On this day, 20 July, two Lutheran Volga Mother colonies were founded, Bauer in 1766 and Krasnoyar (Krasssnojar) in 1767.
Bauer, 1766
A description of Bauer as remembered by Friedrich Schimdt, January 1994, Riga, Latvia. He was 94 at the time this was written. Schimdt's full story can be found in AHSGR's village files.
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| Excerpts courtesy of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia village files. |
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| Left: The location of Bauer on Karte der deutschen Siedlungen im Wolgagebiet (Map of the German settlements in the Volga Region, AHSGR map #6). Right: The location of Bauer, known today as Karamyshevka, Saratov, Russia. |
Krasnoyer, 1767
This is a description of Krasnoyer as remembered by Alexander Groh, April 1996, Pirmasens, Germany. He was born there in 1927, and he and his family was deported in 1941. Groh's full story can be found in AHSGR's village files.
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| Excerpt courtesy of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia village files. |
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| Plat map of Krasnojar as remembered in September 1941 by Alexander Groh before he and his family were deported. Courtesy of AHSGR. |
There is also very nicely done interactive map of Krasnojar on Wolgadeutche.. Go to the link, click on the map to go into interactive mode, and then click on sections to see photos of the area. Very cool!
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Left: The location of Krassnojar on
Karte der deutschen Siedlungen im Wolgagebiet (Map of the German settlements in the Volga Region, AHSGR map #6).
Right: The location of Krassnojar, known today as Krasnyy Yar, Saratov, Russia. |
Learn More:
2017 marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Mother colonies along the Volga River. There are many events throughout the year to commemorate the anniversary, and the Germans from
Russia Settlement Locations project joins in the celebration of this rich Volga German heritage.
The German immigrants that came to the Volga region were among first colonists to take up Catherine the Great on her manifesto. They came from Hesse, the Rhineland, the Palatinate and Württemberg. They are also among the most well researched and documented groups of German colonists in Russia. Thus far, the Volga Mother colonies settled between 1764 and 1767 are the only colonies that have precise dates they were settled.
For more historical and current events related to Germans from Russia, see our calendar page or link to our public Google calendar.
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