European Heritage Tour 3, July 28 - August 9, 2012

Poland and Berlin, 13 day Hotel Tour, English spoken.

This tour focuses on the Polish Mennonite history. Apart from the Vistula delta, places of high cultural importance will be visited like the city centres of Warsaw and Berlin and the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. We will attend a worship service in the former Gdansk Mennonite Church.

Tour Price: No places available anymore, but Tour 6 has the same itinerary. You can still register for tour 6.

Map: Click here for a map of the itinerary of this tour.

Registration: Click here for the online Registration Form.

Day 1, Saturday July 28, 2012. Pick up at Berlin airport and Potsdam

Fly to Berlin, Germany. Pick-up time will be between 14 and 15.00 pm at Berlin Tegel or the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport. Here you will meet your Dutch tour guide and driver. Our destination for today will be the Sanssouci Palace and park in Potsdam, near Berlin. Lodging in Berlin for two nights.

Day 2, Sunday July 29, 2012. Berlin

This day we will spend in Berlin. In the morning we will join the evangelical worship service at the Gedächtnisskirche (Memorial Church). In the afternoon we will enjoy a guided tourist bus tour through Berlin and see all the famous places like the Kurfürstendamm, Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenburger Tor, der Reichstag and Unter den Linden. As we can hop-on and hop-off the bus anywhere we want, we will also explore some sites on foot.

Day 3, Monday July 30, 2012. Poland and Krakow

We travel through the German and Polish countryside to Krakow. On our way we stop at the Open Air museum of Opole, to learn about the Polish folk culture. At the end of the afternoon we arrive in Krakow, a city alongside the Vistula river. This river will be our companion for the next days of our tour as we follow it from Krakow to Warsaw and Gdansk. Mennonite elders from the Vistula delta had to travel often to Krakow to negotiate with the Polish kings about their privileges. Lodging in Krakow city centre for two nights.

Day 4, Tuesday July 31, 2012. Krakow

As a royal capital for over 500 years, Krakow is today a treasure chamber of Gothic and Renaissance architecture. The city emerged miraculously intact after World War II. As a result no other city in Poland has so many historic buildings and monuments or such a vast collection of artworks. As all are located in the compact old town, we will explore this beautiful city on foot. Sightseeing includes: Wawel Cathedral and Castle with the Royal Chambers and Market Square. In the afternoon free time for individual exploration with an audio tour guide.

Day 5, Wednesday August 1, 2012. Auschwitz-Birkenau and The Monastery of Jasna Gora

The first half of this day we will spend in Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp to witness on a guided tour the breath-taking horror that occurred here during World War II. After that it is on to Czestochowa for a visit of the Monastery of Jasna Gora, with its famous painting of the Black Madonna. At the Monastery it becomes clear to us how important the Catholic church is for the Polish people in their everyday life. More than 4 millions pilgrims visit Czestochowa every year!

Day 6, Thursday August 2, 2012. Warsaw

From Chestochowa we drive to Warsaw, arriving there at noon. After lunch we will explore Warsaw and make a tour of the Old Town, where the most historical monuments are located including the Royal Castle, St. John's Cathedral and the Citadel. Lodging in Warsaw.

Day 7, Friday August 3, 2012. Torun

Today we reach the part of Poland where the Mennonites used to live, all the way alongside the Vistula river from Warsaw to Gdansk. Our first goal of the day is Deutsch Kazun, to visit the former Mennonite church, now used as a residence. Then on to Wymysle, also a former Mennonite village. Torun is a beautiful historic city, virtually undamaged by World War II and protected as an Unesco Heretage site. Just south of Torun is the former Mennonite Village of Obernessau with a still existing Mennonite church, now used as a Catholic church. Lodging in Torun.

Day 8, Saturday August 4, 2012. Vistula Delta and Malbork Castle

On our way to Gdansk we drive further along the Vistula River and Delta,the homeland of many Mennonite settlers after 1530. With their draining skills brought from Holland in the 16th and 17th century, the Mennonites turned this swamp into fertile farming land. Almost every village we find here has a Mennonite background. At the end of World War II, all the Mennonites were forced by the Russians to flee to Germany. What remains are the Mennonite Churches, homesteads and cemeteries. Today we will visit these Mennonite cemeteries, churches and 'vorlaubenhausen' (the typical Mennonite farms) in Schönsee, Montau, Montauerweide and Tragheimerweide. In the afternoon we will make a tour through the castle of Malbork. This magnificent Unesco-listed structure of the Teutonic Knights is a classic example of a medieval fortress, and Europe Largest Gothic castle as well. Lodging in Gdansk for four nights.

Day 9, Sunday August 5, 2012. Gdansk and worship service

We will attend the Sunday worship service in the former United Flemish and Frisian Mennonite Church of Gdansk, now a Pentecostal church. The service will be held in Polish, but as the language of the gospel is a universal one, it is no problem to understand the meaning. A plague in the entrance hall of the church commemorates the Mennonite past of the building. The Old Town of Gdansk, with its Town Hall, Artus Court, Great Arsenal, St. Mary's Church and lovely burgher's houses, is a masterpiece of post-war reconstruction. In Gdansk we will take a walking tour to see all the important Mennonite sites. We will enjoy our supper in 'Zum Lachs' or 'in the Salmon', founded in 1598 by the Mennonite leader Ambrosius Vermeulen and still one of the leading restaurants in Gdansk.

Day 10, Monday August 6, 2012. Vistula Delta

In the morning we tour the beautiful area of the former Dutch-Mennonite countryside south-east of Gdansk. Stops at Bärwalde, Neuteich, Ladekopp, Heubuden and Orlofferfelde, all former Mennonite villages in the big Marienburger Werder. In the afternoon more time to enjoy and explore sparkling Gdansk.

Day 11, Tuesday August 7, 2012. Vistula Delta

We will start today in Nowi Dwor (Tiegenhof) to visit the small Polish exhibition about the Mennonites in the Vistula Delta. In Elblag we find one of the oldest Mennonite churches, dating from 1590. Further stops at Thiensdorf, Preusisch Rosengart and Klakendorf, all former Mennonite villages in the small Marienburger Werder.

Day 12, Wednesday August 8, 2012. Return to Berlin

We leave Gdansk to return to Berlin, Germany. On our way we stop in the historic towns of Slupsk and Koszalin. It is also possible to stay in Gdansk and extend your visit of the city.

Day 13, Thursday August 9, 2012. Departure home

Fly home from Berlin. Drop-off at Berlin Tegel airport at 09.00 am.

Tour Price includes:

12 nights accommodation.
All breakfasts and dinners.
Entrance fees to all places mentioned in the itinerary.
Modern, comfortable transportation in a 9-person minibus.

Not included:

International Flights to and from Berlin.
Noon lunches, beverages with included dinners.
Trip cancellation and holiday medical insurance.

In the event of a marked change in foreign exchange rates, fuel costs or tariff rates, Mennonite Heritage Tours does reserve the right to adjust prices should it become necessary. The published price is guaranteed from the moment you have paid the full tour price.

European Heritage Tour 3, July 28 - August 9, 2012

Poland and Berlin, 13 day Hotel Tour, English spoken.

This tour focuses on the Polish Mennonite history. Apart from the Vistula delta, places of high cultural importance will be visited like the city centres of Warsaw and Berlin and the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. We will attend a worship service in the former Gdansk Mennonite Church.

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