Franconia Beer Message Board

Bock (Sehnsucht nach Franken...)
Posted by Gerhard Schoolmann on 2015-11-21 07:24:21
Do not fear that they offer swans instead of chicken or gooses.

The Schwan as a restaurant/pub name was very popular in the second half of the 16th and 17th century, after the death of Martin Luther (1546).

After the dead of Johan Hus, a revolutioneer priest, murdered 1415 by fire, the people has told, that he has said, that after him (the bohemian name means "goose") will come a swan - in the sense of  a more successful revolutioneer or reformer against the catholic church.
And later, in the 17th century, the people believed, that Martin Luther is this swan.

The swan was a part of the coat of arms of Martin Luther.
Images:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwan_%28Wappentier%29

The swan was later part of many coats of arms of cities and regions (countries) that have changed from the Catholic to the Protestant religion.

Famous is the guesthouse "Zum weißen Schwan" (white swan) in Weimar. Johann Wolfgang Goethe (a famous german author, a national cultural hero) has lived in the neighborhood of this guesthouse and was often guest in the restaurant and recommend the guesthouse to his friends and visitors. He has written: "der weiße Schwan begrüßt Dich jederzeit mit offenen Flügeln" (the "White Swan" welcomes You any times with open wings. 

So it was a pleasure and honor for many up-graded hotels, guesthouses and restaurants to name themselves as "Schwan" oder "Weißer Schwan".

The website of the famous "Weisser Schwan" in Weimar.
http://www.weisserschwan.de/
 
Followups:
                 Schwan (Sehnsucht nach Franken...) by Ungespundet on  2015-11-21 08:35:22
                   Goethe by Nick B. on  2015-11-22 03:27:56
                     Goethe by Ungespundet on  2015-11-23 15:06:55
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