2006 Memories of Tour Members, Part IV
Updated:

2 June 2006
Internet Cafe
Stuttgart, Germany

I will stay in Germany to 12 June returning from Stuttgart to Amsterdam-Minneapolis-Fargo. These additional days in Germany include a meeting on 6 June at the Bundesministerium des Innern in Bonn. On 8-9 June, I am in Freiburg to meet with Dr. Dietmar Neutatz at the Historisches Seminar of the university and with Dr. Hans-Werner Retterach at the Johannes Kuenzig Institut.

On 31 May, tour members visited the Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland headquarters and met with Alexander Rack, the new director since September 2005. He was director before from 1980 to 1992. The Landsmannschaft will sponsor the Russlandeutschen Bundestreffen in June of 2007 likely in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Michael Miller

Internet Cafe
Stuttgart, Germany
2 June 2006

Warmest regards to all from Stuttgart and Germany. The Journey to the Homeland Tour members left this morning from Amsterdam and home to USA cities. All is well with the tour members and in good health as they leave for home today.

Gary and Peggy Haar of Boise, Idaho, stay until 8 June. Today they to research at the Heimatmuseum der Deutschen aus Bessarabien in Stuttgart.

I will stay in Germany to 12 June returning from Stuttgart to Amsterdam-Minneapolis-Fargo. These additional days in Germany include a meeting on 6 June at the Bundesministerium des Innern in Bonn. On 8-9 June, I am in Freiburg to meet with Dr. Dietmar Neutatz at the Historisches Seminar of the university and with Dr. Hans-Werner Retterach at the Johannes Kuenzig Institut. We will visit about cooperative ideas with the NDSU Libraries, the Seminar and the Institut.

On 31 May, tour members visited the Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland headquarters and met with Alexander Rack, the new director since September 2005. He was director from 1980 to 1992. The Landsmannschaft will sponsor the usslandeutschen Bundestreffen in June of 2007 likely in Wiesbaden, Germany. Our meeting and visit was most informative. Some of the tour members became members of the Landsmannschaft and subscribed to Volk auf dem Weg, the monthly magazine.

We walked three blocks from the Landsmannschaft to the Heimatmuseum der Deutschen aus Bessarabien where we saw the impressive exhibits, artifacts, textiles, and clothing. The staff was most friendly and hosted us with a luncheon. They are preparing for the Bessarabien Bundestreffen for Saturday, 17 June 2006 at Ludwigsburg.

On 1 June, we traveled with Binder travel tour bus from Stuttgart, to the Alsace Region of France along the Rhine River. First, we stopped at the Seltz tourist office and museum. Close by was the Catholic Church in Seltz.

From Seltz, we drive to Mothern, which was of special interest to Michael Hager of New Mexico. The Hagers came from this village before immigrating to the Black Sea Kutschurgan villages today near Odessa, Ukriane. There were a number of family names in the Mothern cemetery of Hager and others the same as in central North Dakota German-Russian communities.

We then drove to Sessenheim to have lunch at the cafe owned by the Heinz Fritz family for six generations. Heinz gave us a tour of the family buildings, which is now a small hotel and bed-breakfast. A number of Americans stayed here for research work in Alsace. Heinz shared with us the family history, which Harold Ehrman of California gave him. Harold has roots to Eureka, SD, and to the Glueckstal villages. Heinz Fritz is doing his own personal research in his Baumgartner family heritage. He became very interested with Michael Hager and I mentioned that we both had Baumgartner family roots.

With best regards from Stuttgart and Germany

Michael M. Miller