Mennonitischer Geschichtsverein (Germany)

The Mennonitischer Geschichtsverein (MGV) is a German registered association (e.V.) founded in April 1933 in Berlin, following a decision by several Mennonite congregations in Altona a year earlier to establish such a society. Its purpose is the study and documentation of the history and development of the Reformation-era Anabaptists and the Mennonites who emerged from the Anabaptist movement. The society is headquartered at the Weierhof, a Mennonite settlement that is part of the municipality of Bolanden in the Palatinate region of Rhineland-Palatinate. The MGV operates the Mennonitische Forschungsstelle Weierhof, a research center with a library and archive. The research center was founded in 1948 on the initiative of the society, initially housed in the Göttingen apartment of Dr. Ernst and Rosa Crous. The collection later moved with the Crous couple to their native Krefeld, where it was accommodated in the Stadthaus Krefeld until 1968. After the couple died in 1967/1968, the collection was transferred in 1968 to the upper rooms of the Gymnasium Weierhof. As the holdings grew, the school premises became insufficient, and in 1998 a new building for the library and archive was completed in Weierhof/Pfalz, financed largely through appeals to members and friends. The library holds approximately 33,000 titles, with a focus on the history, theology, culture, and sociology of Mennonites, Amish, and Hutterites. The archive contains collections of Mennonite congregations and organizations as well as private papers, including those of Christian Neff. It is a destination for researchers and a growing number of visitor groups from around the world, and offers unique access to church registers of numerous Mennonite congregations for family research. The society publishes the Mennonitische Geschichtsblätter annually, a journal of about 200 pages dedicated to Anabaptist and Mennonite history, including Amish and Hutterite history, from their origins to the present. The journal is free for members; subscriptions cost 25.00 euros, and it is available in bookshops for 33.00 euros, plus postage. It includes essays, family research contributions, book reviews, conference reports, event notices, congregational anniversary reports, research project insights, and obituaries. The editors include Ulrike Arnold and Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Goertz. The MGV also publishes books and writings on Mennonite history. In 2007 the society commissioned Hans-Jürgen Goertz to edit a supplementary fifth volume of the Mennonitisches Lexikon. The society also maintains the Menno-Simons-Gedächtnisstätte (Mennokate) in Bad Oldesloe, Schleswig-Holstein, a museum. In 2002 the Stiftung Mennonitische Forschungsstelle Weierhof was established to provide a solid financial basis; the annual returns of the foundation and membership fees partially finance ongoing work. The society also organizes exhibitions, including a permanent exhibition on the Weierhof and online exhibitions on Anabaptist history. Since 2013 Astrid von Schlachta has chaired the society.

