you have in Germany for exploring and experiencing rather than studying German history, right?

Therefore, in our upcoming online course called the “Germany Trip Planning Masterclass”, we have a whole chapter dedicated to the History & Culture of Germany. It covers 400,000 years (!) of German history. But fear not! It is divided into 10, easily digestible chapters, so there is no overwhelm!

Instead, it will give you the most important facts of the ordinary people that lived through 10 time periods in German history: From the very first Germans (Neanderthals, Homo sapiens & Co.) to the modern-day Germany you will experience on your own ancestry-inspired trip.

We decided to focus on the ordinary people in Germany because other history books are usually about the kings, queens or politicians. But let’s face it: Most of our ancestors were not royal! Mine included. And by telling history from the ordinary people’s perspectives, you will be able to understand your ancestors’ lives and what they went through much better.

By enrolling in the course, you will also get access to a bonus short story e-book. In it, you can follow 10 gripping short stories of 10 German emigrants and immigrants that really make German history come to life!

Plus, in the monthly live coaching call on Zoom with tour guide and course instructor Sonja Irani, you can ask any questions you might have – either about German history, the lives of your own German ancestors or planning your very own ancestry-inspired trip to Germany.

Come and join us and learn more about German history – the fun way!

Remember: your ancestors’ (hi)stories are waiting to be discovered. So kick back, relax, and embark on a couch-bound adventure into your past. 

Unless otherwise credited, all photos by © Sonja Irani | MyAncestorsJourney.com