Long live the King!
Patrick Eckstein to be crowned King of the Bohemians
Pat Eckstein stands inside the German-Bohemian Heritage Society Research Center on the third floor of the Grand Center for Arts & Culture, 210 N. Minnesota St., in New Ulm. The society maintains archives, family histories and artifacts documenting German-Bohemian immigration to Brown County. (Photo by Amy Zents)
Pat Eckstein points to the Otto Dietz parcel on a Milford Township plat at the German-Bohemian Heritage Society Research Center, near the hatched boundary of the City of New Ulm. Otto Dietz was elected Bohemian King at the society's first annual picnic at Hermann Heights Park in the summer of 1985, reviving the honorary king tradition that dates to 1875. (Photo by Amy Zents)
A German-Bohemian Dudelsack — the traditional Bohemian bagpipe, on display with other immigrant artifacts at the research center. (Photo by Amy Zents)
A framed portrait of Denny Warta, the longtime Bohemian King, on display in a glass case outside the German-Bohemian Society Research Center. (Photo by Amy Zents)
Pat Eckstein stands inside the German-Bohemian Heritage Society Research Center on the third floor of the Grand Center for Arts & Culture, 210 N. Minnesota St., in New Ulm. The society maintains archives, family histories and artifacts documenting German-Bohemian immigration to Brown County. (Photo by Amy Zents)
Pat Eckstein points to the Otto Dietz parcel on a Milford Township plat at the German-Bohemian Heritage Society Research Center, near the hatched boundary of the City of New Ulm. Otto Dietz was elected Bohemian King at the society's first annual picnic at Hermann Heights Park in the summer of 1985, reviving the honorary king tradition that dates to 1875. (Photo by Amy Zents)
A German-Bohemian Dudelsack — the traditional Bohemian bagpipe, on display with other immigrant artifacts at the research center. (Photo by Amy Zents)
A framed portrait of Denny Warta, the longtime Bohemian King, on display in a glass case outside the German-Bohemian Society Research Center. (Photo by Amy Zents)
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NEW ULM -- The German-Bohemian Heritage Society will crown a new King of the Bohemians on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Turner Hall, returning the symbolic mantle to a family with deep roots in the region.
Patrick Eckstein will be crowned at Turner Hall, 102 S. State St., New Ulm. The evening's festivities include a social hour at 5 p.m., a German plate dinner at 6 p.m., and a business meeting and elections at 6:45 p.m.
The coronation program, titled “An Evening of History, Heritage, Royalty & Good Humor,” will follow.
Eckstein was raised on the John Eckstein farm in Cottonwood township.
Eckstein said he “views the role of King as an opportunity to continue the society's mission: to preserve and promote the successes, heritage, and culture of German-Bohemian immigrants.”
The practice of naming a King of the Bohemians has historical roots dating back to 1875 when Peter Gag was elected as the first King.
“The title was originally bestowed upon respected citizens who dedicated themselves to helping others, particularly German-Bohemian immigrants struggling to establish themselves on the land," Eckstein said,
After a long hiatus following the First World War, the society was reconstituted in 1984, and Otto Dietz was named the first king of the modern era.
The 1914 Cottonwood Township plat map illustrates the proximity of these early families, showing the Eckstein and Dietz farms sitting side-by-side on the edge of New Ulm.
Eckstein succeeds the late Denny Warta, who served as king for 23 years following his coronation in 2002.
The society's research center, located on the third floor of the Grand Center for Arts & Culture, serves as the heartbeat of this preservation effort.
The archives hold immigrant trunks, family histories, maps, photographs, newsletters, and church records.
The society also works to keep the German-Bohemian dialect alive. Because the language was a spoken dialect rather than a written one, it faced the risk of fading away.
As Eckstein prepares for his coronation, he said the society's work is a collective effort, built upon the labor of those who came before. This includes maintenance of the German-Bohemian immigrant monument in German Park, installed in 1991, or the ongoing efforts to digitize family histories, the society remains a vital link to the region’s origins.
The upcoming coronation is open to the public, and the society encourages anyone interested in local history to attend.
As the crown returns to the neighborhood where the Eckstein and Dietz families once farmed side-by-side, the event promises to be a celebration of both the past and the future of the German-Bohemian community.
Registration for the coronation is available through Jenny Eckstein at 507-217-7239 or jieckstein@comcast.net, and online at germanbohemianheritagesociety.com.