Baltimore Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! PreviewAdvancedSpecial charactersHelpHeadingLevel 2Level 3Level 4Level 5FormatInsertLatinLatin extendedIPASymbolsGreekGreek extendedCyrillicArabicArabic extendedHebrewBanglaTamilTeluguSinhalaDevanagariGujaratiThaiLaoKhmerCanadian AboriginalRunesÁáÀàÂâÄäÃãǍǎĀāĂ㥹ÅåĆćĈĉÇçČčĊċĐđĎďÉéÈèÊêËëĚěĒēĔĕĖėĘęĜĝĢģĞğĠġĤĥĦħÍíÌìÎîÏïĨĩǏǐĪīĬĭİıĮįĴĵĶķĹĺĻļĽľŁłŃńÑñŅņŇňÓóÒòÔôÖöÕõǑǒŌōŎŏǪǫŐőŔŕŖŗŘřŚśŜŝŞşŠšȘșȚțŤťÚúÙùÛûÜüŨũŮůǓǔŪūǖǘǚǜŬŭŲųŰűŴŵÝýŶŷŸÿȲȳŹźŽžŻżÆæǢǣØøŒœßÐðÞþƏəFormattingLinksHeadingsListsFilesDiscussionReferencesDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getItalic''Italic text''Italic textBold'''Bold text'''Bold textBold & italic'''''Bold & italic text'''''Bold & italic textDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getReferencePage text.<ref>[https://www.example.org/ Link text], additional text.</ref>Page text.[1]Named referencePage text.<ref name="test">[https://www.example.org/ Link text]</ref>Page text.[2]Additional use of the same referencePage text.<ref name="test" />Page text.[2]Display references<references />↑ Link text, additional text.↑ Link text==Culture== {{Main|Culture of Baltimore}} {{See also|List of people from Baltimore|Music of Baltimore|List of museums in Baltimore}} [[File:Washington Monument (Baltimore).png|thumb|The [[Washington Monument (Baltimore)|Washington Monument]], erected in 1815 in Baltimore in honor of [[George Washington]]]] [[File:BromoSeltzertowerBaltimore.jpg|thumb|[[Emerson Bromo-Seltzer Tower]], built in 1911, includes 15 stories that have been transformed into studio spaces for visual and literary artists.]] Baltimore has historically been a working-class port town, sometimes dubbed a "city of neighborhoods". It comprises 72 designated historic districts<ref>{{cite web |title = Baltimore City Residents |publisher = City of Baltimore, Maryland |url = http://www.ci.baltimore.md.us/residents/ |access-date = June 5, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090621195940/http://www.ci.baltimore.md.us/residents/ |archive-date = June 21, 2009 }}</ref> traditionally occupied by distinct ethnic groups. Most notable today are three downtown areas along the port: the Inner Harbor, frequented by tourists because of its hotels, shops, and museums; Fells Point, once a favorite entertainment spot for sailors but now refurbished and gentrified (and featured in the movie ''[[Sleepless in Seattle]]''); and [[Little Italy, Baltimore|Little Italy]], located between the other two, where Baltimore's Italian-American community is based – and where U.S. House Speaker [[Nancy Pelosi]] grew up. Further inland, [[Mount Vernon, Baltimore|Mount Vernon]] is the traditional center of cultural and artistic life of the city. It is home to a distinctive [[Washington Monument (Baltimore)|Washington Monument]], set atop a hill in a 19th-century urban square, that predates the monument in Washington, D.C. by several decades. Baltimore has a significant [[History of the Germans in Baltimore|German American]] population,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.germanroots.com/gtoa.html |title=Germans to America – Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports 1850–1897 |publisher=German Roots |access-date=July 8, 2013}}</ref> and was the second-largest port of immigration to the United States behind [[Ellis Island]] in New York and New Jersey. Between 1820 and 1989, almost 2 million who were German, [[History of the Poles in Baltimore|Polish]], English, Irish, [[History of the Russians in Baltimore|Russian]], [[History of the Lithuanians in Baltimore|Lithuanian]], [[History of the French in Baltimore|French]], [[History of the Ukrainians in Baltimore|Ukrainian]], [[History of the Czechs in Baltimore|Czech]], [[History of the Greeks in Baltimore|Greek]] and [[Italian Americans|Italian]] came to Baltimore, mostly between 1861 and 1930. By 1913, when Baltimore was averaging forty thousand immigrants per year, World War I closed off the flow of immigrants. By 1970, Baltimore's heyday as an immigration center was a distant memory. There was a [[Chinatown, Baltimore|Chinatown]] dating back to at least the 1880s, which consisted of 400 Chinese residents. A local Chinese-American association remains based there, with one Chinese restaurant as of 2009. Beer making thrived in Baltimore from the 1800s to the 1950s, with over 100 old breweries in the city's past.