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History
At the invitation of Catherine the Great, 30,623 colonists primarily from the southwestern areas of present day Germany founded 106 colonies along the unsettled Russian steppe near the banks of the Volga between 1763 and 1772. Some had originally settled in Schleswig-Holstein (then ruled by Denmark) between 1759 and 1762, but joined the migration to Russia when it began in 1763. These original Volga German colonists were joined in 1812 by 181 mostly German soldiers who had been a part of Napoleon's Army when it invaded Russia.

A census of Russia taken in 1897 enumerated 1,790,439 ethnic Germans living in Russia. Not all of them were Volga Germans.

Recruitment of the Colonists
Russian representatives published the 1763 Manifesto of Catherine II in newspapers and distributed printed copies throughout Europe, luring thousands with its promises of a better life in a faraway land.

The recruiters were divided into two categories, those that directly represented the Russian government and groups of private recruiters who were authorized by the Russian government to establish their own colonies along the lower Volga River.

To directly represent the Russian government, Catherine appointed Johann Matthias Simolin, the Russian Ambassador to the Reichstag (the Diet of the Realm or Parliament at this time), to act as special commissioner to head the Russian crown's recruitment effort. Simolin's deputies were Friederich Meixner, whose headquarters were located at Ulm, and Johann Facius from Hanau who was initially headquartered at Frankfurt am Main in October 1765.

The recruitment of colonists often brought strong reaction from the German authorities who often did not want their subjects to emigrate. Many of the German rulers enacted laws threatening severe punishment, confiscation of goods, and the prohibition of property sales for anyone considering emigration. Despite his diplomatic protection, the authorities in Frankfurt forced Facius out of the city and he soon established a new headquarters in the city of Büdingen in late February of 1766.

Facius and his representatives of the Russian crown were much more scrupulous in their recruiting activities than the private recruiters, ensuring that would be colonists had the desired skills and requiring them to present documentation of their release by the local authorities. The Russian government had to be very careful not to upset diplomatic relationships in the German territories that were allowing emigration.

The majority of the colonists that arrived in the Saratov area were part of the transport groups led by private recruiters (about 56 percent). Many of these colonists had first migrated as colonists to Denmark.

Among the private recruiters were three cooperative companies. The first company was formed by le Roy, a Frenchman; Pictet, a Swiss from Geneva; and Sonntag, a German. The second was formed by the Frenchman Baron Caneau de Beauregard along with Major Otto Friedrich of Monjou. The third, with no independent funding, was formed by Jean de Boffe, Meusnier et Precourt de Saint-Laurent, and Quentin Benjamin Coulhette d'Hautervive.

Thousands of German craftsmen and farmers responded to these recruitment efforts and founded 106 German villages on both sides of the Volga; they are thus known as the Volga Germans. Le Roy and Pictet established 25 colonies comprising 1,530 families with 5,339 people, along the Volga south of Saratov and to the east on its left tributaries the Karaman and Tarlyk, for example the colony of Lauwe, now Yablonovka, founded as a Lutheran colony on August 19, 1767. LeRoy and Pictet later became managers of their colonies.

Due to mismanagement and corrupt activities by the recruiters, they were removed as directors of their colonies by the Russian government in 1788. The privately established colonies were then placed under the Kontora, which was officially known as the Saratov Office for the Guardianship of Foreign Settlers. From that point forward, the Kontora had oversight of all the Volga German colonies.

Written by Steven Schreiber (March 2020).

Sources

Bartlett, Roger P. "Diderot and the foreign colonies of Catherine II". In: ''Cahiers du monde russe et soviétique. Vol. 23 N°2''. Avril-Juin 1982. pp. 221-241.

Keim, Philipp. Die Wolgadeutschen von der Einwanderung bis zur Aufhebung des Kolonistenkontors, dissertation, Norderstedt: GRIN books on demand, 2006, ISBN 9783638709125, p. 28 (in German)

Pleve, I. R., and Richard R. Rye. The German Colonies on the Volga: The Second Half of the Eighteenth Century. Lincoln, Neb.: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 2001. Print.

