About Das Bratwurst Haus
Germany, in the immediate aftermath of World War II, found an entire nation of people scraping and scrambling to rebuild their lives and find work to feed their families. Honest, hard working people left to pick up the pieces of a country devastated by war. Among them, Anton Wirth, a laborer, a man willing to work at whatever was necessary to survive and provide for his wife and children. In the historic town of Bamberg, in the southern state of Bavaria, under the watchful eyes of thousand year old cathedrals, The Bamberger Dom and The Michaelsberg, Anton started a small business in the Alt Stadt (Old Town) area of Bamberg. His endeavor consisted of nothing more than a homemade barbeque grill and a desire to succeed. Beginning with grilled sardine sandwiches and graduating to bratwurst and other German sausages, Anton began a tradition of fine German cooking, which over sixty years later, has found its’ way to Yuma’s Historic Alt Stadt.
Barbara Bowles, granddaughter of Anton Wirth and owner of Das Bratwurst Haus, a special event food vendor and caterer for four years in Yuma, has opened her German restaurant at 204 S. Madison Avenue. A native German, born and raised in Bamberg, Barbara is the latest in a long line of Wirth's to pursue their love of feeding others. Along with her grandfather, her father, Joseph Wirth was a German baker and her mother Maryanne worked alongside Anton in the bratwurst business.
Das Bratwurst Haus opened its’ doors on October 26th, 2009. Barbara offers lunch and dinner menus of German “comfort food” from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Dishes and sandwiches such Sauerbraten, Rouladen, Schnitzel (Veal and Pork), Bratwurst, Curry Wurst, Leberkaese and many traditional German side orders such as Spaetzle, German Potato Salad, Sauer Kraut, Blau Kraut and Cucumber Salad are available. Das Bratwurst Haus also has very impressive selection of desserts to choose from including German cheesecake, carrot cake, apple and cherry strudel, Tiramisu, Donauwelle, Bienenstich and the best of the best, Schwarzwaelder Kirsch (Black Forrest Cake).
The main dining room of Das Bratwurst Haus is decorated with scenes from Barbara’s home town featuring a large panoramic view of the city from decades ago. Some of Bamberg’s most prominent examples of architecture and sculpture are pictured as well. The Bamberger Dom, officially called Bamberger Dom St. Peter und St Georg, a majestic, four towered cathedral founded in 1007 by the Emperor Heinrich II, King of the Romans, casts its’ imposing gaze over the dining room. The Dom is home to several of Bamberg’s treasures. The tombs of Heinrich II and his wife Empress Kunigunde are located there. Pope Clement II, the former bishop of Bamberg, who died in 1047, after serving as the Pope for only twelve months is buried in the Bamberger Dom. This is the only papal burial site outside of Italy or France. The east chancel of the cathedral is dedicated to St. Georg, symbolizing the Holy Roman Empire. The west chancel is dedicated to St. Peter, symbolizing the Pope.The Bamberger Reiter (Bamberg Horseman), an equestrian statue, sculptured by an unnamed artist, signed with a mask instead of a signature, whose rider, himself, remains, largely, an unknown person.
Michaelsberg Abbey was founded in 1015, dedicated to St. Michael, by Eberhard I, the first bishop of Bamberg, as his private monastery. In 1117, the first church on the site was destroyed by an earthquake and immediately re-built by Bishop Otto The Holy. The Michaelsburg’s history as a focal point of conflict and destruction is a history of Bamberg itself. An uprising in 1425 by the townspeople of Bamberg, the Peasants War of 1525, a devastating fire in 1610 and the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) all took their toll on the magnificent cathedral. The church of the former abbey still stands as the Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church) and remains in use today.
Das Bratwurst Haus’ indoor Bier Garten is a tribute to King Ludwig II and his famous NeuSchwanstein Castle. Murals of scenes surrounding the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Cinderella Castle, as well as photos of Ludwig II and interior rooms of Neu Schwanstein cover the walls of the Bier Garten. DBH serves exclusively German Bier. Our featured bier is Weihenstephan, the oldest brewery in the world, started by monks in the year 1040.
DBH has added a shopping area, inside of the restaurant, where traditional German items such as nut crackers. smokemen. bier steins and kuckoo clocks are avaialble. Not that you could miss it, but make sure you see DBH's newest addition to its' kuckoo clock collection. It is a five foot high, antique, hunter style clock. It is positioned in the main dining room.
On the third Saturday in January, each year, Das Bratwurst Haus holds an Oktoberfest style street festival in Yuma, “German Fest on Madison”. “The Fest” is a day long party with eight hours of live entertainment, German Food, German Bier, a Kinder Land play area and vendors.
Six decades ago, a half a world away, a silver lining emerged from a cloak of despair and uncertainty, born of a nation recovering from war. The legacy of Anton Wirth is a legacy of determination, hard work and, of course, great German food. His legacy is alive in Yuma, today, through his granddaughter, Barbara. As her grandfather was, in their home town of Bamberg so many years ago, so too will Barbara be under the watchful eyes of the The Dom and The Michaelsburg.