The original design of the pavilion called for a boat ride along the Rhine river.

At the time of designing and constructing the pavilion in the mid- to late-1970s and early 1980s, Germany was split into West and East Germany, therefore the pavilion was intended to focus on shared Germanic traditions and folklore, not focusing on one nation or the other, in a similar manner to Norway's Maelstrom.

According to the Walt Disney Company's 1976 annual report, the ride was to be " ... a cruise down Germany's most famous rivers — the Rhine, the Tauber, the Ruhr, and the Isar.

The pavilion also has numerous small shops selling German goods, including dolls and cuckoo clocks.

Characters from the Walt Disney animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was inspired by the version of the tale attributed to the Brothers Grimm, make appearances in and around the pavilion.