Mennonites in Conflict
Experiential History Course and Tour
With Dr. Aileen Friesen
Centre for Transnational Mennonite Studies
About This Journey
This experiential learning course explores Anabaptist and Mennonite understandings of, and experiences with conflict along an historical route from Amsterdam, the Netherlands through northern Germany, to Gdańsk, Poland. Students and passengers will investigate how Mennonites navigated conflicts with the state, theological and social discord within their communities, and business relations within the Hanseatic League.
Hosted by Riesen Travel Ltd.
With Guide Lothar Möhlmann
906 Fleet Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3M 1L6
Phone 204 471 6453
Academic Course Option
This tour is part of the experiential learning course "Mennonites and Conflict" taught by Dr. Aileen Friesen. Learn more about the course →
Terms & Conditions
Review important booking policies
Tour Details
Duration
May 8 – 24, 2026 (17 days)
Group Size
Small intimate groups
Price Per Person
$6,850
CAD (flight included)
Single Supplement
$1,248
CAD
Important Booking Information
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$1,000 CAD Deposit
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Insurance available • Rates age-dependent
Tour Route
Detailed Itinerary
Departure Day - Friday, May 8
AC266 • 08 May Winnipeg/Toronto → Departure 3:15 PM | Arrival 6:45 PM
AC808 • 08 May Toronto/Amsterdam → Departure 9:30 PM | Arrival 11:00 AM
Air Canada
Day 1 - Saturday, May 9
Amsterdam
11:00 am: Arrival on flight AC 808 from YYZ, to be met by tour bus and driver of Uffen-Reisen, Emden.
Transfer to Amsterdam hotel, unload and early check in.
Meet your guide, Nina Schroeder-van 't Schip, after (individual) lunch for a walking tour of Amsterdam's hidden Mennonite churches and heritage sites (2.5 hours). Take a canal tour of the city leaving from the Anne Frank House dock.
Dinner at your hotel.
Hotel Ibis City West
Transformatorweg 36, 1014 AK AMSTERDAM, NL
2 nights
Day 2 - Sunday, May 10
Amsterdam
10:30: Church service at the Singelkerk, followed by the special monthly English-language service and potluck with congregants at the church.
Afternoon Rijksmuseum: tour of Dutch baroque painters and patrons of Mennonite extraction, led by Nina Schroeder-van 't Schip.
Rijsttafel dinner at Indra Pura restaurant.
Overnight at Ibis Amsterdam City West.
Hotel Ibis City West
Transformatorweg 36, 1014 AK AMSTERDAM, NL
Day 3 - Monday, May 11
Amsterdam and Haarlem
Morning visit to the Doopsgezinde Bibliotheek (Mennonite Historical Library) at Allard Pierson with Curator of the Church History Collections, Gwendolyn Verbraak.
Transfer to Haarlem. Lunch at Haarlem Mennonite Church Café, Jansje.
Afternoon in Haarlem for hidden church visit with Doopsgezind Haarlem archivist and librarian Mechteld Gravendeel, then free time in Haarlem with a self-guided tour of some significant heritage sites in the city and the opportunity to visit the iconic Bavo Church.
Late afternoon / early evening transfer to Schoorl, check in at Doopersduin and light supper served by Mennonite volunteers.
Evening free to explore the dunes.
Doopersduin
Oorsprongweg 3, 1871 HA Schoorl
1 night, self-arranged
Day 4 - Tuesday, May 12
Schoorl to Leeuwarden
After breakfast, depart Schoorl for the new Menno Simons House (a welcome centre opening in spring 2026) at the Mennonite church in Witmarsum, which is the birthplace of Menno Simons.
From there, visit the tiny Mennonite hidden church in Pingjum and the former-Catholic church a stone's throw away where Menno first preached.
Flora Visser, the minister of the church in Witmarsum, will guide you at these sites.
Enjoy lunch in Bolsward, possibly at Café Blend, before seeing the Mennonite church there and then journeying just out of town to the site of a former monastery that was taken over by Anabaptists in the 1530s.