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kilduffs.com/American_Brewery_Baltimore.html|title=Old Baltimore Breweries|author=Thomas Paul|work=kilduffs.com|access-date=August 4, 2015}}</ref> The best remaining example of that history is the old [[American Brewery (building)|American Brewery Building]] on North Gay Street and the [[National Brewing Company]] building in the [[Brewers Hill, Baltimore|Brewer's Hill]] neighborhood. In the 1940s the National Brewing Company introduced the nation's first six-pack. National's two most prominent brands, were [[National Bohemian]] Beer colloquially "Natty Boh" and [[Colt 45 (malt liquor)|Colt 45]]. Listed on the [[Pabst Brewing Company|Pabst]] website as a "Fun Fact", Colt 45 was named after running back [[Jerry Hill (American football)|#45 Jerry Hill]] of the 1963 [[Indianapolis Colts#The NFL Baltimore Colts|Baltimore Colts]] and not the [[.45 Colt|.45 caliber handgun ammunition round]]. Both brands are still made today, albeit outside of Maryland, and served all around the Baltimore area at bars, as well as [[Baltimore Orioles|Orioles]] and [[Baltimore Ravens|Ravens]] games.<ref name="draft">{{cite news|last1=Maza|first1=Erik|url=http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-01-26/entertainment/bs-ae-natty-boh-20110126_1_national-bohemian-historic-baltimore-brew-halethorpe-brewery|title=National Bohemian beer to be served on draft again|access-date=July 6, 2012|work=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|date=January 26, 2011}}</ref> The Natty Boh logo appears on all cans, bottles, and packaging. Merchandise featuring him can be found in shops in Maryland, including several in [[Fells Point]]. Each year the [[Artscape (festival)|Artscape]] takes place in the city in the [[Bolton Hill, Baltimore|Bolton Hill]] neighborhood, close to the Maryland Institute College of Art. Artscape styles itself as the "largest free arts festival in America".<ref>{{cite news| url=http://baltimore.about.com/od/eventsfestivals/a/Artscape.htm| title=Artscape 2010 in Baltimore| author=Mike Unger| work=About.com Baltimore| access-date=March 15, 2011| archive-date=July 7, 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707074830/http://baltimore.about.com/od/eventsfestivals/a/Artscape.htm| url-status=dead}}</ref> Each May, the [[Maryland Film Festival]] takes place in Baltimore, using all five screens of the historic [[Charles Theatre]] as its anchor venue. Many movies and television shows have been filmed in Baltimore. ''[[Homicide: Life on the Street]]'' was set and filmed in Baltimore, as well as ''[[The Wire]].'' ''[[House of Cards (U.S. TV series)|House of Cards]]'' and ''[[Veep]]'' are set in Washington, D.C. but filmed in Baltimore.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/tv/z-on-tv-blog/bal-spacey-fincher-house-of-cards-netflix-20130125,0,7602581.story|author=David Zurawik|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=February 1, 2013|title=Spacey, Fincher build a winning 'House of Cards' for Netflix|access-date=September 17, 2014|archive-date=October 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017000034/http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/tv/z-on-tv-blog/bal-spacey-fincher-house-of-cards-netflix-20130125,0,7602581.story|url-status=dead}}</ref> Baltimore has cultural museums in many areas of study. [[Baltimore Museum of Art|The Baltimore Museum of Art]] and the [[Walters Art Museum]] are internationally renowned for their collections of art. The Baltimore Museum of Art has the largest holding of works by [[Henri Matisse]] in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://artbma.org/about/ |title=About The Baltimore Museum of Art |publisher=The Baltimore Museum of Art |access-date=February 6, 2016 }}</ref> The [[American Visionary Art Museum]] has been designated by [[United States Congress|Congress]] as America's national museum for [[visionary art]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/102nd-congress/house-concurrent-resolution/327/cosponsors|title=Cosponsors - H.Con.Res.327 – 102nd Congress (1991–1992): Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding visionary art as a national treasure and regarding the American Visionary Art Museum as a national repository and educational center for visionary art.|last=Cardin|first=Benjamin L.|date=May 28, 1992|website=congress.gov|access-date=April 2, 2020}}</ref> The [[National Great Blacks In Wax Museum]] is the first African American wax museum in the country, featuring more than 150 life-size and lifelike wax figures.<ref name=firsts /> ===Cuisine=== Baltimore is known for its Maryland [[Callinectes sapidus|blue crabs]], crab cake, [[Old Bay Seasoning]], pit beef, and the "chicken box". The city has many restaurants in or around the Inner Harbor. The most known and acclaimed are the Charleston, Woodberry Kitchen, and the [[Duff Goldman|Charm City Cakes]] bakery featured on the Food Network's ''[[Ace of Cakes]]''. The [[Little Italy, Baltimore|Little Italy]] neighborhood's biggest draw is the food. Fells Point also is a foodie neighborhood for tourists and locals and is where the oldest continuously running tavern in the country, "The Horse You Came in on Saloon", is located.