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Languages

Waldsee

German Language Village

explore

THE

possibilities

About the Village

At Waldsee, our German Language Village, we do Deutsch. On the lake. At the beach. On the Fußball field. At the Café. In the Gasthof (dining hall). In the cabin. Have fun learning everyday German you can really use with friends and in games, arts, sports, cooking, baking, environmental, historical and cultural activities. The authentic architecture of Waldsee will transport you to another world, where the immersive experience makes the language come alive. From the cabins to the Gasthof, to the innovative BioHaus, Waldsee inspires villagers to live the language and culture of Germany.

Our German Location
Waldsee
Biking Around Our Site
Waldsee
Culturally Appropriate Cuisine
a group of people standing in a field with a bow and arrow
Waldsee
Archery
German language villagers playing outdoor chess
Waldsee
Giant Chess
Waldsee
Woodfired Pizza
Waldsee
Ordering at Cafe Einbeck
Waldsee
Starting Our Day with Yoga
Waldsee
STEM at BioHaus
Waldsee
Canoeing on Turtle River Lake
Waldsee
Village Store
Waldsee
Fencing
Waldsee
BioHaus Rooftop Biology
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Experience

Waldsee

A Lifetime of Learning

From our flagship summer youth camps to family programs and adults-only sessions, Concordia Language Villages provides a lifetime of language learning and cultural adventure. Find the program that’s right for you!

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Youth Overnight

Season: Summer

Duration: 1 Week | 2 Weeks | 4 Weeks

Our flagship Language Village camps where language comes to life. A fully immersive cultural experience.

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High School Credit

Season: Summer

Duration: 2 Weeks | 4 Weeks

Earn a semester's worth of language credit in just two weeks or a year’s worth of language credit in just four weeks. Accredited by Cognia.

More Info
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Adventure Day Camp

Season: Summer

Duration: 1 Week

Daytime programming for young villagers ready to explore the Village experience without overnight stays.

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Adult Overnight

Season: Year-round

Duration: 3 Days | 1 Week

Learn a new language or advance your skills in a fully immersive environment. Choose from Workshops, Weekends or Week-long programs.

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Family Weeks & Weekends

Season: Year-round

Duration: 2 Days | 3 Days | 1 Week

Fun and learning for the whole family (and friends)! Enjoy culturally immersive activities, meals and tailored learning.

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School & Educator

Season: Year-round

Duration: Varies

Special programming for school groups and language educators. Introduce your students to cultural immersion or advance your own education!

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Government & Corporate

Season: Year-round

Duration: Varies

Training for military, healthcare and corporate clients, with customizable programming designed to bridge cultures and break language barriers.

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Upcoming German Camps & Programs