External Links

Animation: How the European Map Has Changed Over 2,400 Years

Journey through Denmark
Between 1759 and 1762, more than 4,000 immigrants from southern and southwestern Germany answered the call of Danish King Frederick V and moved to the area of Schleswig-Holstein which at that time was under his control.

This area of Schleswig-Holstein, the "neck" that connects present day Germany to Denmark, was called the Cimbric Peninsula and was considered to be a wasteland because of the poor soil and swamp-like conditions. Frederick's advisors initiated an agrarian reform program in order to bring this territory under cultivation. Approximately 2,500 acres were drained, and colonists invited from the war-torn areas of Hessen and the Palatinate to settle there.

These new colonists, who came from the fertile and forested areas of Germany, did not like the moors of Schleswig-Holstein. There was a shortage of fertilizer necessary for making the land productive, and the settlers could barely raise enough food to feed their families let alone make the area a breadbasket of agriculture. The program was a failure and was discontinued in 1765.

Only about 600 of the original 4,000 colonists remained by this time. Some had returned to Germany, but most joined the migration to Russia under the invitation of Catherine the Great.

VOLGA GERMAN FAMILIES

According to research done by Dr. Alexander Eichhorn and Dr. Jacob and Mary Eichhorn, the following Volga German families are known to have first settled in Schleswig-Holstein before immigrating to Russia:

