Welcome!

Welcome to the website of the Wendish Heritage Society, Australia.

Who are we?

We are a not-for-profit Society founded in 1986 and our aim is to promote awareness of Wendish and German family history, culture and heritage in Australia.

Our Society, based in Melbourne, Victoria, operates a Research Centre, maintains a comprehensive Library, and publishes a twice-yearly Newsletter.  If you are interested in joining our society, please click here.

A sister Society, the Wend/Sorb Society of South Australia, represents Wendish descendants in that region, with full cooperation between our two groups.

Our Society’s logo features an Australian gum leaf and a Lusatian linden leaf, representing the connection between Wendish descendants in Australia and the Sorbs of Lusatia.

Who are the Wends?

The Wends (known as Sorbs in Europe) are people of Slavic origin who live in Lusatia, a predominantly rural region south-east of Berlin, near the Polish border.

The Wends/Sorbs have their own language, culture and customs. Signposts in Lusatia carry both Wendish and German place names. You can read more about about Wendish customs and beliefs in the ‘Research’ section of this site.

It is estimated that several hundred Wendish families emigrated to Australia during the mid-nineteenth century. See an A–Z list of Surnames. We are interested in researching and documenting their history.

Your Wendish ancestors in Australia

If you would like to find out more about your Wendish ancestors in Australia, or if you have information you would like to share about your Wendish ancestors in Australia, please email our Researcher using the form to the right of this page.