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM4B4J_Edgar_Allen_Poe_Lives_The_Horse_You_Came_in_On_Fells_Point_Batitmore_MD |title=Edgar {{sic|Al|len|nolink=y}} Poe Lives @ The Horse You Came in On |author=Math Teacher |date=July 31, 2008 |access-date=February 6, 2016 |publisher=Groundspeak }}</ref> Many of Baltimore's upscale restaurants are found in Harbor East. Five public markets are located across Baltimore. The [[Baltimore Public Markets|Baltimore Public Market System]] is the oldest continuously operating public market system in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bpmarkets.com/history.html |title=History |publisher=Baltimore Public Markets Corporation |access-date=February 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812172407/http://bpmarkets.com/history.html |archive-date=August 12, 2015 }}</ref> [[Lexington Market]] is one of the longest-running markets in the world and the longest running in the country, having been around since 1782. The market continues to stand at its original site. Baltimore is the last place in America where one can still find [[arabber]]s, vendors who sell fresh fruits and vegetables from a horse-drawn cart that goes up and down neighborhood streets.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.travelchannel.com/shows/bizarre-foods/travel-guides/baltimore-and-chesapeake-bay-travel-guide |title=Baltimore and Chesapeake Bay Travel Guide |publisher=The Travel Channel |work=Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern |access-date=February 6, 2016 }}</ref> Food- and drink-rating site [[Zagat]] ranked Baltimore second in a list of the 17 best food cities in the US in 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-us-cities-for-foodies-2015-12 |title=The 17 best US cities for people who really like to eat |first=Tanza |last=Loudenback |website=Business Insider |date=December 30, 2015 |access-date=February 6, 2016 }}</ref> ===Local dialect=== {{Main|Baltimore dialect}} Baltimore city, along with its surrounding regions, is home to a unique local dialect known as the [[Baltimore dialect]]. It is part of the larger [[Mid-Atlantic American English]] group and is noted to be very similar to the [[Philadelphia dialect]].<ref name=labov>{{cite book|last1=Labov|first1=William|author-link=William Labov|last2=Ash|first2=Sharon|last3=Boberg|first3=Charles|year=2005|title=The Atlas of North American English: Phonetics, Phonology and Sound Change|publisher=Mouton de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-020683-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.evolpub.com/Americandialects/MidAtldialects.html| title=The Mid-Atlantic Dialects| publisher=Evolution Publishing |access-date=March 29, 2011}}</ref> The so-called "Bawlmerese" accent is known for its characteristic pronunciation of its long "o" vowel, in which an "eh" sound is added before the long "o" sound (/oʊ/ shifts to [ɘʊ], or even [eʊ]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.umbc.edu/che/tahlessons/pdf/historylabs/Maryland:_A_Mid_student:RS01.pdf|title=Baltimore's Dialect: North or South, Hon?|access-date=April 18, 2018}}</ref> It adopts Philadelphia's pattern of the short "a" sound, such that the tensed vowel in words like "bath" or "ask" does not match the more relaxed one in "sad" or "act".<ref name=labov /> Baltimore native [[John Waters (director born 1946)|John Waters]] parodies the city and its dialect extensively in his films. Most are [[List of films shot in Baltimore|filmed in Baltimore]], including the 1972 cult classic ''[[Pink Flamingos]]'', as well as ''[[Hairspray (1988 film)|Hairspray]]'' and its [[Hairspray (musical)|Broadway musical remake]]. ===Performing arts=== <!---International Theater Festival redirects to this section---> [[File:Hippodrome Baltimore.JPG|thumb|The [[Hippodrome Theatre (Baltimore)|Hippodrome Theatre]]]] Baltimore has four state-designated arts and entertainment districts: The Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts and Entertainment District, [[Station North Arts and Entertainment District]], [[Highlandtown Arts District, Baltimore, MD|Highlandtown Arts District]], and the Bromo Arts & Entertainment District.