The German religious settlers whose communal Iowa villages gave the world Amana refrigerators, and the microwave oven's Radarange.
The Community of True Inspiration, German Pietists seeking religious freedom, settled seven villages in Iowa County beginning in 1855 and lived communally (sharing property, kitchens, and work) for more than 75 years.
In 1932, during the Great Depression, the community reorganized in the “Great Change,” separating its church from a for-profit Amana Society. Out of that came Amana Refrigeration, founded by George Foerstner, which grew into a major appliance maker and introduced the Radarange, the first popular home microwave oven, in 1967.
The Amana Colonies are one of America's longest-lived communal societies and a National Historic Landmark, drawing visitors to their preserved villages, crafts, and restaurants. The Amana appliance name carried the little Iowa community's reputation for quality into kitchens worldwide.
The colonies remain a living center of German-Iowa heritage.
The Amana Colonies is based in Amana, Iowa. A National Historic Landmark; the Amana appliance brand endures worldwide
1855.
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