Submit page search
Close menu
Please enter keywords and NOT complete sentences, as the search function would otherwise search for every single word.
Please enter your desired search term. After entering three letters, you will receive suggestions for your search term. You can expand the result by entering further letters. When you select a search term from the list, a preview is displayed on the right-hand side. Press Return or click on the magnifying glass to switch to the search results page.
Website is automatically translated.
For the duration of their stay in Lahr, the Canadians stationed here were provided with a complete infrastructure, with their own stores, kindergartens and schools, their own travel agency, radio and television stations. In this building there was a branch of the Bank of Montréal and a supermarket (Canex dépanneur) where military personnel could shop tax-free. The range included food (Canadian and German products), clothing, cosmetics, souvenirs, luxury foods and small electrical appliances whose plugs could also be used in Canada and were equipped with an adapter for the German power grid.
During their stay in Lahr, the Canadian soldiers and their families had a complete infrastructure at their disposal: their own stores, kindergartens and schools, a travel agency, a radio station and, from the mid-1980s, even a television station.
There were two reasons for this: Firstly, the Canadians lived far away from home and had to organize their daily lives in a foreign country. They could neither expect nor demand that German businesses or institutions cater to their habits. On the other hand, the Canadian armed forces, who were stationed to protect the Federal Republic and would have risked their lives for it in an emergency, were entitled to special privileges. These were laid down in bilateral treaties.
The shopping centers of the Canadian Exchange - Cannex for short - were a particularly important facility for the Canadian community. Families could find Canadian products of familiar quality there. Thanks to special agreements between the Federal Republic of Germany and Canada, the goods were exempt from German import duties and taxes. Taxation in the province of Ontario was decisive, which meant that prices could be kept low. Purchasing was therefore reserved exclusively for Canadian citizens and members of other NATO forces - whether American or Turkish. Access was granted with a special access card.
The main branch was located on the barracks grounds at Lake Hoberg. There were other branches - the so-called Depaneurs - in Schwarzwaldstraße, on today's Kanadaring, at the airfield, in Langenwinkel and Kippenheimweiler, even in Seelbach.
At the end of the 1980s, the Cannex was officially renamed the Canadian Forces Exchange (CFEX). As can be seen on contemporary signs, the "EX" became the trademark. However, among Canadians - and many Germans - the name "Cannex" remained in common use.
The Bank of Montreal, one of the largest banks in Canada, had a branch on Schwarzwaldstrasse (previously Gutleutstrasse) since April 1975. When new soldiers arrived, it sent employees directly to the airfield. Part of the "welcome package" was the opening of an account, as the soldiers' salaries were paid through this bank. For many Canadians, the bank was also the most important link to their home country: transfers to Canada, loans or mortgages were processed directly via the Lahr branch.
Soldiers and Canadian civilian employees - such as teachers - received their salaries in German marks, calculated on the basis of the Canadian dollar. Until the first oil price shock in 1973, the exchange rate was particularly favorable for them: one Canadian dollar was worth around four German marks. After that, the exchange rate converged, causing purchasing power to fall. The Bank of Montreal was also used for the settlement of the garrison's transactions, such as the sale of furniture.
My current wife Doris and I lived above the Bank of Montréal. There is a long balcony at the back of the building where we used to meet up. We are still happily married today, both on our second marriage, by the way. Before that, my wife was also married to a Canadian soldier and I was married to a German woman - somehow we have remained true to each other
That was always an experience for me. I loved how differently everything was organized there. I particularly noticed how politely the Canadians treated each other and the staff treated the customers. If you wanted to get to a shelf and someone was standing in front of it, they apologized - that was a completely new experience for me back then, when I was still very young. I liked that and I think we lack that politeness here. I've always felt that with Canadians, especially in the stores: no elbowing, no "me first, you last", but consideration.
And, of course, the great products they had - we didn't have many of them here.
You could also shop there duty-free. That was a real saving if you wanted to buy something bigger. Then you said: "Okay, let's take the opportunity, go to the barracks, buy this - and save the tax."
Canadians were paid in Canadian dollars, but were paid in German marks. The salary therefore remained the same - but the conversion rate sometimes resulted in large differences in purchasing power: a Canadian once went to the bank and wanted to exchange 1,000 Canadian dollars for Italian lira for his vacation in Italy. The next day he picked up the money - and when he saw the huge sum in lira, he started dancing like a puppet and shouted: "I'm a millionaire! I'm a millionaire!" Everyone stared at him in amazement. I just replied: "Yes, but don't forget - in Italy you pay over 2,000 lira for a cup of coffee!" But at that moment, he was simply a millionaire.