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://baltimore.org/what-to-do/explore-baltimores-arts-entertainment-districts/ |title=Explore Baltimore's Arts & Entertainment Districts |publisher=Baltimore Office of Promotion and The Arts |access-date=February 15, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/pennsylvania-avenue-is-now-a-state-designated-black-arts-and-entertainment-district/|title=Pennsylvania Avenue is now a state-designated black arts and entertainment district|date=July 2019 |publisher=Baltimore Fishbowl |access-date=February 15, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackartsdistrict.org |title=Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts & Entertainment District, Inc.|publisher=Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts & Entertainment District, Inc. |access-date=February 15, 2023 }}</ref> The Baltimore Office of Promotion and The Arts, a non-profit organization, produces events and arts programs as well as managing several facilities. It is the official Baltimore City Arts Council. BOPA coordinates Baltimore's major events, including New Year's Eve and July 4 celebrations at the Inner Harbor, [[Artscape (festival)|Artscape]], which is America's largest free arts festival, Baltimore Book Festival, Baltimore Farmers' Market & Bazaar, School 33 Art Center's Open Studio Tour, and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://baltimore.org/what-to-do/explore-baltimores-arts-entertainment-districts/ |title=About Us |publisher=Baltimore Office of Promotion and The Arts |access-date=February 6, 2016 }}</ref> The [[Baltimore Symphony Orchestra]] is an internationally renowned orchestra, founded in 1916 as a publicly funded municipal organization. Its most recent music director was [[Marin Alsop]], a protégé of [[Leonard Bernstein]]'s. [[Centerstage (theater)|Centerstage]] is the premier theater company in the city and a regionally well-respected group. The [[Lyric Opera House]] is the home of [[Lyric Opera Baltimore]], which operates there as part of the Patricia and Arthur Modell Performing Arts Center. Shriver Hall Concert Series, founded in 1966, presents classical chamber music and recitals featuring nationally and internationally recognized artists.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 24, 2015 |title=Shriver Hall celebrates 50th season with old and new |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/arts/bs-ae-shriver-concerts-50th-20151024-story.html |access-date=August 12, 2023 |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |first=Tim |last=Smith}}</ref> [[The Baltimore Consort]] has been a leading early music ensemble for over twenty-five years. The France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, home of the restored [[Thomas W. Lamb]]-designed [[Hippodrome Theatre (Baltimore)|Hippodrome Theatre]], has afforded Baltimore the opportunity to become a major regional player in the area of touring Broadway and other performing arts presentations. Renovating Baltimore's historic theatres has become widespread throughout the city. Renovated theatres include the [[Everyman Theatre, Baltimore|Everyman]], Centre, [[Senator Theatre|Senator]], and most recently [[Parkway Theatre (Baltimore)|Parkway]] Theatre. Other buildings have been reused. These include the former [[Mercantile Deposit and Trust (Baltimore, Maryland)|Mercantile Deposit and Trust]] Company bank building, which is now [[The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company]] Theater. Baltimore has a wide array of professional (non-touring) and community theater groups. Aside from Center Stage, resident troupes in the city include The Vagabond Players, the oldest continuously operating community theater group in the country, [[Everyman Theatre, Baltimore|Everyman Theatre]], [[Single Carrot Theatre]], and Baltimore Theatre Festival. Community theaters in the city include Fells Point Community Theatre and the [[The Arena Players|Arena Players Inc.]], which is the nation's oldest continuously operating African American community theater.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.baltimore.org/africanamerican/visual_performingarts.htm | title=Baltimore's African American Heritage and Attractions Guide: Visual and Performing Arts | publisher=Visit Baltimore (affiliated with the Baltimore Convention & Tourism Board) | access-date=January 5, 2010 | archive-date=July 5, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705085205/http://www.baltimore.org/africanamerican/visual_performingarts.htm }}</ref> In 2009, the [[Baltimore Rock Opera Society]], an all-volunteer theatrical company, launched its first production.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tales of Brotopia: The Baltimore Rock Opera Society drops Gründlehämmer |author=Michael Byrne |url= http://www2.