2024 Classic Anabaptist European Tour

    SOLD OUT

    On this classic Anabaptist heritage tour in Europe, visit significant sites that will bring to life the stories of Menno Simons, Jacob Hutter, Pilgram Marpeck, Dirk Willems, Jakob Amman, and other important Anabaptist leaders. See the historic Dutch village of Zaanse Schans, take a cable car up Stockhorn mountain, reflect in a cave where Anabaptists worshipped in secret, and stay in the homes of generous, hospitable locals in the town of Berlikum. Also explore art and culture in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Austria. Experienced tour leader and former Hesston College Professor John Sharp will guide you on this journey of discovery and fellowship.

    2024 Discover Prague & the Mennonite Sojourn in Poland

    Limited availability. Please inquire about space available.
    This delightful tour combines sight-seeing in Eastern Europe with investigating the history of Mennonites in Poland. During a few days in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, marvel at colourful baroque buildings, Gothic churches, and the city’s famous Old Town Square. Also visit important sites in Krakow and Warsaw in Poland. Guided by Mennonite historian, John Sharp, learn more about the country that sheltered Dutch and German Mennonites beginning as early as the 1530’s right up to the Second World War. Some families stayed in the Vistula Delta of Poland for generations, later migrating to South Russia, Ukraine, and the American Midwest.

    2024 Anabaptist Story in Europe Tour

    LIMITED SPACE

    This European heritage tour traces the Anabaptist/Mennonite story through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands. Visits to significant sites will bring to life the stories of Jakob Amman, Martin Luther, Michael Sattler, Pilgram Marpeck, and many other Reformation and Anabaptist leaders. Other tour highlights include: an afternoon cruise on the Rhine River, a visit to the Rijksmuseum, standing in caves where Anabaptists worshipped in secret, visiting Trachselwald Castle, riding a cable-car up a mountain, and visiting the Weierhof, a semi-communal Mennonite village. Experienced tour storyteller Ayold Fanoy will share insights as you travel in these beautiful countries that were so important to our Anabaptist ancestors.

    2024 Silk Road Odyssey: The Trek to Central Asia

    In 1880-1881, five wagon trains of Mennonites left European Russia and headed east to Central Asia along the famous Silk Road. Seeking freedom from conscription and new economic opportunities, this group went east instead of west to North America as 18,000 did a decade earlier. In the last decade, new details of the Great Trek have emerged in the remarkable Silk Road cities of Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara. Amidst the splendour of the Islamic architecture and often mountainous landscape, the Mennonite Great Trek story will emerge through journals and letters of trekkers, archival documents, and current reflections. Tour leader John Sharp is a retired college history and Bible professor whose passion for and knowledge of the Mennonite Great Trek along the Silk Road will give you valuable insight into this chapter of Mennonite history. John has led several tours to Central Asia and has developed relationships with locals who will give you insight into Uzbek life and culture.

    Commemorating 500 years of Anabaptism: Friends of Grebel European Tour

    SOLD OUT

    THIS IS A CUSTOM PROGRAM. Registration by invitation only.
    Explore Anabaptist beginnings on a European tour with staff, alumni, and friends of Conrad Grebel University College. Alongside our faculty experts Troy Osborne and David Neufeld, follow this story from the Netherlands through Germany, France, and Switzerland, at the places where the events of greatest significance to this tradition occurred. Enrich your understanding of this history by visiting the Dutch village of Zaanse Schans, mounting the Swiss Alps in a cable car, and reflecting in a cave where Anabaptists once worshipped in secret. Engage great works of European art and culture at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum and Strasbourg’s cathedral. Finally, connect past to present by joining Anabaptists from around the world at a 500th-anniversary commemoration of the first adult baptisms in Zurich organized by Mennonite World Conference.

    EMU Radical Reformation @ 500: Gender and Class

    THIS IS A CUSTOM PROGRAM. Registration by invitation only.
    Explore Anabaptist beginnings on a European tour with faculty, alumni, and friends of Eastern Mennonite University. Seize the unique opportunity to visit Anabaptist sites in Austria, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and the Netherlands with a special emphasis on how women and peasants shaped the Anabaptist movement. See the house outside of Vienna where an Anabaptist woman was chained to her kitchen to keep her from preaching in the streets. Have coffee in an Anabaptist noblewoman’s castle in Kitzbühel. Visit the magisterial center of Tirol where Anabaptist women who were unable to escape Habsburg jailers were held and questioned. Tie these stories in with those of other significant Anabaptist figures and sites as you visit the Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof) where Jakob Hutter was burned, Conrad Grebel’s house, Felix Manz’s mother’s house, a cave where Anabaptists worshipped in secret, and much more. Along the way, take in some of Europe’s finest cultural landmarks like Vienna’s Ringstrasse or the towering Baroque-style Melk Abbey. The main portion of the tour ends in Zürich, where Anabaptists from all over the world will join together to celebrate 500 years of Anabaptism. On an optional tour extension, make your way up to the Netherlands to see Menno Simmons’ sites in Friesland, with stops in Strasbourg and Munster on the way. We end in Amsterdam and Haarlem where we will contrast radical, militant Anabaptists with their respectable bourgeois descendants. Historians Mary Sprunger and Kimberly Schmidt will lead with historical expertise and extensive personal travel experience.

