Kitchener

Being a town of Berlin for fifty years and then a city of Berlin for a brief period in the early 20th century, Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. The city is adjacent to the cities of Cambridge and Waterloo. Though Kitchener and Waterloo are often labeled as Kitchener-Waterloo (K-W), they have separate municipal governments. Along with Cambridge, the three cities are called as the tri-cities. The region is generally above 300m in elevation. Baden Hill is to the west of the city which is the highest elevation for many miles around. Waterloo Moraine is another prominent glacier which winds its way through the area which contains a considerable amount of artesian wells that is a major source of drinking water for the city.

Major portion of the land in Kitchener, that was composed of moraines and swamps and entwined with rivers and lakes, was transformed to farmland and roads. Apple trees were cultivated in the region in the 1830s. From 1816 to 1870s, many immigrants of German descent moved here. In 1833, the town was renamed Berlin, and in 1853 became the County Seat of the newly created County of Waterloo. In the mid of 19th century, the Railway system was extended from Sarnia to Toronto which helped accelerate industrialization in the area. Since the population here comprised mainly of German heritage, the settlement was amicably named Berlin. At the start of First World War, citizens were forced to isolate themselves from Canada's opponents. Thus in 1916 the title of Kitchener was enacted from Berlin named after the 1st Earl Kitchener who expired while in the position of Secretary of State for War of the United Kingdom.

Kitchener offers several cultural attractions like The Open Ears Festival, CAFKA, , IMPACT theatre festival, the Multicultural Festival and the Expressions of Social Justice Festival. There are such superb venues here as Homer Watson House & Gallery, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, The Center in the Square and The Aud. An annual nine-day event Kitchener-Waterloo's Oktoberfest is also in progress here. Its theme takes its basis from the original German Oktoberfest and it is reckoned as Canada's Greatest Bavarian Festival. The festival takes place every October, commencing on the Friday before Canadian Thanksgiving. It continues till the Saturday after and is the largest Bavarian festival in the world outside of Germany.

Though the beer-based events pull the crowd more than other celebrations in Kitchener, family and cultural events also fill the week. Oktoberfest Thanksgiving Day Parade that takes place on Thanksgiving Day is the best-known, which is telecasted nationally. A great pull of the festival is Miss Oktoberfest, a beauty pageant. Initially, the person finally crowned was selected in a televised beauty pageant and the contestants used to come from across North America. Presently, the position is now selected by a panel of judges from local applicants. The winner earns points for community building and personal character also matters. You would definitely want to visit a city that has so much in store, so grab Kitchener Tickets at your earliest convenience!