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German Youth Four Week
Youth Overnight
|
German
Dates:
Jun 22
-
Jul 18
2026
Location:
Bemidji
Ages 11 - 18
Cost: $
5590
Minimum registration fee $575 Our four-week programs provide an opportunity for those ready to dive deeper into the immersive Language Village experience with a longer stay. Villagers build and enhance their language skills through small and large group learning activities, and by hearing and using the language - with the encouragement of our supportive staff - throughout their daily activities. By engaging in a variety of music, arts, sports and classic summer camp activities like campfires, singing songs, and more, villagers can increase their confidence, improve their language ability, and grow to become courageous global citizens. These programs welcome language learners of all levels. Each four-week session is divided by an interim weekend, during which villagers have the opportunity to call home, do their laundry, and take a break from the activity of Village life.
Registration closes
May 25, 2026
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availability
Session Full
Session Full
Registration opens on
September 10, 2025
German Youth Two Week
Youth Overnight
|
German
Dates:
Jun 22
-
Jul 4
2026
Location:
Bemidji
Ages 8 - 15
Cost: $
2830
Minimum registration fee $300 Our two-week programs are our most popular, providing an opportunity to become truly immersed in Village life! Villagers build and enhance their language skills through small and large group learning activities, and by hearing and using the language - with the encouragement of our supportive staff - throughout their daily activities. By engaging in a variety of music, arts, sports and classic summer camp activities like campfires, singing songs, and more, villagers can increase their confidence, improve their language ability, and grow to become courageous global citizens. These programs welcome language learners of all levels.
Registration closes
May 25, 2026
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availability
Session Full
Session Full
Registration opens on
September 10, 2025
German High School Credit--Intermediate/Advanced
Youth Overnight
|
German
Dates:
Jul 6
-
Jul 18
2026
Location:
Bemidji
Ages 13 - 18
Cost: $
3265
Minimum registration fee $325 Our two-week high school credit program allows villagers to earn a semester's worth of high school credit in just two weeks! In addition to classes with formal language instruction, credit villagers can choose from a variety of elective activities, as well as classic summer camp favorites like campfires, singing songs, and more - all in the language of the Village. These programs welcome language learners of all levels. Fully accredited by Cognia, credit programs include standardized curriculums, assessments, and transcripts to meet your local school system’s requirements. Please check with your school district in advance to ensure that credit from Cognia will be accepted if you wish to have the credit reflected on your villager’s high school transcript.
Registration closes
Jun 8, 2026
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availability
Session Full
Session Full
Registration opens on
September 10, 2025
German Youth Two Week
Youth Overnight
|
German
Dates:
Jul 6
-
Jul 18
2026
Location:
Bemidji
Ages 10 - 18
Cost: $
2830
Minimum registration fee $300 Our two-week programs are our most popular, providing an opportunity to become truly immersed in Village life! Villagers build and enhance their language skills through small and large group learning activities, and by hearing and using the language - with the encouragement of our supportive staff - throughout their daily activities. By engaging in a variety of music, arts, sports and classic summer camp activities like campfires, singing songs, and more, villagers can increase their confidence, improve their language ability, and grow to become courageous global citizens. These programs welcome language learners of all levels.
Registration closes
Jun 8, 2026
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availability
Session Full
Session Full
Registration opens on
September 10, 2025
German High School Credit--All Levels
Youth Overnight
|
German
Dates:
Jul 20
-
Aug 15
2026
Location:
Bemidji
Ages 13 - 18
Cost: $
5910
Minimum deposit $600 All 4-week credit villagers will be expected to to go on an overnight camping trip to a nearby state park or other natural area off of our campus. Villagers may have the option of hiking, biking or canoeing to these locations, in addition to taking our van. Villagers who canoe must pass a deep water swim test in order to participate. All in-Village safety protocols are followed on these trips. *accommodations/modifications to the itinerary will be made for individuals as we are able. Please request modifications in your health forms.
Registration closes
Jun 22, 2026
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availability
Session Full
Session Full
Registration opens on
September 10, 2025
German High School Credit--All Levels
Youth Overnight
|
German
Dates:
Jul 20
-
Aug 1
2026
Location:
Bemidji
Ages 13 - 18
Cost: $
3265
Minimum deposit $325 This program is the equivalent of one semester of high school credit, or one half Carnegie unit. All 2-week credit villagers may be expected to to go on an overnight camping trip to a nearby state park or other natural area off of our campus. Villagers may have the option of hiking, biking or canoeing to these locations, in addition to taking our van. Villagers who canoe must pass a deep water swim test in order to participate. All in-Village safety protocols are followed on these trips. *accommodations/modifications to the itinerary will be made for individuals as we are able. Please request modifications in your health forms.
Registration closes
Jun 22, 2026
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availability
Session Full
Session Full
Registration opens on
September 10, 2025
German Youth Four Week
Youth Overnight
|
German
Dates:
Jul 20
-
Aug 15
2026
Location:
Bemidji
Ages 11 - 18
Cost: $
5590
Minimum deposit $575 Our four-week programs provide an opportunity for those ready to dive deeper into the immersive Language Village experience with a longer stay. Villagers build and enhance their language skills through small and large group learning activities, and by hearing and using the language - with the encouragement of our supportive staff - throughout their daily activities. By engaging in a variety of music, arts, sports and classic summer camp activities like campfires, singing songs, and more, villagers can increase their confidence, improve their language ability, and grow to become courageous global citizens. These programs welcome language learners of all levels. Each four-week session is divided by an interim weekend, during which villagers have the opportunity to call home, do their laundry, and take a break from the activity of Village life. Villagers ages 11 and up enrolled in this session may have the opportunity to go on an overnight camping trip to a nearby state park or other natural area, off of our campus. Villagers may have the option of hiking, biking or canoeing to these locations. Villagers who canoe must pass a deep water swim test in order to participate. All in-Village safety protocols are followed on these trips.
Registration closes
Jun 22, 2026
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availability
Session Full
Session Full
Registration opens on
September 10, 2025
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Upcoming Holiday Workshops

