“A rise like in an emigrant storybook”

Visible and satisfied, Hans Scheib stands by “his” showcase at the German Emigration Center. The trained mason left his birthplace Winterbach in Saarland in 1960 heading to Canada, carrying a trowel and 35 dollars in his luggage. There he achieved, as he puts it, “a rise like in an emigrant storybook” — from a laborer to a management position in a construction company. Since the reopening in 2021, visitors of the German Emigration Center can follow his life story as one of 18 emigration biographies.

The primeval forests, the majestic Rocky Mountains, and the Niagara Falls: Hans Scheib heard about the impressive nature of Canada as a teenager from Winterbach baker Luis. He has since traveled almost to the furthest corner of his chosen homeland with his wife and remains enthusiastic. However, he also visits Germany frequently and took the opportunity for a detour to the German Emigration Center on September 12, 2022 — much to the delight of collection manager Dr. Tanja Fittkau, who learned new details about the vibrant life of the 82-year-old during their joint visit to the exhibition. He is among the people worldwide with whom the team of the German Emigration Center maintains close contact. Since its opening in 2005, a vibrant international network has developed.