MTS TRAVEL, Wenger Tour to Germany, France and Switzerland

This tour price reflects special group rates. Deposits received after July 5, 2009, will likely incur additional charges due to supplier contract terms.

TOUR PRICE INCLUDES:

Leave Philadelphia International Airport for your overnight flight to Frankfurt, Germany. Dinner and breakfast provided in-flight. (D, B)

Day 2 (Tuesday, July 6) Frankfurt – Rothenburg

Arrive during the early morning at Frankfurt International Airport in Germany. In the forenoon drive by motorcoach to Rothenburg ob der Tauber for an overnight stay in this famous walled medieval village—a popular tourist attraction. You have the option of exploring this beautiful town by foot on a night tour. Dinner included. (D)

Day 3 (Wednesday, July 7) Rothenburg, Germany

After breakfast spend the early morning hours in Rothenburg— the old Franconian city, with its well preserved walls and towers. Founded in 5 B.C., this town has kept a typical 16th century look through strict preservation laws since mid-1800. Explore the town on your own before departing for travel south on the Romantic Road through the beautiful Bavarian countryside. Visit Neuschwanstein Castle, which King Ludwig II built on a rugged hill against a backdrop of picturesque mountain scenery. Its building was prompted by the idea of rebuilding an existing ruin "in the authentic style of the old German knights' castles," as Ludwig wrote in a letter to Richard Wagner. While the building itself imitates the 13th-century Romanesque style, the paintings inside predominantly depict scenes from Wagner's operas such as "Tannhäuser" and "Lohengrin.” The Singers' Hall is modeled on the banqueting hall of the Wartburg near Eisenach; the decoration includes wall paintings illustrating the Parzival saga. The church-like Throne Hall was modeled on Byzantine domed architecture and the Allerheiligenhofkirche (All-Saints Church) in the Munich Residence, and symbolizes Ludwig II's idea of a monarchy by God's grace. Neuschwanstein is not a copy of a medieval castle but a typical Historicist creation. Continue to Oberammergau for dinner and overnight lodging, breakfast and dinner included. (B, D)

Day 4 (Thursday, July 8) Oberammergau, Germany

Today, you will attend The Passion Play. The history of the passion Play at Oberammergau goes back to 1634, when the quaint alpine village of Oberammergau was threatened by the deadly and contagious disease known as the Black Plague that scourged Europe, killing two-thirds of the population of Germany. The people of Oberammergau pledged to perform the Passion Play as a sign of their repentance and remorse over the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. The chronicles relate that from the day the people gathered around the cross to swear their sacred vow, no further person died of the plague. Since that date, the play has been performed every ten years. You can spend a leisure morning in Oberammergau. After lunch you will find your seats in the theater to attend the performance of the world famous Passion Play. This drama is performed by local villagers with roles often handed down from generation to generation within families. Dinner is included during a three-hour break in the late afternoon. The performance lasts until 10:30 pm. Return to our hotel for your overnight stay. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included for the day. (B, L, D)

Day 5 (Friday, July 9) Schaffhausen, Switzerland

After breakfast, say farewell to Oberammergau and travel to Schaffhausen, Switzerland with a brief stop at Weiskirche near Oberammergau. North of Schaffhausen is a village well-known to Mennonite historians as Scheitheim, where a document named the Scheitheim Confession of Faith was written in 1727 by early Anabaptist leaders to provide guidance for members of their faith. The local museum has a second floor devoted entirely to this Anabaptist history. If time permits we will take a short hike to the site of the recently dedicated stone known as the Täufersteg Memorial located along a path where Anabaptists escaped from Switzerland to the German Kraichgau region. Overnight and dinner in Schaffhausen. (B, D)

Day 6 (Saturday, July 10) Zurich, Switzerland

Visit the Rheinfalls in the morning and then travel to Zurich for an afternoon walking tour of the Grossmünster, old-town Zürich where Conrad Grebel, founder of the Anabaptist movement, once lived. Finally, we will walk through the old town section to the memorial plaque honoring the drowning of Felix Manz in 1527 and the beheading of Hans Landis in 1614. From here we travel to Hirzel where Hans Landis lived up until the time of his beheading. Continue to Luzerne on our way to Wengen where we will stay overnight. This is one of the villages for which the Wengers receive their surname during the middle ages. Breakfast and dinner included. (B, D)

Day 7 (Sunday, July 11) Free Day in the Alps

Your Day in the Alps!* Make the most of your time here in the Jungfrau region by hiking on its numerous trails, take a cograil train ride to the Jungfraujoch (the highest railway station in Europe at 11,300 ft. or visit the picturesque villages of Mürren and Gimmelwald. Take the gondola ride to the Schilthorn where you can have lunch in the mountain peak revolving restaurant, experience the 360 degree vistas as you enjoy your meal. Or, relax during the day by viewing the snowcovered Jungfrau. A brief worship service will be provided for members of the group. You’re on your own for the day! Overnight in Wengen! Dinner and breakfast included. (B, D) * Bus driver has the day off while members of the tour group are visiting Wengen. As required by law at the present time the motorcoach driver must be given one day off for up to six consecutive days of travel in Europe.

