Milwaukee gymnasts take the world by storm in 1880

This city was an early center of Turnerbund's normal training activity in the United States

Turnerbund, and the many local Turner halls that featured gymnastics, was a somewhat distinct form of recreation in Wisconsin. The turnverein movement ("turnverein" means athletic club) was brought to the United States by German immigrants who were ardent practitioners of gynastics. The American Turnerbund was formed in 1850 and espoused a variety of controversial issues such as abolition and socialism. Later, in 1880, the federation made introducing physical education in all American schools their primary goal. That same year, George Brosius, director of the normal department of the German American Turnerbund, led a team from Milwaukee to an international competition in Frankfurt am Main, where the Milwaukee teamed claimed several prizes. This article describes the history of turnerbund in Milwaukee.

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