Grunthal ( German: ''Grünthal'', 'Green Valley') is a local urban district in the Rural Municipality of Hanover,

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, located 24 kilometres southwest of Steinbach, and about 50 minutes south of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

. It had a

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 1,680 in 2016. Tourist attractions include Grunthal's Annual Fairdays held on the third weekend in August; it features a parade and a rodeo, among other activities. Schools include the K to Grade 4 South Oaks School and the Grades 5 to 12 Green Valley School, all part of the Hanover School Division. Grunthal includes a variety of

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

churches, and businesses. Its economy is primarily agrarian-based. Grunthal is also host to one of the best motocross tracks in Manitoba, in past years the track hosted numerous Canadian Motocross National events with the country's top riders coming to race. Grunthal is home to the Grunthal Red Wings, hockey teams ranging from squirts to senior.

History

The area that is now known as Grunthal was originally lands of the nomadic

Ojibway The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

-speaking Anishinabe people. On 3 August 1871 the Anishinabe people signed Treaty 1 and moved onto reserves such as the Brokenhead Indian Reserve and Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation Reserve. The community of Grunthal was settled in 1876 by

Plautdietsch Plautdietsch () or Mennonite Low German is a Low Prussian dialect of East Low German with Dutch influence that developed in the 16th and 17th centuries in the Vistula delta area of Royal Prussia. The word ''Plautdietsch'' translates to "fl ...

-speaking

Mennonites Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

immigrants, from

Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...

, specifically the Bergthal Colony. Grunthal was one of dozens of village of what was known as the

East Reserve The East Reserve was a block settlement in Eastman Region, Eastern Manitoba initially set aside by the Government of Canada exclusively for settlement by Russian Mennonite settlers in 1873 (although settlement did not occur until 1874). Most of ...

, an area set aside by the

Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...

for

settlement, and it is now populated with their descendants, as well as people of Ukrainian and German descent and other ethnicities. The name ''Grünthal'' means 'Green Valley' in German, and is called ''Grientol'', (/ˈ jrintol/), in Plautdietsch, with the same meaning.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Grunthal had a population of 1,782 living in 618 of its 636 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 1,680. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

In popular culture

Grunthal has inspired literary works by author Jack Thiessen, who grew up nearby, as well as satirist Andrew Unger and poet Chimwemwe Undi. It has also been the subject of historic writing by New Zealand scholar James Urry.

Notable people

* Albert Driedger, politician * Jack Thiessen, linguist and writer

References

{{MBDivision2 Designated places in Manitoba Local urban districts in Manitoba Unincorporated communities in Eastman Region, Manitoba