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30 years ago, the almost hundred-year history of Lahr's garrison came to an end with the raising of the Canadian flag and a symbolic handover of the keys. For the last quarter of a century, Canadian NATO forces had lived and worked in the town, helping to write an important chapter in the town's history.
Over the years, a separate cultural and economic infrastructure with schools, sports and cultural facilities, stores and residential areas was built for the Canadian soldiers and their families. This also included their own supermarkets, ice rinks, a movie theater, a weekly newspaper, a radio station and a hospital. Some of these facilities were also open to the German population - at least at certain times. Cinemas and the ice rink, for example, became meeting places for Canadians and the rest of the population. When the Canadian armed forces and their family members left, around 10,000 Canadian nationals were living in Lahr and the surrounding area.
To date, over 120 Canadian citizens have remained in Lahr. They live Canadian culture in clubs and veterans' groups, keep in touch with their homeland and fondly remember the special time they spent stationed in Lahr. Canadian soldiers and former soldiers who were once stationed here also regularly come to visit to see what Lahr looks like today and what remains from the "old days". The memory of the Canadians is still alive in Lahr, even though the buildings from that time are gradually disappearing from the cityscape.
The eight stations of the Canada Trail will provide a new space for remembrance. The information boards with texts and pictures refer to Canadian history and the former significance of the buildings and places. The supplementary website, which can also be accessed directly from the signs via QR code, creates an additional sustainable, constantly growing platform with anecdotes and further images and texts to collect memories of this special chapter in the city's history and make them tangible.
The Canada Trail is a project of the Lahr City Museum. It was created in close cooperation with Canadian veterans of the Lahr Brigade and various associations that commemorate Canadian history in Lahr. The sponsors are the City of Lahr, IGZ Raum Lahr GmbH and the Regional Foundation of Sparkasse Offenburg/Ortenau. We would like to thank our colleagues from the following departments for their excellent cooperation: Building Management, Geoinformation, Green and Environment, Fire Department, Legal Department, Main and Personnel Office, Public Order Office, Press Office, City Archive, City Treasurer's Office and City Planning.
With the kind support of:
Royal Canadian Legion, Royal 22e Régiment, United Veterans, Veterans Canada NATO OTAN.
The attached anecdotes are testimonials from Canadians and their families and people who came into contact with them during their deployment. The oral history project of the Stadtmuseum Lahr collects experienced history. Oral history is characterized by the fact that contemporary witnesses tell their very personal lives and perspectives and thus supplement the results of historical research with their own experiences. The interviews were conducted between 2024 and 2026.
Feel invited to contribute your own stories at museum@lahr.de!
