New Braunfels is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in Central Texas.  Braunfels means "brown rock" in German and the city is named for Braunfels, in Germany and has a sizeable German heritage.  New Braunfels was established in 1845 by the German Prince, Carl of Solms-Braunfels, Commissioner General of the "Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas", also known as the "Noblemen's Society”.  Prince Carl named the city Braunfels, after his hometown in Germany.

The Nobleman’s Society organized hundreds of people in Germany to settle in Texas.  Immigrants from Germany began arriving at Galveston in July 1844.   In December 1845, Texas became a state in the United States of America. The city's population was 36,494 as of the 2000 census, and was estimated to be about 51,804 in 2007.   The town holds a German-style festival, Wurstfest ("sausage festival"), every November to celebrate the city's German heritage.  New Braunfels draws a fair amount of tourists from across the state, particularly because of the cold, yet beautiful spring fed rivers that run through the city.

The city is situated along the Balcones Fault, where the Texas Hill Country meets rolling prairie land. Along the fault in the city, a string of artesian springs known as Comal Springs give rise to the Comal River, which is known as one of the shortest rivers in the world, as it winds three miles through the city before meeting the Guadalupe River. People from all over the state and even the world come during the summer to tube down the Guadalupe River and Comal River. New Braunfels is the site of one of the most well known water parks in the United States, Schlitterbahn WaterPark Resort.

Gruene Texas

Gruene, Texas, or the Gruene Historical District, is located within the city limits of New Braunfels. Founded by the sons of settlers Ernst and Antoinette Gruene, it had a bank, post office, school, general store, lumberyard, gristmill, dance hall,and cotton gin. It also had access to two railways for shipping cotton bales, a real coup in those times. Its most famous attribute was the dance hall, a family activity in those days. Due to the failure of the cotton crop from Boll Weevils, and the failure of the banks after 1929, commercial activity slowed to a crawl. This village is now a Nationally Registered Historic District where you can dine in the ruins of the original Gristmill or enjoy live music at Gruene Hall. The community may also be researched through the Sophienburg Museum and Archives.