May 21, 2026
By Robert Goertzen, Executive Director
Anyone who visits Mennonite Heritage Village is impressed by the size of our museum. It is difficult to fit a trip to MHV into your schedule unless you have two to four hours to spare in your day. There are the indoor galleries to begin with; the Main Gallery, the Gerhard Ens Gallery, and the Hallway Gallery. Then you enter the outdoor village to immerse yourself in the various home settings of the early Mennonite settlers to Manitoba. You are also surrounded by gardens and a farmyard with a variety of animals. Churches, schools, early 20th-century village businesses, a transportation building and an agricultural equipment building highlight many aspects of life in a Mennonite community from the 1870’s to the 1930’s. Standing tallest as the museum centrepiece is our Dutch-designed, working windmill.
We can be proud of our museum. It preserves and interprets the stories of our communities. It has become a major tourist attraction for the area, drawing visitors from all over Manitoba, across Canada, and around the world. We are a meeting space for families and their celebrations, and we host community events throughout the year.
This world-class destination comes with a huge responsibility to care for the artefacts, buildings, and stories that have been entrusted to us. Our heritage buildings are made of wood and they deteriorate, so we are constantly repairing and renewing walls, roofs, doors and windows. Each building also requires a new coat of paint every few years and with 17 heritage buildings on our property, we plan to refresh approximately three buildings each year. With nearly 40 acres of property to care for, a significant effort is put into groundskeeping, gardening and tree care. We have been entrusted with nearly 17,000 artefacts as well, many of them with stories that assist us in preserving our history and shaping our identity.
Fortunately, MHV is supported in our task of caring for these stories, artefacts and structures. Dozens of skilled mechanics, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and other trades people assist us in maintaining and repairing our structures and buildings. Many volunteers provide help with yard care and animal care. And we are blessed to have many donors who provide funds to purchase materials and supplies for the functioning of our facility and to support our staff who coordinate all these activities throughout the year.
Mennonite Heritage Village is a gift with responsibilities attached. We are very thankful for continued support by volunteers and donors. We are blessed to be able to share MHV with our community, as we preserve history and share these stories for present and future generations. And we are very grateful for the businesses and individuals who provide funds for us to continue to offer our museum as a gatherer of stories and culture. The past is important to preserve, as we live our lives in a welcoming and inclusive community.
MHV is a gift from our past for all of us in the present and for future generations.
May 22 – 6:00 p.m. – Spring Gala Fundraising Banquet – The Mennonite Heritage Village warmly invites you to an unforgettable evening of celebration, vision, and community spirit. Join us for our annual Spring Gala, where tradition meets transformation. As we reflect on our rich heritage and honour the stories that built our foundation, we also look ahead with hope and excitement to a future full of promise. We will also officially launch the new Gerhard Ens Gallery exhibit, Mennonite Medicine: Cures + Curiosities – 1800-1950. Tickets are still available but going fast, call 204-326-9661 or go online at www.mhv.ca/gala to get yours.
May 23 – 9:00 a.m. – Mennonite Medicine: Cures and Curiosities – 1800 to 1950 opens in the Gerhard Ens Gallery.
June 19-21 – Summer in the City Waffle Booth is open. Enjoy fresh waffles with white sauce at Steinbach’s downtown festival.
Thank you for being a part of Mennonite Heritage Village.