The Mennonitischer Geschichtsverein was founded in April 1933 in Berlin. The initiative came after several Mennonite congregations in Altona had decided a year earlier to establish such a society. From its beginnings, the association focused on the history and development of the Reformation-era Anabaptists and the Mennonites who emerged from the Anabaptist movement. In 1948, on the initiative of the society, the Mennonitische Forschungsstelle was founded. Its main task is the collection and documentation of material on Anabaptist and Mennonite history. The research center was initially housed in the Göttingen apartment of Dr. Ernst and Rosa Crous. Later the collection moved with the Crous couple to their native city of Krefeld, where it was accommodated in the Stadthaus Krefeld until 1968. When the couple died in 1967/1968, the question arose as to what should happen to the collection. In 1968 it was transferred to the Weierhof, a Mennonite settlement in the Palatinate, and placed in the upper rooms of the Gymnasium Weierhof. Over the years the collection grew, making the school premises insufficient. In 1998 a new building for the library and archive was completed in Weierhof/Pfalz, financed generously through appeals to members and friends. The library now holds approximately 33,000 titles and is the only institution in Germany that systematically collects materials on the history of Mennonites/Anabaptists, as well as Amish, Hutterites, and Russian Mennonites. The archive contains theological confessions of the early Anabaptists, documents on persecution and migration, anti-Anabaptist literature of the early modern period, martyr mirrors, church registers of Mennonite congregations in Germany, and documents on the history of Mennonite congregations and family names. Since 2016 the Deutsch-Pennsylvanische Archiv (Michael Werner Collection) has been part of the holdings, comprising around 1,500 books, journals, and other media as well as about 16,000 Pennsylvania German text documents (literature, manuscripts, letters). The society publishes the Mennonitische Geschichtsblätter annually, an internationally oriented journal of about 200 pages covering the history of Anabaptists and Mennonites (including Amish and Hutterites) from their origins to the present. It includes essays, family research contributions, book reviews, conference reports, event notices, congregational anniversary reports, research project insights, and obituaries. The journal is free for members; subscriptions cost 25.00 euros, and it is available in bookshops for 33.00 euros, plus postage. The editors include Ulrike Arnold and Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Goertz. The MGV also publishes books and writings on Mennonite history. In 2007 the society commissioned Hans-Jürgen Goertz to edit a supplementary fifth volume of the Mennonitisches Lexikon. The first part contains biographical entries, the second part entries on history, culture, and theology of Mennonites, and the third part on dispersion. The society also maintains the Menno-Simons-Gedächtnisstätte (Mennokate) in Bad Oldesloe, Schleswig-Holstein, a museum. In 2002 the Stiftung Mennonitische Forschungsstelle Weierhof was established to provide a solid financial basis; the annual returns of the foundation and membership fees partially finance ongoing work. The society organizes exhibitions, including a permanent exhibition on the Weierhof and online exhibitions on Anabaptist history. In 2013 Astrid von Schlachta, known for her studies on the history of the Hutterian Brethren, took over the chairmanship of the society.

• 2016

  Deutsch-Pennsylvanische Archiv (Michael Werner Collection) added to the holdings.

• 2013

  Astrid von Schlachta becomes chair of the society.

• 2007

  Hans-Jürgen Goertz commissioned to edit supplementary fifth volume of the Mennonitisches Lexikon.

• 2002

  Stiftung Mennonitische Forschungsstelle Weierhof established.

• 1998

  New building for the library and archive completed in Weierhof/Pfalz.

• 1968

  Collection moved to the Weierhof and housed in the Gymnasium Weierhof.

• 1948

  Mennonitische Forschungsstelle founded on the initiative of the society, initially in Göttingen.

• 1933

  Mennonitischer Geschichtsverein founded in April in Berlin.

• 1932

  Several Mennonite congregations in Altona decide to establish a historical society.

A scholarly society and research institution serving historians, genealogists, and the Mennonite community, with a unique specialized library and archive in Germany.

• Mennonitische Geschichtsblätter

  Annual journal of about 200 pages on Anabaptist and Mennonite history, including Amish and Hutterite history.

• Mennonitisches Lexikon, supplementary volume 5

  Edited by Hans-Jürgen Goertz on behalf of the society; includes biographical entries, history/culture/theology entries, and dispersion.

• Mennonitische Forschungsstelle Weierhof

  Library and archive with approximately 33,000 titles and extensive archival holdings.

• Mennokate (Menno-Simons-Gedächtnisstätte)

  Museum in Bad Oldesloe, Schleswig-Holstein, maintained by the society.

1. 1Mennonitischer Geschichtsverein | MGVmennonitischer-geschichtsverein.de
2. 2Forschungsstelle | Mennonitischer Geschichtsvereinmennonitischer-geschichtsverein.de
3. 3Geschichtsblätter | Mennonitischer Geschichtsvereinmennonitischer-geschichtsverein.de
4. 4Ausstellungen zur Geschichte | Mennonitischer Geschichtsvereinmennonitischer-geschichtsverein.de
5. 5Mennonitischer Geschichtsverein (Germany) - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Mennonitischer Geschichtsverein - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org