Saskatchewan

Bekevar

Bekevar is part of the town of Kipling. The first Hungarian immigrants arrived here in 1900, naming the district of the township and forming one of the largest Hungarian settlements in the country. Békevár means “fortress of peace”. „It was populated primarily by members of the Reformed (Calvinist) Church and, to a lesser extent, by Baptists. The Bekevar settlement was regarded by generations of Hungarian Calvinists in Western Canada as their spiritual centre. The settlement was also a strong and, in many ways, unique, centre of Hungarian culture in Canada. In particular, Bekevar resembled a traditional Hungarian peasant community in that a rich array of traditions and folk customs were cultivated and maintained in the new setting for several decades.” The community built a Presbyterian church in 1911/12 that was later declared a Municipal Heritage Property. The church is the last remaining original building of Bekevar.
For further information: http://canadianutopiasproject.ca/settlements/bekevar-saskatchewan/