Voltlage, October 2006 and Shrine Dedication

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For four days in October 2006, Old Glory flew over the village of Voltlage, Germany.

Al’s son Andrew and I left Phoenix shortly after noon on Wednesday, October 4. We changed planes in Detroit and headed west across Ontario and Quebec to the Atlantic. We passed south of Greenland, Iceland, and across Britain to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam we changed to a smaller plane and took the short hop to Munster, Germany. (If you want to make this trip, the airport designation for Munster is FMO. You can connect from Amsterdam or Frankfurt.) The flight was just less than an hour.

Voltlage’s mayor had told us we would be met at the airport and we would be guests of Hans and Maria Nichting. Hans’ mother was Johanna Winkeljohann granddaughter of great-grandpa's brother William. We were met by Hans’s brother Klemens since Hans and Maria were attending a funeral.

We drove through the lush green countryside. The distance from the airport to Voltlage is about 50 miles. As we approached Voltlage from Recke (the south) the shrine was gleaming white in the sunlight. We stopped to look.

The mayor had sent us two estimates for the repair. The lower estimate was for the statue and pedestal. The higher included a shelter for the figure. We had sent money for the lower estimate but the shrine as it stood included the shelter.

I was surprised.

We stopped next at the cemetery behind the church. I wanted to visit the grave of Hans and Klemens parents. You will find on the cemetery many names from Mercer County.

At the Nichting home we were greeted by the older daughter Marion. By now it was about 4:30 and we sat down to “coffee” the German equivalent of English tea. Coffee and pastry were served and it tasted so good after a day of airline food.

I stayed at Hans and Maria's home. Andrew slept next door at the “Gasthof.”

Friday and Saturday we visited the area-- the small towns around Voltlage and into Munster. We saw several buildings marked with the name of “meister timmerman” (master carpenter) Herman Heinrich Winkeljohann. This is our great-great-grandfather, the father of Mathias. These buildings bear the names of all the building crew carved into the beams.

Late Saturday afternoon we began looking for Michelle Laird and her family. They were driving from her son-in-law’s military post in southern Germany. They finally arrived about 8 pm after getting lost along the way. We had just finished supper and Maria arose to the occasion to feed six hungry travelers. They were glad the guesthouse was just next-door. Andrew did a good job of serving as guide.

Sunday morning was sunny. We went to Mass at St. Katherine's at 9:00.

 

We were greeted and welcomed in English by the pastor. After Mass we had a tour of the Church and then proceeded to the Voltlage Museum. This is a new project of the village. They have collected some interesting items. I was especially interested in the “clompen” (wooden shoes) since my dad talked about his grandpa wearing them as he worked in his garden in Celina. We had lunch here at the museum. I gathered that lunch was by invitation to members of the Wmkeljohann family and those connected with the shrine project.

The lunch menu included potato soup (delicious!), potato pancakes and applesauce (also delicious!), wurst (foot-long hot dogs) and potato salad. The potato salad was a surprise to me. I expected the German potato salad as described in our cookbooks but it was the same as we make all the time. Desserts with meals were usually puddings. After lunch we went home to rest. I needed it.

At three o'clock we gathered in the “platz” by the church and village hall. The group walked to the shrine led by the pastor and accompanied by a band. I was amazed at how many people showed up. There were several hundred people there--several in wheel chairs. We had music, a children's choir, speeches in German and English. The pastor blessed the shrine and I was given the chance to thank the people for their hospitality

We returned to the village center for coffee ad refreshments. Many people came and identified themselves as various "cousins". They had a display dealing with German emigration to the U.S. They included the family picture taken in Cincinnati in 1892. They also had a list of all those who contributed to the shrine. I included on this list the location of all donors.