Ebenezer in the Barossa Valley. This Wendish Lutheran Church cemetery and school was established in 1859. This second Lutheran school was built in 1871. Now in ruins. Only school in Australia which taught in Wendish or Sorbian language.
Ebenezer Lutheran Church and the Wends.
The Sorbs or Wends came from a specific region of Eastern Germany where they spoke Slavic language related to Polish, but totally unrelated to German. When the Sorbs/Wends settled in SA the English settlers assumed they were German because they all spoke German and they attended Lutheran churches. But the Wends were a different ethnic group. Today 35,000 people still speak Sorbian in Germany, despite the persecution they suffered from the Nazis during World War Two. After the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the Congress of Vienna redrew the
map of Europe and Lusatia, where the Sorbs lived, was ceded to Prussia from Saxony. The Prussians oppressed the Sorbs/Wends and after 1830 many migrated to Australia (as well as Canada etc.) Although the first Sorbs/Wends arrived in SA in 1848 the largest migration was in 1853-54 after the great European famine of 1848 and the consequent revolutions. The three major Wendish settlements in SA were St Kitts (near Dutton), Peters Hill (near Riverton) and Ebenezer (near Nuriootpa) but there were other settlements too such as Rosedale and Hope Valley. The lack of Wendish pastors meant that few Wends were ever taught or preached at by Wends. Only at Ebenezer were children ever taught in Wendish language but church services were conducted in Wendish at Peters Hill and Ebenezer.
The Ebenezer- Neukirch area a few kilometres north of Nuriootpa appealed to early settlers because of the flat terrain. Johann Dallwitz, a Wend was one of the first white settlers here in 1852 and he is credited with having named the place Ebenezer which is a Biblical phrase meaning “hitherto hath the Lord helped us”. Most of the original 72 Wendish settlers at Ebenezer came to SA on the ship Helene in 1851. A Wendish Lutheran congregation was formed here in 1852 and the first St. John’s Lutheran church was erected in 1859. Dallwitz came to be the teacher at the Lutheran school. The thatched roof church was demolished and replaced in 1905 with this grand church we see today. The Lutheran school here is especially important as it was the only school in Australia to teach in the Wendish or Sorbian language. Dallwitz retired in 1863 when his son took over the school until 1908. In 1871 a new bigger school room was built and it still remains albeit in poor condition today.
The Lutheran church here is important too for a number of reasons. Firstly inside is a Lemke pipe organ hand built by a Barossa Valley resident in 1875. It was built for the original church and was moved into the current 1905 church. Secondly it was from this church that the Great Trek of 1868 started. At that time a group of four Wendish and four German families set out, like the Boers of South Africa, with their covered wagons on a long trek with all their possessions to the new agricultural region of the Riverina in New South Wales. They settled at Walla Walla where their descendants still live. Thirdly the church is important because it was the home of one of the two major Lutheran Synods of SA. A split between two early Lutheran pastors in SA led to divisions within the Lutheran churches in Australia for over 100 years. Basically, followers of Pastor Kavel (Hahndorf/Bethany) ending up forming ELIS, the Immanuel College synod whilst those followers of Pastor Fritsche (Lobethal) formed ELSA (Evangelical Lutheran Synod Australia.) But there were also independent churches and other small Lutheran synods in SA. The independents and ELIS (Immanuel Synod) members met here at Ebenezer in 1921 and formed UELCA – the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Australia. The driving force behind this amalgamation in 1921 was the ending of World War One and the need for Australian Lutheran synods to take charge of the many German missionaries in Papua New Guinea. It was 1956 before the Evangelical Lutheran Synod Australia (ELSA) amalgamated with UECLA (the former ELIS) to form a single Lutheran church synod in Australia- LCA, Lutheran Church of Australia.
Ebenezer in the Barossa Valley. This Wendish Lutheran Church cemetery and school was established in 1859. This second Lutheran school was built in 1871. Now in ruins. Only school in Australia which taught in Wendish or Sorbian language.
Ebenezer Lutheran Church and the Wends.
The Sorbs or Wends came from a specific region of Eastern Germany where they spoke Slavic language related to Polish, but totally unrelated to German. When the Sorbs/Wends settled in SA the English settlers assumed they were German because they all spoke German and they attended Lutheran churches. But the Wends were a different ethnic group. Today 35,000 people still speak Sorbian in Germany, despite the persecution they suffered from the Nazis during World War Two. After the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the Congress of Vienna redrew the
map of Europe and Lusatia, where the Sorbs lived, was ceded to Prussia from Saxony. The Prussians oppressed the Sorbs/Wends and after 1830 many migrated to Australia (as well as Canada etc.) Although the first Sorbs/Wends arrived in SA in 1848 the largest migration was in 1853-54 after the great European famine of 1848 and the consequent revolutions. The three major Wendish settlements in SA were St Kitts (near Dutton), Peters Hill (near Riverton) and Ebenezer (near Nuriootpa) but there were other settlements too such as Rosedale and Hope Valley. The lack of Wendish pastors meant that few Wends were ever taught or preached at by Wends. Only at Ebenezer were children ever taught in Wendish language but church services were conducted in Wendish at Peters Hill and Ebenezer.
The Ebenezer- Neukirch area a few kilometres north of Nuriootpa appealed to early settlers because of the flat terrain. Johann Dallwitz, a Wend was one of the first white settlers here in 1852 and he is credited with having named the place Ebenezer which is a Biblical phrase meaning “hitherto hath the Lord helped us”. Most of the original 72 Wendish settlers at Ebenezer came to SA on the ship Helene in 1851. A Wendish Lutheran congregation was formed here in 1852 and the first St. John’s Lutheran church was erected in 1859. Dallwitz came to be the teacher at the Lutheran school. The thatched roof church was demolished and replaced in 1905 with this grand church we see today. The Lutheran school here is especially important as it was the only school in Australia to teach in the Wendish or Sorbian language. Dallwitz retired in 1863 when his son took over the school until 1908. In 1871 a new bigger school room was built and it still remains albeit in poor condition today.
The Lutheran church here is important too for a number of reasons. Firstly inside is a Lemke pipe organ hand built by a Barossa Valley resident in 1875. It was built for the original church and was moved into the current 1905 church. Secondly it was from this church that the Great Trek of 1868 started. At that time a group of four Wendish and four German families set out, like the Boers of South Africa, with their covered wagons on a long trek with all their possessions to the new agricultural region of the Riverina in New South Wales. They settled at Walla Walla where their descendants still live. Thirdly the church is important because it was the home of one of the two major Lutheran Synods of SA. A split between two early Lutheran pastors in SA led to divisions within the Lutheran churches in Australia for over 100 years. Basically, followers of Pastor Kavel (Hahndorf/Bethany) ending up forming ELIS, the Immanuel College synod whilst those followers of Pastor Fritsche (Lobethal) formed ELSA (Evangelical Lutheran Synod Australia.) But there were also independent churches and other small Lutheran synods in SA. The independents and ELIS (Immanuel Synod) members met here at Ebenezer in 1921 and formed UELCA – the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Australia. The driving force behind this amalgamation in 1921 was the ending of World War One and the need for Australian Lutheran synods to take charge of the many German missionaries in Papua New Guinea. It was 1956 before the Evangelical Lutheran Synod Australia (ELSA) amalgamated with UECLA (the former ELIS) to form a single Lutheran church synod in Australia- LCA, Lutheran Church of Australia.