Wend-surfing
The Internet's Google search-engine is able to find about 240,000 websites or items relating to "Wends" which are available for viewing. The following small selection of items relate to the Wends or Sorbs in Lusatia Germany; in Texas and Ohio in the United States of America and in Australia. Click on the links to view the websites. Happy reading!
(1) Customs in the Cottbus area in Lower Lusatia, Germany
The site labelled "Cottbus.de: traditions and customs of the Sorbs/Wends in Lower Lusatia" and dealing with "Stadt Cottbus/Chosebuz", is introduced by Heike Konzack. The site presents information about customs relating to the birds' wedding, Shrove Tuesday, Easter eggs, the Maypole, Harvest, the Spinning Room and Blueprint. The web link is
Customs in the Cottbus area in Lower Lusatia
(2) Some Sorbian/Wendish Institutions in Lusatia, Germany
Under the heading "Luzicki Srbi/Lausitzer Sorben (Wendi/Wends)" can be found some Sorbian Associations and Institutions, as well as local regions. Included are Sorbs in the Catholic region north-west of Bautzen, in the Schleife/Slepo region, in the Hoyerswerda/Wojerecy region and in Lower Lausistz/Dolna Luzyca. Also included are extracts from the Constitutions of The Free State of Saxony and of the State of Brandenburg, relating to Sorbian/Wendish rights. The web link is
Some Sorbian/Wendish Institutions in Lusatia, Germany
(3) The Conversion and Destruction of the Wends in Northern Europe
This is the heading for an article by E.L. Skip Knox which deals with the invasion and the subjugation of the northern European Wends. He notes that Wends were known for their hospitality and liberality and that the Wends alternated between adopting Christianity and retaining their pagan beliefs back in the Middle Ages. The link for this article is
The Conversion and Destruction of the Wends in Northern Europe
(4) The Wends of Texas USA, Spring 2006
Francis Kiefel likes touring around Texas, USA and recording his adventures on his website "The Texas Road Runners". He visited Serbin in Texas in Spring of 2006 and was conducted through the Wendish Museum by Volunteer Guide Barbara Hielscher. Francis has posted photos of the Museum, the old School House, the Kilian family graves and the Library. In his illustrated essay on the Texas Wends, he presents information about Wendish history, traditions relating to Christmas including visits by Rumplich, Easter egg decorating, Weddings including the black gown, folk medicine including the Lebenswecker which pierced the skin for special oils to be absorbed, the Birds' Wedding and Wendish Noodles. The link for the Wends of Texas is .
The Wends of Texas USA
(5) About the Wends of Texas by Ron Lammert
This short article addresses "Who are the Wends?". Some information about Wendish history in northern Europe is followed by the story of the departure in September 1854 from Lusatia of Pastor Jan Kilian and about 500 emigrants on the ship "Ben Nevis". About 56 emigrants died from cholera on the voyage and many of the rest finally settled at Serbin near Giddings in Lee County Texas. Included is a recipe for wendish noodles as well as Easter Egg decorating using various methods such as wax batik, acid, scratching and embossing. The link for this article is
About the Wends of Texas
(6) The Hoedels visit Texas
The website "The Hoedels of Canada and Germany visiting Texas" is presented by Chris Becker It includes photos of events, places and people in Texas, such as the Wendish Festival with shots of the food, Geoff Saegenschnitter from Australia, Pastor Hohle, pole-climbing and washer pitching; the Texas Heritage Museum; Fredericksburg hosting the October Fest; Luckenbach and Wimberley. The link is
The Hoedels visit Texas
(7) Texan Towns with Wendish Descendants
The website "The Handbook of Texas Online" features an article by Sylvia Grider on the background to the Wendish settlement of Texas, as well as listing towns which many of these Wendish descendants now call home. These towns or cities include Serbin, Warda, Giddings, Fedor, Manheim, Loebau, Lincoln, Winchester, La Grange, Thorndale, Walburg, Copperas Cove, The Grove, Vernon, Swiss Alp, New Ulm, Industry, Noack , Aleman, Houston, Austin and Port Arthur. This article concludes with a useful bibliography of Wendish literature and history. The link is
Texan Towns with Wendish Descendants
(8) The Iowa Wends
Some Lusatian Wends emigrated from Drachhausen in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg already in 1847 and settled in the south-eastern corner of the state of Iowa, near Fort Madison and in the central region at Zearing, St Anthony and State Centre. On 19 Sep 2009, a Program to explore Wendish migration to Iowa was held at the German American Heritage Centre. Cathryn Petersen spoke about these Iowa Wends andmentioned the Kruegermann Company which produces Spreewald Gurkens. The link is
The Iowa Wends
(9) Australian Wends
The Australia-bound Wends who left Upper Lusatia in Saxony and Lower Lusatia in Brandenburg Prussia back the mid-1800s landed mainly in Adelaide, South Australia and in Melbourne, Victoria. However, their descendants have now spread all over the vast continent of Australia. The Wendish Heritage Society is based in Victoria and maintains its Wendish Resource Centre at 27 Livingstone Street in Ivanhoe, Melbourne. It also maintains a website which contains Wendish history, geography, culture and customs, the Society's activities and publications including the Library's catalogue, articles, passenger lists, book reviews, letters and obituaries. The link for this website is
Australian Wends
(10) The Werplon
"Witches, Wends and Werplons" provides the Google heading for an interview with the University of Newcastle's Archivist Gionni Di Gravio, held in September 2009 about Rosaleen Norton's imaginative painting "The Werplon". The "Wer" as in werewolf indicates the male gender and a "Plon" in Wendish folk-lore was a winged dragon demon which supplied corn but could also transform into people or animals and was prone to stealing children. He was covered in hair and liked millet gruel. The archivist Gionni Di Gravio obtained some of her information about this wendish creature from Mr Hans Dieter-Senff. The link for this exploration into Wendish folk-lore is
The Werplon
Compiled by John Noack.