Adler to Grimm

Albrecht to Anton

Altergott to Dönhof

Andres to Dönhof

Arne to Galka

Arnold to Anton

Arnold to Rosenheim

Asmus to Holstein

Audrit to Reinwald

Bär to Anton

Barthuly to Balzer

Bauer to Balzer

Bauer to Dönhof

Bauer to Shcherbakovka

Baumgärten to Anton

Baumgärtner to Dobrinka

Becking to Dönhof

Becking to Shcherbakovka

Beideck to Beideck

Beier to Dönhof

Beier to Rosenheim

Beisel to Dreispitz

Beisser to Dreispitz

Bendel to Dönhof

Bender to Galka

Bentel to Dönhof

Benzel to Schilling

Berger to Reinwald

Bernager to Reinwald

Blazer to Schilling

Boltz to Dönhof

Borell to Balzer

Bossert to Stahl am Karaman

Braun to Moor

Brecht to Schilling

Breininger to Holstein

Brenckmann to Shcherbakovka

Breuner to Dobrinka

Bruhn to Schilling

Brunner to Reinwald

Busch to Balzer

Busch to Grimm

Clauser to Dobrinka

Dagen to Reinwald

Dalinger to Galka

Damm to Schilling

Daniel to Schilling

Decker to Balzer

Denner to Galka

Derr to Rosenheim

Detterer to Dönhof

Dewald to Hussenbach

Dieterle to Dobrinka

Dieterle to Schilling

Dietz to Shcherbakovka

Dincklacker to Messer

Ditmer to Balzer

Dreher to Beideck

Dreiling to Kamenka

Dumler to Grimm

Eberhard to Grimm

Eberhardt to Moor

Edel to Fischer

Egner to Moor

Ehrhardt to Shcherbakovka

Eichhorn to Dönhof

Eichler to Dönhof

Eichner to Anton

Eichner to Balzer

Eisele to Rosenheim

Endersen to Enders

Engelhardt to Anton

Engelhardt to Grimm

Erksin to Dönhof

Essig to Schilling

Ewald to Walter

Ewig to Anton

Faber to Dönhof

Filbert to Schilling

Fink to Dönhof

Fischer to Galka

Fitzner to Schilling

Flenk to Rosenheim

Flom to Dobrinka

Flomart to Dobrinka

Focht to Anton

Forschman to Fischer

Frank to Dönhof

Frank to Galka

Fritz to Grimm

Fritz to Rosenheim

Fritzler to Grimm

Fuchs to Anton

Funk to Rosenheim

Ganz to Shcherbakovka

Gauger to Reinwald

Geld to Dönhof

Genter to Holstein

Gitle to Enders

Glantz to Grimm

Glaser to Grimm

Glöckner to Stahl am Karaman

Gomer to Dönhof

Göttinger to Dönhof

Gramlich to Schilling

Gries to Dinkel

Grünemeier to Beideck

Guterich to Anton

Guttmann to Stahl am Karaman

Haffner to Shcherbakovka

Hager to Schilling

Hall to Anton

Hammel to Messer

Hammertrab to Beideck

Handschuh to Shcherbakovka

Häppner to Anton

Hartmann to Rosenheim

Haun to Hussenbach

Heckmann to Balzer

Hefele to Dobrinka

Hefele to Dreispitz

Heft to Balzer

Heist to Balzer

Heit to Dreispitz

Heldt to Dönhof

Helmut to Schilling

Henkel to Dönhof

Henn to Reinwald

Herrmann to Schäfer

Herter to Beideck

Hildebrandt to Reinwald

Hoffmann to Balzer

Holstein to Galka

Holzwarth to Reinwald

Hornes to Reinwald

Horst to Rosenheim

Huber to Balzer

Hüber to Dobrinka

Hula to Grimm

Iphöffer to Shcherbakovka

Jäckel to Rosenheim

Jäger to Grimm

Jauck to Holstein

Jessen to Stahl am Tarlyk

Johann to Anton

Jung to Holstein

Kaiser to Grimm

Kaltenberger to Grimm

Karl to Balzer

Kast to Holstein

Kaufmann to Shcherbakovka

Keil to Anton

Keiser to Grimm

Keller to Dobrinka

Kepp to Fischer

Kestle to Dönhof

Kiselmann to Balzer

Kleiber to Grimm

Klein to Balzer

Klein to Dreispitz

Kletter to Anton

Kling to Beideck

Knaup to Schäfer

Knaus to Holstein

Knaus to Kratzke

Knedler to Dobrinka

Kober to Grimm

Kober to Reinwald

Kohler to Grimm

Kolb to Balzer

Körber to Reinwald

Körber to Schilling

Kossman to Fischer

Krämer to Anton

Krassel to Dobrinka

Kraus to Enders

Kraus to Reinwald

Kraut to Dobrinka

Krieger to Rosenheim

Krug to Grimm

Kümmel to Rohleder

Kunzmann to Anton

Kunzmann to Schäfer

Kurtz to Schilling

Lampe to Stahl am Tarlyk

Lange to Schäfer

Laub to Reinwald

Lederer to Reinwald

Legler to Dönhof

Legler to Grimm

Legler to Reinwald

Leist to Fischer

Leist to Fischer

Lenhard to Hussenbach

Lerch to Schäfer

Lichtenwald to Dönhof

Linde to Grimm

Löffler to Rosenheim

Lontsinger to Grimm

Lorenz to Galka

Ludwig to Enders

Mahr to Schilling

Maierhöfer to Galka

Mannweiler to Messer

Markstaller to Rosenheim

Martin to Galka

Martin to Holstein

Marx to Rosenheim

Maul to Schilling

