Deutscher Platz

Vancouver, 1968 – In 1986, GRACE McCARTHY, then the Minister of Transportation, reached out to various multicultural communities in Vancouver, inviting them to create park-like gardens along the new SkyTrain route for Expo ’86. The concept was for each community to “adopt” a garden and maintain it in cooperation with the Vancouver Park Board.

Within the German-speaking community, the GERMAN-CANADIAN CONGRESS established a working group known as the “Parkway Committee.” This committee pursued the garden project with great enthusiasm. The next step was fundraising, and thanks to the dedication of all committee members, generous donations were quickly collected both in B.C. and Germany. The support from the German-speaking population in Vancouver—associations, corporations, churches, schools, and media—made this project possible.

The design of the space was based on suggestions by landscape architect G. Edel, leading to the creation of the GERMAN CANADIAN HERITAGE PLAZA. Once construction was complete, Axel Hoyer began laying out the garden. The plaques, featuring engraved donor names, were made by Ebco, the Eppich brothers, free of charge. Goetz Lange-Michels donated the log, and Mr. Hammerl from Armstrong carved the logo, also free of charge.

The opening ceremony took place on June 29, 1986, with VIPs and 2,000 enthusiastic participants in attendance. The German community had created a lasting memorial, a fitting symbol of the contributions of German immigrants, which was positively recognized by the Canadian public. The donations collected for maintaining the space lasted for six years, after which the plaza gradually fell into obscurity.

In August 1992, all former committee members were invited by Ursula and Eugen Neubert to discuss the upkeep of the space and to raise donations once again. This effort led to the founding of the GERMAN CANADIAN HERITAGE PLAZA COMMITTEE. This working group is an independent, non-profit society that, on behalf of the German-speaking community, assumes responsibility for maintaining the plaza. The committee operates based on jointly established conditions to ensure the preservation of the GERMAN CANADIAN HERITAGE PLAZA. To keep the distribution of duties dynamic and up-to-date, a different Association of the Board takes over as Chair each year.

Until 2017, when the German Canadian Heritage Plaza celebrated its final “Tag der Deutschen Einheit” with the unveiling of a plaque presented by the Park Board of Vancouver. You can buy the Deutscher Platz booklet on magcloud:  https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/1747936