Luckenbach (Town)

Luckenbach is a small town 13 miles from Fredericksburg in southeastern Gillespie County, Texas, United States, part of the Texas Hill Country. Luckenbach is named after Jakob Luckenbach, a German immigrant, and it is known for its German-Texan Heritage. Luckenbach was one of the first German immigrants recruited by the Adelsverein to settle the Texas Hill Country in 1845.

Today, the town's oldest building is a combination general store and saloon reputedly opened in 1849 (1886 is more likely, based on land improvement records of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission) by Minna Engel, whose father was an itinerant minister from Germany. The community, first named Grape Creek (perhaps really a faulty spelling of "Gap Creek", the literal meaning of "Luckenbach" in German), was later renamed after Engel's husband, Carl Albert Luckenbach. They later moved to another town that became Albert, Texas. Luckenbach was first established as a community trading post, one of a few that never broke a peace treaty with the Comanche Indians, with whom they traded.

The town features one of the best-known Hill Country dance halls, a legendary German-style dance hall, which first opened in 1887. Since then, it has fostered the town’s musical heritage and hosted legendary Texas musicians from Willie Nelson to Robert Earl Keen. Every weekend, Luckenbach Dance Hall holds dances and concerts featuring country musicians and other Texas artists. The small town also hosts festivals including the Luckenbach Women's Chili Cookoff and the 1st Luckenbach World's Fair.