Mayor delivers piece of Mennonite history to MHV

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This article was published 09/05/2017 (2994 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Steinbach Mayor Chris Goertzen presented a special tile to the Mennonite Heritage Village Museum this week. The tile was received during a trip the mayor made to Ukraine last year.

Steinbach has a historical connection to the City of Zaporazhye in Ukraine, he explained.

This piece of history is a symbol of the connection between our two communities, representing both our past and present,” Goertzen said.

The roof tile is one of many made by Mennonites and used in the construction of businesses and homes in the region of Zaporazhye.

“A tile may, on the surface, appear to be a relatively uninteresting artifact. As is the case with artifacts generally, our interest in this object is significant because of the story that accompanies it”, said MHV executive director Barry Dyck, who noted the tile was manufactured in the Molotschna Colony of Ukraine, the area that many of Mennonite ancestors called home before migrating to North America.

Goertzen has extended an invitation to the deputy mayor of Zaporazhye to visit Steinbach in the coming year.