Media FAQs

Does the Fredericksburg Convention & Visitor Bureau assist working press? 
Yes, the FCVB communications team assists journalists on a daily basis by offering a variety of resources. To learn more, click here.

Who can provide a quote & images for editorial use? 
The Fredericksburg Convention & Visitor Bureau is happy to provide quotes and images for editorial use. Please contact the FCVB Communications team with details on your publication, story angle and deadline and we will be happy to assist. 

How many visitors come to Fredericksburg, Texas each year? 
Unfortunately, this number is nearly impossible for the FCVB to quantify confidently. To view the available research, click here.

What are the current population figures for Fredericksburg & Gillespie County?
Population figures as of the 2010 United States Census show a population of 10,530 in the City of Fredericksburg and an additional 24,837 in Gillespie County. 

What are the predominant industries in the Fredericksburg area?
Medical, tourism and agriculture

How many Fredericksburg area wineries are there?
Fredericksburg is Texas Wine Country, with more than 50 wineries, vineyards & tasting rooms located in the Fredericksburg area. 

What are the viticultural areas in the Texas Hill Country?
According to the Texas Department of Agriculture, the Texas Hill Country has three viticulture areas:  Bell Mountain, Fredericksburg and Hill Country.

In which year was Fredericksburg founded?
The city of Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 by 120 German immigrants who traveled to Texas from Germany to secure land purchased through the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, known as Mainser Adelsverein.  Each settler was promised a plot of land in town and 10 acres in the vicinity of the settlement in exchange for settlement in the vast wilderness that was Texas. To learn more on Fredericksburg history, click here.

From where in Germany did the early settlers come from?
Fredericksburg’s ancestors came from different kingdoms of Germany.  The first groups bound for Fredericksburg left Germany in 1845 with the first wave arriving in Texas in 1846 and groups continued arriving until the mid 1850s.  Some of the 19 kingdoms from which the settlers came include: Saxony, Nassau, Hannover, Westphalia, Thüringen, Nederlands, Prussia, and the Rhineland.

Is German still spoken in Fredericksburg today?
With the city’s founding fathers from Germany, German was predominately spoken in Fredericksburg until the 1940s, although today English is the main language. A version of the early German language is still spoken today in some households in Fredericksburg; however, that language is peppered with English words as many later generation words, like microwave and car, for example, didn’t exist when the first settlers traveled to Texas.

Why is Main Street so wide?
Main Street was designed to be wide enough to allow oxen carts to be turned around.

What significance are the street names?
Street signs leading west and east along Main Street/Hwy 290 (same road) spell out ALL WELCOME (Adams, Llano, Lincoln, Washington, Elk, Lee, Columbus, Olive, Mesquite, Eagle) and COME BACK (Crockett, Orange, Milam, Edison, Bowie, Acorn, Cherry, Kay). City founding fathers were thinking ahead about hospitality – what Fredericksburg is known for! Also – the Marktplatz, or town square, is the dividing line for East-end and West-end streets.

What is a Sunday House?
Sunday Houses are small, in-town houses that the early settlers used when they traveled from their farms outside Fredericksburg to town on weekends for supplies, fellowship, and Sunday church services. Architecture frequently included a second story used as sleeping quarters, outside staircases, and lean-to kitchens at the rear of the structures. Good examples of Sunday Houses in Fredericksburg can be found at the Pioneer Museum and on the 400 block of West San Antonio Street.

What is the Vereins Kirche that is located at the Marktplatz?
The Vereins Kirche (or VK as some locals call it) was built soon after the arrival of the first German settlers, and stands as a tribute to the courage and vision of Fredericksburg’s founders.  It was the first public building in the town, and served as a town hall, school and a church for all denominations. This is also the original site of the Pioneer Museum. The original building was demolished in 1896, but local citizens long dreamed of rebuilding it – a dream that came true in 1935 when a gala celebration was held to dedicate the new structure as a pioneer memorial. Today, this much-loved symbol of our German heritage is centrally located in the Marktplatz.  Inside, exhibits introduce visitors to the stories of Fredericksburg’s past.

What is the significance of the Maibaum located at the Marktplatz?
The Maibaum (or Maypole) symbolizes the history of this community.  Erected in 1991, the decorative pole stands proudly with several tiers – each tier significant to this community, from the peace negotiations between the Comanche Indian tribes and the German pioneers (bottom level) to the importance of agriculture (specifically grapes, peaches and cattle) and the ships that carried the early settlers from Germany. Each tier tells a story.

When is the Christmas Pyramid on display?
Custom built for the City of Fredericksburg, the 26’, 5-tiered rotating Christmas Pyramid is on display in the Marktplatz on Main Street during the Christmas holidays. It typically is on display from mid-November through the first week in January. 

Why is the National Museum of the Pacific War located in Fredericksburg?
The National Museum of the Pacific War originated from the Nimitz Museum which was established in Fredericksburg in honor of the men and women who fought during WWII with Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet, and Fredericksburg native. His grandparents owned the Nimitz Steamboat Hotel where Nimitz spent some of his childhood. This iconic structure, with its boat-like exterior, exists today on Main Street. Over time the hotel was converted to the Nimitz Museum where it is now a part of the 6.5-acre National Museum of the Pacific War complex that includes the recently updated George H. W. Bush Gallery (2009) and Admiral Nimitz Gallery (2020). The museum is operated by the Texas Historical Commission and the Admiral Nimitz Foundation, currently headed by General Michael W. Hagee, USMC (Ret), 33rd Commandant of the United States Marines.

How did Enchanted Rock get its name?
Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, with its distinctive pink granite, dates back almost one billion years and is considered to be formed from the outcrop of a volcano. Early Native Americans who lived in this area considered this batholith, the nation’s second largest behind Stone Mountain in Georgia, to be haunted because it made mysterious crackling sounds. Geologists have since theorized that the sound emanated from the granite swelling from the heat during the day, and retracting during the cool of the night. Enchanted Rock is located 18 miles north of Fredericksburg on RR 965 (off Main Street onto Milam Street).


additional resources