July, 2005 - Nr. 7
Anna Tuerr Memorial Park
by Herwig Wandschneider
On a hot June 26 Sunday, some 100 people came out together
with numerous local, Provincial and Federal Dignitaries to witness the
unveiling of a Memorial Park and statue dedicated to Anna Tuerr (1927-2002)
and her vision and wish that no one ever again will have to suffer through
war and its consequences.
![Paul Tuerr and the Archbishop of Freiburg, Germany [photo: Herwig Wandschneider]](507c-HW-Tuerr.jpg)
Paul Tuerr, Anna’s surviving husband and head of the family business "Paul Tuerr Construction Limited", memorialized Anna through a larger-than-life Monument, depicting a mother and three children, titled "The Mother of the Universe protects Children All Over the World". The statue is the centre of a circular, beautifully landscaped, area enclosed by a low stone wall and benches, which in turn is the centre of the circular Anna Tuerr Memorial Park. The Park is grassed with numerous – still young - trees and shrubs, which is central to an upscale residential area developed by Paul Tuerr Construction in Mannheim, just outside of Kitchener. Residences are strategically located making the park the focus of the subdivision and an Oasis for peace, quiet and reflection.
![Anna Tuerr Memorial Park [photo: Herwig Wandschneider]](507c-HW957a.jpg)
The
Anna Tuerr Memorial Park is situated high enough in this residential
development to permit a spectacular view of the surrounding farmland. It
will be valued not only by its residents, but by any visitor coming across
this unique park, to enjoy a moment of peace and reflection.
Anna Tuerr’s survived humiliation, torture, war and
exploitation, all this she urged us to work to eliminate from this world,
and so it is engraved on the dedication of this monument.
![The plaque [photo: Herwig Wandschneider]](507c-HW944a.jpg)
"We
should never forget war," she wrote in her memoirs in the same vein, "but
for the sake of our children, we must be willing to forgive and get on with
our lives and help to build a new world; a world with peace, a world without
hate." Her earlier tortuous path and later settling in Canada is described
in a booklet written by Dr. Ulrich Frisse and made available to guests of
the unveiling of the Monument.
The keynote speech given by Elizabeth Witmer, MPP, as well as the greetings from Wayne Roth, Mayor of Mannheim, Lynn Myers, MP, Karen Redman, MP, Andrew Telegdi, MP, Ulrich Frisse, President of the Ontario German-Canadian Congress, and Klaus Koeppen, President of the German-Canadian Remembrance Society, reflected on Anna Tuerr’s thoughts and wishes. The speeches highlighted admiration and appreciation of the accomplishments of the Tuerr family immigrants, who started out with a heavy burden and with next to nothing. (Note: A biography, written in German by Dr. Ulrich Frisse, titled "Der Weg zum Erfolg – Paul Tuerr – Eine DeutschKanadische Lebensgeschichte" describes the fascinating personal and professional Tuerr Family history in detail.)
Father Marten Jasik Mikulski of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church together with Mr. Paul Tuerr performed the unveiling of the monument’s plaque.
![Concordia Male Choir [photo: Herwig Wandschneider]](507c-HW936a.jpg)
One
of the highlights of the official dedication was the powerful Male Choir of
the Concordia Club under the direction of Dr. Alfred Kunz. They sang with
all their hearts at various times during the ceremony, standing uniformly
dressed in the swealtering heat.
At the completion of the ceremony, Mr. Paul Tuerr invited the guests to a reception at the German-Canadian Hunting and Fishing Club in Mannheim. For Mr. Tuerr personally this was clearly a very special day, as his personal dedication to his late wife and her vision was shared by so many people.
The workmanship of the granite monument and its surrounding stone work, including the perimeter wall and benches, deserves special detailed inspection, both with respect to its quality manufacture and its placement. All of the sculpture and stonework was manufactured in China and shipped to location. Pre-manufactured stones were cut for placement with hairline accuracy. To imagine the scope of the logistics and the weight of the entire shipment, consider that the monument extends well below the ground surface and that the plaque is fastened to a granite base, which by itself already weighs a ton.
The local design of the monument and stonework together with the international cooperation for the manufacture by international masters gives further emphasis to Anna Tuerr’s deeply felt hope and wish for a "…world with peace, a world without hate."