Mauter to Messer

Meier to Balzer

Meier to Shcherbakovka

Meininger to Grimm

Meisner to Grimm

Meisterling to Messer

Menges to Shcherbakovka

Metz to Schilling

Metzger to Anton

Meyer to Dobrinka

Meyer to Fischer

Meyer to Grimm

Moninger to Dobrinka

Müller to Anton

Müller to Dobrinka

Müller to Rosenheim

Münster to Beideck

Neuberger to Beideck

Neuwirth to Reinwald

Nunnemann to Fischer

Obländer to Shcherbakovka

Ott to Galka

Pappenheim to Dönhof

Paul to Anton

Paustan to Fischer

Pfeiler to Holstein

Pikus to Grimm

Pless to Kamenka

Pretzer to Beideck

Propp to Hussenbach

Pufald to Fischer

Putz to Beideck

Queisner to Dönhof

Rabensterk to Rosenheim

Ramig to Grimm

Rau to Dobrinka

Reimer to Reinwald

Reinhard to Dönhof

Reiser to Dobrinka

Reiser to Shcherbakovka

Reissig to Shcherbakovka

Repphun to Reinwald

Reth to Anton

Reuter to Anton

Ries to Dinkel

Riffel to Shcherbakovka

Ritter to Balzer

Röber to Dönhof

Robertus to Balzer

Roh to Schilling

Rösler to Messer

Rotharmel to Anton

Rube to Schilling

Ruf to Holstein

Rutz to Dönhof

Salzmann to Grimm

Sam to Rosenheim

Sauerbrei to Hussenbach

Sauermilch to Rosenheim

Schäfer to Göbel

Schäfer to Grimm

Schanzenbach to Galka

Schenkel to Dönhof

Schick to Galka

Schindler to Dobrinka

Schmal to Grimm

Schmann to Grimm

Schmidt to Galka

Schmidt to Grimm

Schmidt to Messer

Schmidt to Schilling

Schmidt to Schilling

Schneider to Dobrinka

Schneider to Dönhof

Schneider to Grimm

Schneider to Messer

Schneider to Moor

Schorg to Reinwald

Schremser to Moor

Schreuck to Dreispitz

Schuh to Rosenheim

Schulz to Dönhof

Schuppe to Grimm

Schwan to Messer

Schwartzkopf to Dönhof

Schwemmer to Grimm

Schwend to Dobrinka

Schwien to Holstein

Seidel to Reinwald

Seifert to Fischer

Seifert to Grimm

Seiler to Laub

Seninger to Grimm

Siemon to Dobrinka

Siewert to Dreispitz

Simon to Dobrinka

Späth to Balzer

Speldecker to Shcherbakovka

Stahl to Kamenka

Stahl to Stahl am Karaman

Stehli to Grimm

Steinbrecher to Dönhof

Steinbrecher to Galka

Steinbrenner to Rosenheim

Steinepreis to Reinwald

Steinert to Galka

Steinert to Shcherbakovka

Steinpreis to Balzer

Steinpress to Franzosen

Stengel to Schilling

Stöhr to Balzer

Stoll to Dönhof

Stoll to Grimm

Störger to Dönhof

Strackbein to Schilling

Streitenberger to Kamenka

Strep to Dobrinka

Stricker to Shcherbakovka

Stromberger to Dönhof

Tehele to Balzer

Tiede to Grimm

Tralmann to Stahl am Tarlyk

Trott to Grimm

Trübelhorn to Beideck

Tule to Grimm

Ulrich to Dönhof

Utz to Dobrinka

Vogel to Dönhof

Vogel to Grimm

Vogt to Dietel

Volert to Dreispitz

Walter to Rosenheim

Waltz to Galka

Wasserer to Anton

Weber to Beideck

Weber to Dobrinka

Weingärtner to Schilling

Weiss to Shcherbakovka

Welsch to Schäfer

Wenz to Dobrinka

Wenzerich to Anton

Werfel to Anton

Wetzel to Grimm

Wiedemann to Dönhof

Winter to Shcherbakovka

Witt to Bauer

Wittman to Grimm

Wittmann to Reinwald

Wolet to Dreispitz

Wolf to Grimm

Wulf to Dinkel

Zeisel to Kamenka

Zeitz to Reinwald

Ziegler to Dobrinka

Ziegler to Galka

Zittel to Reinwald

Zwetzig to Shcherbakovka

Zwinger to Kamenka

Zwingmann to Messer

CVGS Resources

Eichhorn, A., Eichhorn, Jacob, & Eichhorn, Mary. (2012). Die Einwanderung deutscher Kolonisten nach Dänemark und deren weitere Auswanderung nach Russland in den Jahren 1759-1766 = The immigration of German colonists to Denmark and their subsequent emigration to Russia in the years 1759-1766 (1. Aufl. = 1st ed.). Bonn, Germany : Midland, Mich.

Clausen, O. (1981). Chronik der Heide- und Moorkolonisation im Herzogtum Schleswig (1760-1765). Husum: Husum.

Sources

Clausen, Otto. Chronik der Heide- und Moorkolonisation im Herzogtum Schleswig, 1760-1765 (Husum: Husum Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft, 1981).

"Die Heide- und Moorkolonisation 1759 bis 1765" (online).

Eichhorn, Alexander. The immigration of German colonists to Denmark and their subsequent emigration to Russia in the years 1759-1766 (Deiningen, Germany: Steinmeier, 2012).

Lang, Gerhard. "Kolonisten in Dänemark"