chalet-style building

Just over two hours' drive from Seattle is the town of Leavenworth, Washington State's own version of a Bavarian village. This former logging（伐木业） town faced grim economic prospects in the 1950s — a rerouted train line had cut off its primary industry（基本工业、主要工业）, eliminating jobs and eventually eroding the population. But a decade later, some visionary（有远见卓识的） town council members decided to reinvent Leavenworth as a German-style mountain town — instead of exporting timber, they started importing tourists. The result of the council's calculated move — and strict zoning laws（城市区划法） — is a charming reproduction of an Alpine village, replete with eaved（有屋檐的） and stuccoed（用灰泥粉饰过的） chalet(瑞士的)木造农舍、牧人小屋-style buildings and a calendar full of events involving lederhosen(阿尔卑斯山民的)皮短裤. It's the perfect place to spark your holiday spirit, with concerts, performances of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol(耶诞)颂歌、赞美诗 in the downtown Festhalle and, of course, Christmas tree-lighting festivals.