During the month of October, in the South of Brazil, beer mugs are raised as locals toast in a loud and proud German dialect in celebration of one of the main events of the year: Oktoberfest. It’s the keystone celebration in Pomerode, which is considered to be “the most German town in Brazil.”

The town preserves the cultural traits it inherited from the first settlers who founded the city in 1861. The majority of these German immigrants came from Pomerania, a northern region of Germany. Many of Pomerode’s 25,000 residents are trilingual in German, Portuguese, and the increasingly obsolete East Pomeranian German dialect.

The town’s heritage is evident throughout its architecture. Many of its buildings look as though they’ve been plucked from a German village and whisked across the Atlantic Ocean before being plopped in southern Brazil. One of these buildings is the preserved and restored half-timbered home of the very first German immigrant to settle in Pomerode, a man named Carl Weege.   

The house museum one of multiple historic attractions that delve into Pomerode’s German heritage. The local people’s personalities, religious beliefs, and gastronomy also reflect their German roots. The town has its own folklore groups, bands, choirs, and hunting and shooting clubs. Most locals even supported Germany over Brazil in the 2014 World Cup. The town also has beautiful parks and an impressive zoo. While there, be sure to raise your mug of German beer with a hearty cheer of “prost!”