The Grotto of the Redemption – the world’s largest man-made grotto was created by three men. In the 1940s, Father Louis Greving arrived to take over for Father Dobberstein’s parish – and also carried out his shrine vision for several decades. That same year Father Dobberstein hired Matt Szerensce who became a faithful employee for 52 years. Initially, he collected rocks and precious stones for over a decade and began building the Grotto of the Redemption in 1912. And the Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption is a promise he kept and built for several decades. Praying to the Blessed Virgin Mary, he promised to build a shrine in her honor if he lived. Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church in West Bend, Iowa for 57 years.įather Dobberstein became gravely ill with pneumonia when he was young.

Born in Germany, he immigrated to the United States in the 1890s and eventually served as the priest at St. The creative genius behind the Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption is the late Father Paul Dobberstein. So how did this popular roadside attraction end up in a rural Iowa town with a population of ~757? They think this beautiful shrine is located in Europe. When admiring the photos of the world’s largest man-made grotto, most cannot believe it’s in Iowa. History of the Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend, Iowa I highly recommend the Grotto of the Redemption shrine as one of the top things to do in Iowa. This top roadside attraction in Iowa seems even more beautiful and more meaningful as an adult. I only recently revisited this shrine during a road trip to Iowa last summer. I remember being mesmerized by the Grotto of the Redemption as a young child. The Grotto of the Redemption is a beautiful shrine made of precious and semi-precious gemstones, rocks, shells and petrified wood in rural Iowa surrounded by acres and acres and acres of farmland. The only place I remember visiting on those road trips was the Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend, Iowa (about an hour from my great grandparents). And while it wasn’t Disneyland or a tropical beach, I cherished those family visits. Growing up in southeast Iowa, vacation was getting in the car and driving northwest a few hours to stay with my great grandparents in Belmond, Iowa. Childhood memories of The Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption

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