Day 8 (Monday, July 12) Bern, Switzerland

After breakfast, we tour the Wenger and Anabaptist places within the canton of Bern, including Blumenstein where Wengers continue to live in great abundance in the Gürbetal Valley. We will drive by the location of a Peter Wenger hof where its been reported that a hiding place once existed. Numerous Wengers who came to America emigrated from this valley including Henry Wenger (line A) and his brother Christian Wenger (line B) came from Wattenwil. It most likely that Hans Wenger of Jonestown and his family (line G) came from this region although definite proof does not exist about this claim. We will visit the Ey Estate near Heubach where Lazareth Wenger (line E) in the region of Rüschegg emigrated to Tulpehocken, Berks County, Pennsylvania in 1735. We will drive through the “Täufernest” of Winterthur where the Amish line of Jacob Hostetter and Binkleys once lived. There we find a secret hiding place located under the floorboards of the hof now owned by a Brönimann family. We conclude this day with the wonderful vista of the distant view of the Alps, the Emmental and the entire region of Bern from Schwarzenburg to Bern as seen on a clear day from near the village of Hasli. Overnight in Interlaken with dinner including Swiss Folk Music entertainment in Interlaken included. (B, D)

Day 9 (Tuesday, July 13) Emmental Region

Enjoy breakfast, then travel to the Emmental to see the Martisegg home of Christian Wenger (immigrant of 1727) and the original homestead of the Christian Wenger family at Schallenberg Pass (line C). You will also visit the Eggiwil Church where Christian was baptized as a child in 1698. Next, you will travel to the vicinity of Schangnau where the Hershey immigrants to Pennsylvania likely came from and take a 15-minute hike to a Räbloch Cave in the Emmental where Anabaptists secretly met for worship and prayer in this Emmental region. We will travel to the Fankhauser farm called Hinter Hütten near Trub where there is a secret Anabaptist hiding place in the barn. There you will have lunch and visit an excellent exhibit that explains Anabaptist history in the Trub area. Travel to Langnau to see the Oldest Mennonite Church in the world and the community cemetery located next door with many Mennonite family names. Just up the hill is the hamlet of Dürsutti where Anabaptists met in secret in a nearby wooded area. From here you will travel to Trachselwald where some of our ancestors were placed in jail including Hans Haslibacher, the last person beheaded in the canton of Bern in 1571. Finally, you will stop at the show dairy where we can purchase cheese and see how it is made. If time permits you will visit the Hans Haslebacher Hof where a 15th generation descendant Hans Haslibacker and his wife Gertrude live today. Travel to Basel for overnight stay. (B, L)

Day 10 (Wednesday, July 14) Alsace, France

Following breakfast, drive by motorcoach thru the wine county of Alsase, France and continue on the German Wine Route to Weierhof. While en route thru Alsace, you will stop briefly at the quaint town of Riquewihr, an old French farming town. Our fi nal destination for the day is Ibersheim for an afternoon walking tour of the village with hand-painted frescos. This is where the greatgrandfather of Christian Wenger (immigrant 1727), also named Christian lived during his final days after being exiled along with his daughter Barbara from the Emmental in Switzerland in 1671. Dinner and overnight in Mainz, Germany. (B, D)

Day 11 (Thursday, July 15) Mainz Region

After breakfast, take a boat ride downstream (north) from a Mainz boat ramp to St. Goar during the morning hours. Early lunch can be purchased individually while on board the boat. Visit the small museum at Lerchennest Hof in Steinfurt and the nearby basement where Anabaptists were arrested for an illegal meeting of 53 church members during the winter of 1661. These members were assessed a very heavy fine. See the wooded Wiedertäuferchurch near Wagonbacherhof where members met for worship during the summer months. Other brief stops will take place nearby in the former Mennonite community of Hasselbach and present-day Unterbiegelhof owned by a Mennonite family named Funk who lives here and operates the farm. Return for overnight in Mainz hotel. Farewell dinner at hotel. (B, D)

Day 12 (Friday, July 16) Depart for USA

An early morning departure after breakfast, by motorcoach to the Frankfurt International Airport for our return fl ight home to Philadelphia International Airport. Arrive in Philadelphia by late afternoon. (B)

Your Tour Hosts:
Samuel E. Wenger, who lives in Akron, PA, with his wife Ruth, has three grown daughters. Sam is retired from 36 years of science teaching and supervision and attends Akron Mennonite Church. He researches genealogy of Wengers and other families in his spare time and has hosted several European heritage tours. Sam has recently published four Swiss tour guides that features important anabaptist and reformed historical sites. Jay V. Wenger lives in Akron, PA, with his wife Leah, and they have three grown children. Jay attends Lancaster Church of the Brethren. He is semi-retired and works part-time for Glick’s Water Service. He has co-hosted other European heritage tours with Sam and is President of the Wenger Family Association.