Ueno German Culture Village

Ueno German Culture Village (うえのドイツ文化村, Ueno Doitsu Bunka Mura, German: Deutsches Kulturdorf Ueno) is a theme park in Miyakojima, Okinawa. It is located in Ueno district.

Ueno German Culture Village: Marksburg replica, a copy of a German medieval castle.

History

In 1873, the German schooner R. J. Robertson was shipwrecked off the coast of Miyako Island near what is now the German Culture Village in Ueno.[1] The crew were saved and cared for by the local islanders. As a gift for the islanders' kindness, and as an excuse for German warships to enter Ryukyuan waters, Kaiser Wilhelm I erected a monument in Hirara City in 1876, known locally as the German Emperor's Tributary Monument or the Friendship Monument.[1] After Japan annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom, Japan used this event as evidence of a history of friendship between Japan and Germany, and erected a second monument near the site of the wreck in 1936 that read "Site where German merchant marine ship ran into distress" (獨逸商船遭難之地, Doitsu shōsen sōnan no ji).[1]

Construction of Ueno German Culture Village commenced in 1987 at the site of the Japanese monument. The park partially opened in 1993 and a grand opening ceremony was held in 1996.[2] On 21 July 2000 Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schröder visited the park prior to attending the 26th G8 Summit in Okinawa.[3]

Attractions
Section of the Berlin Wall in the "Museum of Philanthropy"

The park is centered on a replica of Marksburg Castle, which contains a museum. A notable exhibit at the museum is a section of the Berlin Wall. There is also a restaurant, a hotel, and a glass-bottom boat ride.

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References
  1. Kerr, George. Okinawa: History of an Island People. Tokyo, Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1958. Page 410.
  2. http://www.hakuaiueno.com/profile.html
  3. Japan Times, Schroeder to visit Miyako isle before G8. 11 July 2000. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2000/07/11/national/schroeder-to-visit-miyako-isle-before-g8/#.XjAPmiSRWEc

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