The day will end in Leeuwarden at the Mennonite hidden church, where we enjoy a tour of the church and dinner with members of the congregation.
Overnight in Leeuwarden.
Leonardo Hotel Oranje
Stationsweg 4, 8911 AG Leeuwarden, Niederlande
1 night
Day 5 - Wednesday, May 13
Leeuwarden to Emden
Free morning in Leeuwarden.
Travel to Emden, East Frisia for afternoon visit of Johannes a Lasco Library.
Meet Dr. Voss for archival tour.
Visit of the Emden Mennonite church, the oldest congregation in Germany, dating from 1530.
Late afternoon check in at hotel; dinner (arranged).
B&B Hotel Neutor Arkaden
Neutorstraße 37, 26721 Emden
2 nights
Day 6 - Thursday, May 14
Emden – Norden – Leer – Emden
Morning visit of Norden and its Mennonite church and sites with Pastor Martin Kaminski.
Lunch in Norden.
Afternoon visit of Leer and its Mennonite church.
Dinner in the old port of Leer (arranged).
Return to Emden for the night.
B&B Hotel Neutor Arkaden
Neutorstraße 37, 26721 Emden
Day 7 - Friday, May 15
Emden – Neustadtgödens - Hamburg
Visit of Neustadtgödens, a city settled almost entirely by Mennonite refugees from the Low Countries. Historian Stephan Horschitz will guide us through the Landrichterhaus, its Mennonite Museum and lead us in a walking tour of the city.
Lunch in the Neustädter Stübchen (arranged), a restaurant in the former Mennonite church.
Travel to Hamburg for dinner and overnight.
Hotel NH Hamburg Altona
Stresemannstraße 363-369, 22761 Hamburg
2 nights
Day 8 - Saturday, May 16
Hamburg
AM City tour (2 hours), beginning at MennonitenGemeinde zu Hamburg und Altona, followed by a 1-hour harbour cruise.
Free time, or possible excursion to the Auswanderermuseum in the afternoon.
Dinner (arranged, e.g. Elbspeicher) and overnight in Hamburg.
Hotel NH Hamburg Altona
Stresemannstraße 363-369, 22761 Hamburg
Day 9 - Sunday, May 17
Hamburg - Lübeck
Morning church service at the MennonitenGemeinde zu Hamburg und Altona.
Lunch (on own) in Hamburg.
Afternoon departure for Menno Kate in Bad Oldesloe and visit of Menno Simons' grave.
Dinner (arranged) and overnight in Lübeck.
Intercity Hotel
Konrad-Adenauer-Str. 1a, 23558 Lübeck
2 nights
Day 10 - Monday, May 18
Lübeck
Morning guided walking tour of Lübeck, the city at the centre of the Hanseatic league, renowned for its architecture.
While Menno Simons had a discussion here with other church leaders in 1546 and Mennonites had a presence here until 1700, there were never more than 7 Mennonite families here. The current congregation dates from 1950 and consists of postwar refugees from Danzig.
Dinner arranged.
*** Service of German bus ends tonight with arrival back at the hotel.
Intercity Hotel
Konrad-Adenauer-Str. 1a, 23558 Lübeck
Day 11 - Tuesday, May 19
Lübeck to Szczecin
09:00: Departure from the Intercity Hotel, Konrad-Adenauer-Str. 1a, Lübeck for Szczecin by Polish bus.
Afternoon arrival at the Ibis Styles Hotel in Szczecin.
Meet Ewa Hajnrych, your English-speaking guide for Poland (+48 609 040 170).
18:55: Meet at the hotel lobby to walk across the street to the Ukrainoczka Restaurant, Panienska Street 19, for dinner at 19:00 (3 pax no gluten).
Ibis Styles Hotel
Panienska 10, 70-535 Szczecin
1 night
Day 12 - Wednesday, May 20
Szczecin to Gdańsk
09:00: Departure from Szczecin for Gdańsk.
Afternoon arrival in Gdańsk. Meet Małgorzata, your local English-speaking guide, at the former Mennonite Church in Gdańsk to see the building from outside, then discover the highlights of Gdańsk, the former Hanseatic city.
