German filk

Filk fandom in Germany grew out of American and British filk and German conventions. Commercial and amateur tapes got into the hands of German fans and even into the East. Katy Droege wrote to Julia Ecklar asking for the lyrics and chords to her songs, and Julia sent an extensive reply. She organized a filk circle at Con Course II in Hamburg.

Meanwhile, Ju Honisch was writing some original songs on Star Trek themes. She and Katy got together at ConCourse and formed the first German filk performing duo, logically called Ju and Katy. They published the first German filk tape, "Filk from a Developing Country." With the unification of Germany, East Germans such as Kirstin Scholz were able to join the nascent filk community.

Housefilks began to form, and there was filk at Con Course III and WARP III. A gathering called the "Absolutely Ultimate German Mini-Filk Con" was organized in Gütersloh; about 20 people attended. A similar gathering followed in 1993 in Berlin.

The first German filk convention to rise beyond the "mini" category was FilkContinental 1997 at Castle Blankenheim. The convention has been held annually, with a few gaps, since then. Another convention, DFDF, began in 2009. There have been some one-shot conventions to fill in years when FilkContinental was not held.

There have been strong connections between British and German filk fandom, with a number of regular British attendees at German cons, often assisting with tech. German filkers, as individuals and performing groups, have often been guests at cons in the United States, Canada, and Britain.

The German Filk Fund, created in 1997, auctions donated items to raise money to support the conventions and help bring in guests.