German Heritage Day

German Heritage Day Display Tables

On Sunday, March 12, the UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures hosted German Heritage Day. Several organizations were invited to attend and set up displays regarding their part of the German heritage of Texas. Among these were the Pioneer Museum of Fredericksburg, a San Antonio Volksmarsch group, a group representing the Alsatians of Castroville, and, of course, the Texas Wendish Heritage Society. Attending the event as representatives of the TWHS were Society Vice-President Richard Gruetzner and his wife, Cathleen.

The TWHS display was set up alongside the ITC’s Wendish culture exhibit and featured several tables with informational displays, artifacts, and literature about the Wends and the Society. While Cathleen told cultural folktales to the youngsters, Richard spoke with people about the Wends and answered questions. Welcome bags with information about the Society and our museum were distributed to visitors to the display. The Institute reported that around 550 people visited the half-day event.

St. Paul Lutheran Church of Serbin

Also of interest at the Institute of Texan Cultures is their exhibit regarding the Painted Churches of Texas. The exhibit includes a map of Texas showing locations of painted churches in Texas along with several wall-size photographs of the interior of well-known painted churches. One of the featured churches is our very own St. Paul Lutheran Church of Serbin. The giant photos are actually mosaics created out of thousands of individual photos welded together using NASA photographic technology.