| Mennonite Story in Poland with Peter Klassen |
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September 16-24, 2008 
With tour leaders Peter Klassen and Audrey Voth Petkau The Vistula Delta in Northern Poland, once part of Royal Prussia/West Prussia, is the ancestral home of perhaps half of all Mennonites with European roots. Originally they came to this region because it offered toleration at a time when much of Europe was persecuting Mennonites. Gradually many Mennonite communities and churches were established in the region. At the end of the 18th century, because of Prussian military policies, many Mennonites moved to Russia, but many stayed until the end of World War II, when they were forced to flee. Distinctive farms, buildings and churches tell the rich story of a people who lived here for more than four centuries. Some of that story is now being told in several museums in the region. Mennonites are welcomed as friends who share a history with people now living in the region. Tuesday & Wednesday, September 16 & 17 The tour departs either from Liberty International Airport, Newark, or Pearson International Airport, Toronto, on overnight flights to Warsaw, Poland, by way of Frankfurt, Germany. After meeting each other and changing planes in Frankfurt on Wednesday morning, we will arrive in Warsaw early afternoon. On the way to the hotel, we will have a city tour of historic sites including the Old Town, Cathedral of St. John, the Barbican and city wall, and a monument to the 1944 uprising. Thursday, September 18 Today we will begin our visits to Mennonite sites by driving along the Vistula River. In Deutsch Kasun, once home to several hundred Mennonites, we will see the former Mennonite church and cemetery and then on to the village of Deutsch Wymysle where many Mennonite homes still stand and there is a former church. We will have lunch en route to Torun where we will have a walking tour in the historic city which was virtually undamaged by World War II. If time permits, we will visit a nearby Mennonite church which is now a Catholic church.  Former Mennonite arcaded home En route to Gdansk today we will drive along the Vistula Valley. In Montau, formerly a prosperous Mennonite community, we will see a church that now serves a Catholic parish. The next stop will be Kulm, once the centre of Teutonic Knights administration, and then former Mennonite settlements near Sztum. Dinner will be at the famous former Zum Lachs Restaurant, founded in 1598 by a Mennonite leader, and now called Pod Lossien. We will be lodged in Gdansk for five nights. Saturday, September 20 Saturday is the day to tour Gdansk’s old city center, the museum in the Town Hall, the Church of St. Mary (the oldest brick church in Northern Europe), visit the former Mennonite church in Gdansk (now a Pentecostal Church), and if time permits, nearby former Mennonite villages. Sunday, September 21 We will continue visiting Mennonite historic centers: Fuerstenwerder, where the last surviving Mennonite log church burned in 1990, and see the cemetery maintained by a local farmer; Neumuensterberg, with stately arcaded farm homes; Heubuden and its restored cemetery (the village was once the center of a large Mennonite community). The afternoon excursion is to Marienburg Castle, once a fortress of the Teutonic Knights. Monday, September 22  Former Elbing Mennonite Church Tuesday, September 23 Today there will be free time to visit other sites of particular interest to members of our group. Or you can relax, shop or visit a place of interest in Gdansk. We will have a farewell dinner together this evening. Wednesday, September 24 This morning we need to fly back to Frankfurt to get our overseas flights to Newark and Toronto. Our tour has come to an end and we will leave with many memories and new friendships. Your Tour Leaders: Peter J. Klassen is Professor Emeritus of History at California State University, Fresno. He has led tours to Poland since 1979, and has written extensively on this remarkable story. He is an active member of the College Community Church- Mennonite Brethren in Clovis, California. Audrey Voth Petkau, a member of the team at TourMagination, will co-lead as tour administrator. For further information regarding the complete tour fare, please This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . We would be happy to be of assistance. |
