ROOTED HERE
Behind the downtown streets.
A whole city’s story.
Downtown New Braunfels, Gruene and the Comal and Guadalupe rivers anchor a fast-growing Hill Country city.
People made the city.
These milestones are an introduction, not a complete local history. Follow the linked city and museum sources to explore the people and places behind them.Read the local historical account.
Watch the city’s history
FROM THE ARCHIVES
History in 10: New Braunfels Texas
A local history film shared by History in 10.
Watch on YouTube ↗- 1845
New Braunfels is founded
German settlers led by Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels founded the community on March 21.
Texas Historical Commission ↗ - 1846
City incorporation
The Texas Legislature incorporated New Braunfels on May 11.
Texas Historical Commission ↗ - 1847
The charter is ratified
The community's city charter was ratified.
Texas Historical Commission ↗ - 1850
One of Texas's largest towns
New Braunfels was recorded as the fourth-largest city in Texas.
Texas Historical Commission ↗ - 1852
A German-language newspaper
The Neu-Braunfelser Zeitung began publication, documenting the growing German-Texan community.
City of New Braunfels ↗
See the history for yourself.
Walk downtown to see surviving commercial architecture, then explore the Historical Preservation Society’s museum and visiting information. Check current opening dates before setting out. Historical Preservation Society.
For deeper research, the New Braunfels library resources is a starting point for archival material and research help. Historic photographs have their own permissions; we link to the collection instead of treating every old image as free to reuse.
Selected milestones researched September 13, 2026. This is an introduction, not a complete account of the city’s history.