Lobethal Museum

South Australia had been proclaimed a colony on December 28th 1836. Many Germans came to Adelaide (named after a German Queen) as free settlers, colonizing areas such as Klemzig and Hahndorf. Lobethal was settled by Prussian Lutherans in 1842. 18 families formed the original Lobethal congregation lead by Pastor Fritzsche. The community drew lots using the hufendorf  layout with house blocks being long, narrow strips of about 3 acres. Houses were built at the end, by the road. A creek ran across the blocks, accessible to all. The houses were built with a high degree of skill (without nails) and had thatched roofs. A Church, the first of many, was built. Commenced in 1843 and finished and dedicated in 1845, Zum Weinberg Christi, was the first permanent Lutheran Church built in Australia. A Seminary was built in 1845, the first Lutheran seminary in the Southern Hemisphere. Today the Museum still holds this Seminary and the records and artifacts of these pioneering days.