Check in at the Grano Life Hotel.
Hotel Grano Life
Jaglana 4, 80-749 Gdańsk, PL
3 nights
Day 13 - Thursday, May 21
Vistula Delta (Żuławy Wiślane)
Full day trip of the Vistula Delta: tour Żuławy Wiślane with its Mennonite settlements and cemeteries.
Drive through Hochzeit and Neunhuben to visit Bärwalde and Neu-Münsterberg.
11:45: Entrance to Żuławy Historical Park in Tiegenhof (Werder Museum), with its interesting Mennonite exhibition.
Drive to Petershagen / Tiegenhagen with the "Cemetery of 11 Villages" and the church of St. Nicholas.
13:30: Lunch at Mały Holender Inn in Tiegenhagen (300 years old) (3 pax no gluten).
Visits to Fürstenwerder, Tiege, Mierau, Schönsee, Schönhorst and Palschau areas.
Hotel Grano Life
Jaglana 4, 80-749 Gdańsk, PL
Day 14 - Friday, May 22
Gdańsk / Marienburg
08:30: Departure from Gdańsk for Marienburg to visit one of the largest brick castles in the world.
10:00: Entrance to the castle (walking tour takes around 3 hours).
Visit Heubuden with the largest Mennonite cemetery in Poland. Drive to Marienau, Ladekopp, Stawiec, Orloff and Orlofferfelde.
19:00: Farewell dinner at the Gdańska Restaurant, Świętego Ducha 16/24 (3 pax no gluten).
Hotel Grano Life
Jaglana 4, 80-749 Gdańsk, PL
Day 15 - Saturday, May 23
Gdańsk / Elbing Flight to Amsterdam
After breakfast, board bus (*** please remember to load your luggage onto the coach and take all your belongings with you, as you will not return to the hotel later in the day).
Drive to Elbing and see the old Mennonite church building at Garbary 12, dating back to 1590, and the Elbing Mennonite church, now Polish Catholic.
Visit villages in the vicinity, especially those in the Klein Werder: Ellerwald, Thiensdorf, Marcushof and Preussisch Rosengart.
4:00 pm: Arrival at Lech Wałęsa Airport in Gdańsk for the 6:15 pm KL1308 flight to Amsterdam.
Transfer to hotel near Schiphol airport by local bus.
IBIS Schiphol Amsterdam Airport
Schipholweg 181, 1171 PK Badhoevedorp
1 night
Day 16 - Sunday, May 24
Amsterdam - Winnipeg
Breakfast at hotel, transfer to Schiphol airport by chartered bus.
Departure from Amsterdam airport at 12:15 pm on flight AC901 for Montréal.
Air Canada
Return Day
AC901 • 24 May Amsterdam/Montréal → Departure 12:15 PM | Arrival 1:35 PM
AC375 • 24 May Montreal/Winnipeg → Departure 7:25 PM | Arrival 9:29 PM
Air Canada
Tips for Tourists
Passports: Be sure that your passport is valid for at least six months past the date of our return home. Take a picture of the first page of your passport, the data page, with you in case of loss or theft. Besure the name on your ticket is exactly the same as the one on your passport.
Currency: Euro in the Netherlands and Germany (exchange rate: 1 EUR = $1.63 CAD) | Zloty in Poland (exchange rate: 1 Zloty = 0.38 CAD)
Temperatures: Netherlands: 12-18º C | Northern Germany: 9-18º C | Gdańsk, Poland: 9-16º C
Voltage: 220-240 volts
Tipping: People don't tip in general, but round a bill up in the Netherlands and Germany. In Poland, you should tip about 10% in a restaurant, or you can leave a 10 or 20 PLN banknote in cash.
Bottled water is not necessary in the Netherlands and Germany. In Poland, the water is safe, but not always tasty.
Languages spoken: Dutch, German and Polish. Most people speak a passable English.
Beware of pickpockets, especially in big cities.
Personal exemption returning home: $800 of goods per person
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