There are no sessions that match your selected filter.
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Government & Corporate Programs

A global outlook is important for success in the domestic and international arena. Concordia Language Villages offers customized corporate, government and military training programs to meet the specific needs of our clients.

More Information

LEARN ABOUT

scholarship

OPPORTUNITIES

Need-based scholarships are available for German summer youth immersion sessions through the Passport Fund. Scholarships are based on a family’s adjusted gross income, number of dependents and the length of the session.

Additionally, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education offers a $1,000 stipend for Minnesota students who qualify for free or reduced lunch at school.

Find Additional Information Here

Our Location:

Waldsee

German location

Turtle River Lake

When you see Waldsee for the first time, you might be surprised to find yourself transported to a small German village. Every detail from the Bahnhof (train station) to the Gasthof (dining hall) immerses you in German life and culture. Even the modern-day Passivhaus standard of “green” building is reflected in our Waldsee BioHaus, the first building of its kind in North America. Cabins at Waldsee are comfortable, safe, beautiful reflections of German architecture. Most program participants are housed in five winterized cabins (restroom and shower facilities are located within the buildings) with sleeping rooms housing 12-16 each on bunk beds. Waldsee also has a sauna building with private showers and bathroom facilities. Birch, oak and pine forests offer shade on hot summer days. This site is known for spectacular sunsets, a cozy feel and the sound of loons.

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meet

OUR

team

Read more about our professional staff at Waldsee, our German Language Village.

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Jon Berndt Olsen

Dean

Berndt is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he teaches courses in German, European and Public History. He has held numerous fellowships, including from the Fulbright Commission, the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Social Science Research Council. He is currently writing a book on the history of East German travel culture. In his free time, Berndt is an avid woodworker and baker.

Angela Johanna Schneider

Dean

Johanna has worked in many roles at Concordia Language Villages since 2008. She has a degree in Education and has spent time studying and working in Magedeburg, Bonn, Minden and Linz, Austria. The Waldsee people and community are what keeps her coming back to play in the woods and on the lake.

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Maddie Thusnelda Flom-Staab

Program Leader

Thusnelda is a lifetime Concordia Language Villages villager and counselor at Waldsee and Lac du Bois. She has led the Family Program at Waldsee since 2021 and loves it! Thusnelda is a German teacher at a middle school in St. Paul, Minn., and always looks forward to her time at the Villages.

David (Heiko) Lund

Program Leader

David Heiko Lund leads the German Adult Weeks in the spring and fall where he leads with a flexible teaching style, piano and song leading skills and a cheerful and inclusive spirit.

Fluent in both German and Norwegian, Heiko holds a degree in German and Psychology from St. Olaf and was a Fulbright/DAAD Recipient in Germany for two years. Since 2018, he has taught German in the Seattle Area German Academy of the German Language School of Seattle. Previously, Heiko was an Air Force chaplain at the NATO Headquarters for Northern Europe in Stavanger, Norway for 5 years and prior to that, served as a Vicar for the American Church in Berlin.

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Work at Concordia Language Villages

Concordia Language Villages staff may speak a Village language, creatively teach culture, work and play hard. They also develop skills and qualities that will make them excellent employees in any field.