SLHC Masthead

Adult Programs

The Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center offers a wide variety of Adult programs including group tours, symposia, lectures, workshops, and special events related to the history and culture of the Schwenkfelders, PA Germans, and the local area.

Brown Bag Lunch Lectures

Bring your lunch and join Dr. Allen Viehmeyer and guest lecturers the second Wednesday of each month for a closer look into the SLHC collections, local, and Schwenkfelder history.

Upcoming Programs

The Exile Society and the Friends of the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center often host special guest lecturers, groups, and events at the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center.

Dialect Conversation Group

Pa German Dialect Conversation Group
Upcoming meetings
2013: June 20, July 18, August 15, September 19,
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Open to the Public
Join members of the PA German community to listen and talk about various subjects in Deitsch. Themes vary month to month. Conversation group meetings are open to the public. The SLHC provides coffee and tea for all participants. Join the conversation! No R.S.V.P is required. If you're interested in leading a discussion in the dialect, contact us!

Workshops and Classes

Bookbinding: Intro to Box Making
Saturday, June 1, 2013
$10 per adult, $5 for youth participants
Recommended for teens, adults and seniors. This activity is also appropriate for children between the ages of 6-12. Contact Rebecca Lawrence, rebecca@schwenkfelder.com (215) 679-3103 to register by May 25.
As a follow up to our initial bookbinding class of the year, we'll make a simple box made of binders board and paper.
(air dry) Clay Tiles and the PA German Countryside
Saturday, July 6, and Saturday, July 13, 2013
$10 per adult, $5 for youth participants
Recommended for teens, adults and seniors. This activity is also appropriate for children between the ages of 6-12. Contact Rebecca Lawrence, rebecca@schwenkfelder.com (215) 679-3103 to register by July 1.
Inspired by the PA German landscape illustrated in our H. Winslow Fegley photograph collection, reassemble the elements of the landscape into a multiple pieced painted clay tile project. Create your tile on July 6th, then return to the Heritage Center to paint your clay tile pieces on July 13th. Please bring a smock to our workshop or wear clothing suitable for art-making activities on both days.
German for Reading Knowledge, Adult German Language Course
Registration is on a month by month basis through May 2013
$80.00 a month, Thursday evenings, 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Join our Associate Director of Research, Dr. Allen Viehmeyer, for a month by month course to acquire a reading knowledge of German. Courses cost $80.00 per month, Thursday evenings from 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. in our Library. Interested participants should contact Rebecca Lawrence or Allen Viehmeyer, 215–679–3103 or rebecca@schwenkfelder.com to register and receive information on the required text.

Schwenkfelder Heritage Tour

Schwenkfelder Heritage Tour 2014
September 24 through October 10, 2014
Schwenkfelder heritage sites throughout Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic
Informational meetings occur on September 11, noon and September 15 at 2:00pm
We will be visiting the Gemeindhaus in Berthelsdorf, the Viehweg Monument in Twardocice, Grodziec Castle, Schwenckfeld’s church in Osiek, the Elbe river cities of Dresden, Pirna, Torgau, Wittenberg, Magdeburg and Tangermünde. Along with these Schwenkfelder related sites there will be plenty of sites of interest to the general traveler. In Poland, we will visit the town of Jelenia Gora, see the Wang Scandinavian Church, and visit a pottery factory outlet in Boleslawiec. In Germany, the towns of Görlitz, Oybin, Torgau and Quedlinsburg provide a fascinating glimpse into the 18th century (and earlier). We will even visit the huge and wonderfully preserved Frydlant castle in the Czech Republic. Our tours are active, but not rushed, moving “off the beaten path” to see an authentic part of Poland and Germany that American tourists usually don’t have the opportunity to explore. For additional information and a detailed itinerary, please contact Dave at the Heritage Center via email info@schwenkfelder.com or telephone, 215-679-3103.