    Celebrate 500: Classic Anabaptist European Tour

    On this commemorative Anabaptist heritage tour in Europe, visit significant sites that will bring to life the stories of Menno Simons, Jacob Hutter, Pilgram Marpeck, Dirk Willems, Jakob Amman, and other important Anabaptist leaders. See the historic Dutch village of Zaanse Schans, take a cable car up Stockhorn mountain, reflect in a cave where Anabaptists worshipped in secret, and stay in the homes of hospitable locals in Menno Simons’ hometown, Witmarsum. Along the way, experience the cultural richness that the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Austria have to offer. Connect past to present by joining Anabaptists from around the world at a 500th anniversary celebration of the first adult baptisms in Zürich, organized by Mennonite World Conference. Experienced tour leader and former Hesston College Professor John Sharp will guide you on this journey of discovery and fellowship.

    Celebrate 500: Anabaptist Story in Europe Tour

    This European heritage tour traces the Anabaptist/Mennonite story through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands. Visits to significant sites will bring to life the stories of Jakob Amman, Martin Luther, Michael Sattler, Pilgram Marpeck, and many other Reformation and Anabaptist leaders. Other tour highlights include an afternoon cruise on the Rhine River, watching traditional Dutch windmills, standing in caves where Anabaptists worshipped in secret, riding a cable car up a mountain, and visiting the Weierhof, a semi-communal Mennonite village. Unique to this year is the 500th-anniversary celebration of the first adult baptisms in Zürich. Connect past to present by joining Anabaptists from around the world at a commemorative all-day event organized by Mennonite World Conference. Experienced tour storyteller Ayold Fanoy will share insights as you travel in these beautiful countries that were so important to our Anabaptist ancestors.

    500 Years of Anabaptist Faith, Art & History Tour

    On this commemorative Anabaptist heritage tour in Europe, visit significant sites that will bring to life the stories of Menno Simons, Pilgram Marpeck, Dirk Willems, Jakob Amman, and other important Anabaptist leaders. Connect past to present by joining Anabaptists from around the world at a 500th anniversary celebration of the first adult baptisms in Zürich, organized by Mennonite World Conference. Reflect in a cave where Anabaptists worshipped in secret, take a cable car up Stockhorn mountain, see the historic Dutch village of Zaanse Schans, and stay in the homes of hospitable locals in Menno Simons’ hometown, Witmarsum. Along the way, experience the cultural richness that Switzerland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands have to offer. Mennonite archivist Conrad Stoesz will guide you on this journey of discovery and fellowship.

    Schürch Family Tour

    THIS IS A CUSTOM PROGRAM. Registration by invitation only.

    Trace your family and faith story through the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland! Begin in Amsterdam with visits to the famous Aalsmeer flower auction and Singel Mennonite Church. Explore historic Dutch villages, hidden Mennonite churches, and an open-air museum. Cruise along the majestic Rhine River. Browse Mennonite archives in the Weierhof, and foster new connections with a local church congregation. Immerse yourself in the captivating landscapes of the Emmental, visit homesteads directly related to your family’s history and enjoy the company of relatives. Ascend Schilthorn Mountain for breathtaking views. Uncover the origins of the Anabaptist movement on a Zürich walking tour. Conclude the tour with a meaningful time of worship and reflection in the most unique setting: the Anabaptist Cave at Bäretswil, where Anabaptists once worshipped in secret. Experienced tour storyteller Ayold Fanoy will share insights as you travel in these beautiful countries that were so important to your Anabaptist ancestors.

    Upcoming Tours In Development

    A sneak peek at future tours for next year

TourMagination was founded to help Mennonites and other Anabaptists (Amish, Hutterites, Brethren in Christ, and German Baptist Brethren) to rediscover their heritage.

Our tours to Western Europe visit important historical Anabaptist sites such as Tauferhole in Switzerland—a cave where persecuted believers worshipped in secret.

We also explore the migrations of the Anabaptist and Mennonite diaspora in Russia/Ukraine, Poland, Central Asia, South America, and Mexico.
As tour members share reflections on past martyrdoms and migrations, and meet Mennonites in other parts of the world, their own faith grows.

With top-notch storytellers including Len Friesen, John Sharp, and Ayold Fanoy, TourMagination offers outstanding Anabaptist and Mennonite Heritage Tours for North Americans.

WE CAN ALSO PLAN CUSTOM FAMILY OR GROUP TOURS. Use this handy tour planner to tell us the focus of your tour, the heritage sites you want to visit, and your other needs.