10 1850-1900   25 1901-1950   20 1951-1975   66 1976-2000   36 2001-2010   20 2011-present

This section includes nonfictional literature in regards of German speaking immigrants to Western Canada. For example the publication “The Constructed Mennonite: History, Memory, and the Second World War” by Hans Werner, which is about an ethnic German family, who emigrated from Russia to Steinbach, Manitoba after the Second World War. Written by the son, it tells the life story of his parents from their stories told to him while growing up. “Letters From A Wandering Mountain Guide, 1906-1933” by the Swiss-Canadian mountaineer Conrad Kain include 144 letters to Amelie Malek–a life-long friend. The letters provide a unique and personal view of what it meant to immigrate to Canada in the early part of the twentieth century.  / See More

56 Articles   11 Bibliographies   06 Poetry   16 Novels   09 Pamphlets   06 Serials   25 Theses

This section includes Articles, Bibliographies, Poetry, Novels, Pamphlets, Serials and Theses. For example, the Vancouver Sun article “Castle Fort Langley: Fritz Ziegler’s home became his castle as he turned a farmhouse into ‘Schloss Klipphaus’” which describes the German-Canadian Fritz Ziegler who started off with a 1912 farmhouse and turned it into a 16th- century German castle. Or a German language pamphlet about Canadian Pacific Railway and Steamships, including a map of routes, pictures of travelers but mostly promotional content to bring Germans to Canada. / See More

05 Diaries   07 Letter Collections

The diaries and letters included are mainly written by German-Canadians who immigrated in the beginning of the 20th Century. For example, Else Seel lived in Northern British Columbia with her husband, whom she met for the first time in Vancouver, BC. The two knew each other only through writing letters but the very same day they met, she married him and followed him to his cabin up north.  / See More

22 British Columbia   03 Alberta   07 Saskatchewan   03 Manitoba

The archival fonds listed under this section contain primary and secondary resources of German-Canadians who lived in all four provinces of Western Canada. It includes for example sound recordings, diaries, letters, manuscripts, correspondence, newspapers, photographs, certificates, German consulate files, notebooks, transcripts, drawings, paintings, etc.  / See More

03 Painters   04 Photographers   25 Historical Photographs

The Painters & Photographers included in this section were all born in Germany. Almost all of them immigrated in their 20’s to Canada, some of them lived most of their life in Vancouver, BC. For example, Fred Herzog became late in his life very popular with his street photography of Vancouver, BC. The German-Canadian Leonard Frank captured milestones in Vancouver history, as for example the construction of the Lions Gate Bridge. The section includes links to collections, such as the Leonard Frank Photograph Collection with more then 7000 Photographs digitized by the Vancouver Public Library. / See More

13 Documentaries   01 Historical Film   04 TV-Shows   04 Sound Recordings   06 Websites

This section includes Documentaries, Historical Footage, TV-Shows, Audio Recordings & Websites. For example, the documentary “Ein Blockhaus am Yukon” by German immigrant Horst Kliem who is filming himself building a log cabin over several years in the Yukon Territory. The documentary “The Pacifist Who Went to War” is a documentary about the story of two Mennonite brothers from Manitoba who were forced to make a decision in 1939, as Canada joined World War II. Or, for example the sound recording “At the Edge of Wilderness” by German immigrant Hildegard Westerkamp which is a 52-minute installation about mining ghost towns in Southern British Columbia, Canada.  / See More