Donate
A black and image showing a large sign with circular graphic image with four quadrants and the words "TORONTO" on the right hand side of the image. There is a person sitting in the letter "O" structure behind a group of people standing near the sign along a pool or pond of water. A woman in a dark top and long skirt is bent over, holding a large hand fan on the left hand foreground of the image. There are tall, multi-story buildings in the background.

German Walk TO Tour

German Walk TO

A black and image showing a large sign with circular graphic image with four quadrants and the words "TORONTO" on the right hand side of the image. There is a person sitting in the letter "O" structure behind a group of people standing near the sign along a pool or pond of water. A woman in a dark top and long skirt is bent over, holding a large hand fan on the left hand foreground of the image. There are tall, multi-story buildings in the background.

German Walk TO, a project nominated for the 2022 Heritage Toronto Awards. Image by Liam Maloney.

A large mural of a human face wearing glasses surrounded by other graphics is illustrated on the side of a tall multi-story building. There is a storefront awning on the left side of the image with a "Nani's Gelato" logo on it. The image is in black and white.

German Walk TO, a project nominated for the 2022 Heritage Toronto Awards. Image by Liam Maloney.

A water fountain with several streams of water flowing in and out of the two basins stacked above a concrete pond of water. The fountain has several dog sculpture features with water flowing into the fountain basins and pond. There are trees and a large building in the background. The image is in black and white.

German Walk TO, a project nominated for the 2022 Heritage Toronto Awards. Image by Liam Maloney.

Project Website: https://germanwalkto.com/

Date of Release: January 10, 2021

Born out of the city tours that the German Consulate General of Toronto organizes twice a year with local city tour guides, German Walk TO is a self-guided treasure hunt in discovering German heritage in Toronto. Structured into three thematic walks: Architecture, Arts & Culture, Roots, German Walk TO explores the influence of German immigration in Toronto as we know it today. While Germans in Toronto don’t have one particular neighbourhood to call their own, German influence can be found across the city – hidden and not always obvious.

The project is an interactive website that is accompanied by an immersive mobile app that provides an audio driven tour of this fantastic city focusing on the influence of German immigration and culture on the city’s colourful fabric.

The individual walks were created and narrated in English by Toronto writer and columnist Shawn Micallef, an authority on Canadian urbanism. The German-speaking walks are narrated by Tanja Matuszis, a journalist and former editor for Germany’s public broadcaster WDR and now the Press Attaché at the German Consulate General in Toronto. The photography and audio engineering for this project was provided by Liam Maloney, a documentary photographer and educator.

Project Team Members

Creator: Michael Carter-Arlt (Toronto Metropolitan University Library)

Creator, Narrator (English), and Editor: Shawn Micallef

Project Manager, Narrator (German), and Producer: Tanja Matuszis

Photographer and Audio Engineer: Liam Maloney

Additional Photography: Neal Rockwell

Additional Support: Florian Schrieverhoff (Consulate General Toronto)

Organizational Support: Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University Libraries, Spacing Magazine

Close