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=19049&p=1 |newspaper=Baltimore City Paper |date=September 30, 2009 |access-date=July 7, 2011}}</ref> Baltimore is home to the [[Pride of Baltimore Chorus]], a three-time international silver medalist women's chorus, affiliated with [[Sweet Adelines International]]. The [[Maryland State Boychoir]] is located in the northeastern Baltimore neighborhood of Mayfield. Baltimore is the home of non-profit [[chamber music]] organization Vivre Musicale. VM won a 2011–2012 award for Adventurous Programming from the [[American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers]] and [[Chamber Music America]].<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.chamber-music.org/pdf/FY12-cma-ascap-press.pdf |title=Presenters and Ensembles Honored for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music |publisher=Chamber Music America |date=December 13, 2011 |access-date=February 15, 2012}}</ref> The [[Peabody Institute]], located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood, is the oldest conservatory of music in the United States.<ref name="kennedy-center1">{{cite web |url=http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/artists/?entity_id=10868&source_type=B |title=The Peabody Institute at the Johns Hopkins University – The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts |publisher=Kennedy-center.org |access-date=July 8, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511232127/http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/artists/?entity_id=10868&source_type=B |archive-date=May 11, 2013 }}</ref> Established in 1857, it is one of the most prestigious in the world,<ref name="kennedy-center1" /> along with [[Juilliard School|Juilliard]], [[Eastman School of Music|Eastman]], and the [[Curtis Institute of Music|Curtis Institute]]. The [[Morgan State University]] Choir is also one of the nation's most prestigious university choral ensembles.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16802-2004Jul26.html |title=Morgan State Choir Director Nathan M. Carter Dies at 68 |last=Schudel |first=Matt |date=July 27, 2004 |access-date=January 22, 2016 |newspaper=The Washington Post |quote=led the Morgan State University Choir in performances all over the world while building it into one of the premier vocal groups in the nation }}</ref> The city is home to the [[Baltimore School for the Arts]], a public high school in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore. The institution is nationally recognized for its success in preparation for students entering music (vocal/instrumental), theatre (acting/theater production), dance, and visual arts. In 1981, Baltimore hosted the first International Theater Festival, the first such festival in the country. Executive producer Al Kraizer staged 66 performances of nine shows by international [[theatre companies]], including from Ireland, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Israel.<ref>{{cite news |title=International Theater Festival |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=May 31, 1981 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/05/31/international-theater-festival/2116bb9f-4a07-4bb5-9395-f6bba14beeca/ |access-date=December 11, 2021}}</ref> The festival proved to be expensive to mount, and in 1982 the festival was hosted in Denver, called the World Theatre Festival,<ref>{{cite news |title=The Script Was in Serbo-Croatian |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=August 31, 1982 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/08/31/the-script-was-in-serbo-croatian/fe0796fb-3ba0-4a80-aca1-01c98c8c6eef/ |access-date=December 11, 2021}}</ref> at the [[Denver Center for Performing Arts]], after the city had asked Kraizer to organize it.<ref>{{cite news |title=Baltimore's World Theater Festival blooms anew in Denver |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 27, 1982 |first=William E. |last=Schmidt |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/27/theater/baltimore-s-world-theater-festival-blooms-anew-in-denver.html |access-date=December 11, 2021}}</ref> In June 1986, the 20th Theatre of Nations, sponsored by the [[International Theatre Institute]], was held in Baltimore, the first time it had been held in the U.S.<ref>{{cite news |title=World Theater Festival Set for Baltimore in June |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=April 20, 1986 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/20/theater/world-theater-festival-set-for-baltimore-in-june.html |access-date=December 11, 2021}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page