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NEW ULM -Several dozen Luxembourgers visited New Ulm Monday evening while on a four-state tour of the Upper Midwest.

Luxembourg Mayor and tourist group leader Rene Daubenfeld, visited New Ulm for the sixth time in four years.

The trip provided an opportunity for Daubenfeld to re-unite with New Ulm Chamber of CVB (Commerce Convention & Visitors Bureau) Manager Terry Sveine, who is president of the Luxembourg Society of Southern Minnesota

"We're a group of rural, retired people who are looking for relatives to visit and make new friends in the U.S.," Daubenfeld said.

"We like American steaks, and we're welcomed here with open arms in all places," he added.

The tour group visited the Gertie the Goose statue in Riverside Park and several other landmarks and monuments before a picnic at the home of Ellie and Terry Sveine.

The group plans to tour Sleepy Eye today.

Other stops included St. Cloud, Winona, Heron Lake, Chicago, Belgium, Wis.; Dubuque and Remsen, Iowa; Lincoln, Neb.

The Luxembourg Society of Southern Minnesota was formed to preserve the roots of Luxembourg heritage and foster continued relationships between its people and America.

Daubenfeld said 70,000 Luxembourgers immigrated to the U.S. from 1840 to 1920.

Decades ago, Olga Carlson of St. Peter immigrated to the U.S. at age 19. She graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato with a bachelor's degree in French and German plus a master's degree in counseling.

Only recently was she able to apply for dual citizenship.

Luxembourg is a founding member of the European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United Nations and the Western European Union, along with other international entities.

(Fritz Busch can be e-mailed at fbusch@nujournal.com).