Information: A Little Bit Of Germany

Your first stop should be the Willkommen Centre on Main Street. Pick up information on the many events and attractions and see the displays reflecting the unique character of Humboldt and District, where the majority of residents are of German descent.

A stroll through downtown takes you by the large mural portraying Humboldt's beginnings as a lonely log telegraph station built in 1876 on the Carlton Trail, the bronze bust of German scientist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt after whom the town is named, Humboldt and District Museum and Gallery where exhibits highlight the area's history, and shops in the elaborately decorated Chamney Platz shopping centre.

Festivities happen year round beginning with the welcoming of spring at the Humboldt Maifest, followed in June by the three day Humboldt Sommerfest with a parade, art show, cultural displays and a Volksmarsch to a nearby community. In October there's Harvest Week Celebrations and the traditional Thanksgiving festival of Erntedankfest. A Christmas tree light up and carol singing heralds the Christmas season with musical concerts and special children's events.

You'll find the work of many talented artists and crafts people in the shops around town. Take home a piece of hand made pottery, a painting or straw weaving, or a dried floral wreath as a souvenir. Or ask at the Willkommen Centre about visits to artists' studios.

Something to Treasure

The House of Treasures and Keepsakes in Annaheim is a three storey heritage house filled with crafts and handmade items from over 300 artisans. There's everything from dried flower arrangements and candles, to pottery, wheat weavings, dolls, crocheting, and preserves. Browse through the top floor devoted to Christmas decorations where twinkling lights and softly playing carols get you in the holiday mood. The aroma of freshly baked bread, muffins, cinnamon buns and pies will entice you into the tea room for lunch where everything on the menu is homemade.

Benedictine Heritage

St. Peter's Cathedral in Muenster was built by Benedictine monks who arrived here from Minnesota in the early 1900s. The inside of the impressive cathedral was painted in 1919 by noted German born artist Berthold von Imhoff whose 80 life size paintings of saints depict the faces of some of the monks. Across the road is the abbey which is home to St. Peter's College, affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan.

A Place of Pilgrimage

Less than a half hour drive west of Humboldt is Mount Carmel where pilgrimages have been taking place in mid July since 1923. The site is dominated by a beautiful hilltop marble statue of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, with a stone chapel and 14 Stations of the Cross marked by limestone cairns and bronze plaques.

The Agricultural Heartland The Land of the Living Sky is in the heart of rich agricultural land. Watch for bright yellow fields of mustard or canola, blue fields of flax, grain crops, and specialty crops of lentils, peas, or canary seed. More mustard is grown here than anywhere, making Humboldt the mustard capital of the world.

The Willkommen Centre can arrange tours of the Humboldt Flour Mill where grains are cleaned, milled, and exported to markets around the world. And to learn more about prairie farming, take in the Direct Tech near LeRoy, held during the first week in June. It's an old style community field day gone high tech, with $10 million worth of the latest farm implements used to demonstrate direct seeding methods, chaff management, heavy harrow use, and a variety of other agricultural techniques.