Experience the history, beauty of Germany with UW-S
Study Abroad tour to travel to Germany March 16-24, 2012

From castles to churches and even Nazi concentration camps, the University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan is planning to offer area residents a memorable adventure to all of the above and more on its tour of historic and gorgeous Germany on its Study Abroad tour in 2012.

The “Highlights of Southern Germany Study Abroad” tour, which is set for March 16-24, 2012, will take travelers across southern Germany and into Austria to see major cities and sites such as Frankfurt, Munich, Salzburg and Vienna among other smaller towns and villages.

A special four-day extension of the tour is also available that will take guests into Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, from March 24-27.

Tour leaders will include UW-Sheboygan Assistant Professor of History Dr. Mark Karau, who has done extensive research on Germany and German history, and UW-Sheboygan Professor Emeritus of English Joe Milicia, who has traveled extensively throughout Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia).

This nine-day tour of Bavarian Germany and parts of Austria will offer travelers the opportunity to follow the Romantic Road leading up into the Alps and into small towns and villages that have remained untouched since medieval times. Cities soaked in tradition, such as Munich, Salzburg and Vienna will allow travelers to make a personal connection with history.

“I think it is fascinating to see first-hand the areas where so many of the major events of the 20th Century played out,” said Dr. Mark Karau, co-trip leader. “I also love the culture of southern Germany and the areas Romantic heritage.”

Karau, who has traveled extensively in Germany, including Berlin, the Rhine Valley, Dusseldorf and Freiburg, where he conducted his dissertation research, will share lectures on 20th Century history in Germany, specifically the revolutionary movements of 1918-1919 and the Nazi era.

According to Karau, although this will mark his fifth visit to Germany, the UW-S tour will provide him with an opportunity to see a city he has never seen or experienced before -- Vienna, Austria.

“I am most looking forward to seeing Vienna, which I have never traveled to,” Karau added. “I am also looking forward to sharing Munich with the others since it is such a fabulous city. I am also looking forward to sharing -- with those who choose to go – the Nazi concentration camp, Dachau.”

For Milicia, who traveled to Germany and Austria multiple times between 1969 and 2003, is anticipating sharing the music and culture that exist in Munich and other scheduled stops in Germany and Austria.

“Munich is such a great city for music,” Milicia added. “The last time I was there, I was able to see an Italian opera, the musical Kiss Me Kate in German and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band – all in one city! I am hoping to make arrangements so our travelers can get advance tickets to concerts and operas while we are in Munich, as well as Vienna and Prague.”

While in Munich, Milicia is also planning to share the city’s many beer halls for their atmosphere, as well as the coffee houses and amazing pastries available in Vienna, Austria. He is also looking to pay another visit to King Ludwig’s breathtaking Neuschwanstein Castle, which is the model for Walt Disney’s Cinderella castle at Disney World, and tour the nearby majestic Alps.

The tour fee is $2,988 per person based on double occupancy, which includes round trip airfare from Chicago, seven nights lodging, breakfast daily, one dinner, all motor coach transportation, English-speaking guides, entrance fees, tips and medical insurance.

The cost for the optional Prague Tour (March 24-27) is an additional $1,098 and includes three nights lodging at a first-class city center hotel, breakfast daily, motor coach transportation, guides and all entrance fees.

For more information or to register, contact UW-Sheboygan’s Center for Engagement Learning Office at (920) 459-6617, email jane.donlon@uwc.edu or download the itinerary and registration application forms at http://www.sheboygan.uwc.edu/academics/study-abroad/Germany2012.html . An initial $750 deposit is required to hold your space on this tour.