Five European inspired towns to visit without leaving the US!

Do you know you can visit Europe right here? You can get European culture in America without getting on a boat or plane. There are lots of European inspired towns to visit right here in the USA.

Sweden – Lindsborg

Lindsborg, Kansas is a lovely community known as Little Sweden USA. Lindsborg was settled in 1869 by a group of Lutheran Swedes. They were led to the US by 28-year-old Pastor Olof Olsson traveling from the Värmland region of Sweden.

My husband Keith and I saw a version of the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Bethany Church. Swedish settlers built their first church in 1859

If there is anything that makes a town special, I think it is the art. Lindsborg, accomplished hands down. In their Art in Public Places Self- Guided Tour brochure they share, “Lindsborg’s love of the arts is deeply rooted. The Swedish born immigrants who founded this town planted a community that would foster and grow that loved for generations.”

Scandinavian heritage abounds. You find it in sculptures, on the buildings, and the Wild Dala horse sculptures. These Swedish symbols dot the landscape all throughout the town. There is a wonderful mill. Enjoy their museum and much more. Get a taste of Sweden.

Sweden – Bishop Hill

Right here in Illinois is a Swedish Utopia, Bishop Hill. This quiet village is filled with buildings that have stood the trials of time. Erik Jansson and his followers came to Bishop Hill from Sweden. Like many other communities like the Amana Colonies, they were seeking religious freedom.  Jansson’s beliefs were in contrast to the Swedish Lutheran leadership. Imprisoned for activities like burning Luther’s catechism, Jansson riled up authorities. Soon he wore out his welcome in his home country.  Taking a group of 1,000 believers, he set out for America.

Today, many buildings still stand from this communal colony. Some are private residences, while others have been converted to stores. A few are open to the public to tour. The Steeple Building now serves as a museum and along with many other buildings you can visit and learn the life and times of this Colony that rivals any Lifetime movie drama.

Lindsborg and Bishop Hill provide Swedish European culture in America.

Germany – Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Mo.

When visiting this Concordia Seminary‘s beautiful campus, I learned a bit of the history of the brave German’s that had traveled to the US from Saxony during a tour of the Perry County Lutheran Historical Society a couple years ago. They came in 1839 to Missouri’s Perry County. On the Seminary Website they share, “… In 1849, the preparatory division and the school of theology of the young institution moved to St. Louis and relocated to South Jefferson Avenue and Winnebago Street. The preparatory division moved to Fort Wayne, Ind., in 1861. In 1926, the campus moved to its current 72-acre site in suburban Clayton.”

Today around 600 students attend, 15% of which come from other countries. The grounds are beautiful, and before we even entered the building, we were straining to see the amazing stained glass. I soon learned they offer a Stained Glass Tour of the Church.

Germany -Altenburg, MO

A couple times we have visited the Perryville, Missouri area and twice come for the Country Church tour. This is the heart of German Lutheran history, and ties into the Concordia story. In 1838 a group of Lutherans came to America. They arrived from Germany, and the story unfolds at the Lutheran Heritage Center. About 700 Lutherans landed first in New Orleans. They traveled up the Mississippi. Then landing in St. Louis, eventually arriving in Missouri, these mostly Saxons left in search of religious freedom.

Here you can also see the log cabin church and museum. The log cabin was constructed in 1839 and served as the first Concordia Lutheran seminary!

Netherlands in Fulton, Illinois.

Finally, this past spring, I made it to the De Immigrant, and Windmill Cultural Center where there is a lot of Dutch history. The first Dutch arrival came in 1856. Then the Dutch arrived from Chicago and Michigan. Eventually arrivals came directly from the Netherlands.

The name of the windmill has Dutch roots! The book, The Building of De Immigrant, states how the windmill got its name. “Rachael Ottens, 5^th grade Fulton student, submitted the winning name, De Immigrant.”

The Dutch windmill was built on the dike. This is located at 10th and First streets. The mill was dedicated in May of 2000. Friends of the Windmill raised around $90,000 to purchase the needed blue basalt millstones. The first grain was ground in 2001.

If you enjoyed this, it is just a sprinkling of the fun places I have found. Subscribe to Traveling Adventures of a Farm Girl and you can learn more! See stories about Paris, Kentucky, Paris Tennessee and the Dutch town of Pella and so much more! Where have you been that you found European culture on American soil?