Boerne, Texas

Boerne is a city in and the county seat of Kendall County, Texas, United States, in the Texas Hill Country. Boerne was named in honor of German author and publicist Ludwig Börne by the German Founders of the town. The population of Boerne was 10,471 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the estimated population was 18,232. The city is noted for the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case City of Boerne v. Flores. Founded in 1849 as “Tusculum”, the name was changed to “Boerne” when the town was platted in 1852. Boerne came into being as an offshoot of the Texas Hill Country Free Thinker Latin Settlements, resulting from the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states. Those who came were Forty-Eighters, intellectual liberal abolitionists who enjoyed conversing in Latin and who believed in utopian ideals that guaranteed basic human rights to all. They reveled in passionate conversations about science, philosophy, literature, and music. The communities eventually failed due to lack of finances after the Adelsverein funding expired, and conflicts of structure and authorities. In spite of the influx of different ethnic groups, the German cultural tradition has dominated the community in many ways. The Boerne Gesangverein, or singing society, was established in 1860 and was an important social and recreational organization until it disbanded in 1977. German community organizations still active include the Boerne Schuetzen Verein, a shooting club formed in 1864, and the Boerne Village Band, which was formed about the same time as the singing society. Boerne has also held an annual celebration, the Berges Fest, since 1967.