Steinbach Mayor Chris Goertzen presented a special tile to the Mennonite Heritage Village Museum this week. The tile, received during a trip to Ukraine last year, has a symbolic connection between the Mennonites that created it and those that immigrated to the Steinbach area.
“Steinbach has a historical connection to the City of Zaporazhye Ukraine,” said Mayor Goertzen. “This piece of history is a symbol of the connection between our two communities, representing both our past and present.”
The roof tile is one of many made by Mennonites and used in the construction of businesses and homes in the region of Zaporazhye. The tiles often include the name of the maker or the name of the person’s home being built.
“A tile, on the surface, may appear to be a relatively uninteresting artifact,” said Barry Dyck, Executive Director at MHV. “As is the case with artifacts generally, our interest in this object is significant because of the story that accompanies it.” Dyck noted that the tile was manufactured in the Molotschna Colony of Ukraine, the area that many of our ancestors called home prior to migrating to North America.
During his Ukraine trip, Mayor Goertzen recognized similarities between the challenges faced by Ukraine cities and the City of Steinbach. The opportunity to learn from each other and strengthen the relationship, has led to Mayor Goertzen extending an invitation to the City of Zaporazhye Deputy Mayor to visit Steinbach in the coming year. Goertzen said that it would be great to continue the dialogue on how we can better both of our communities and strengthen the historic bond that we have.
