#halbstadt

[skiddo-xy]

Mennonite Toponymy - How do Mennonites Name Their Places?

Today begins Canada's Mennonite Heritage Week, which occurs anually during the second week of September. In light of this, I decided to analyze the names of Mennonite-founded (specifcally Russian Mennonite-founded) settlements to see what they have in common.

In short, they are quite simple. Mennonite-founded settlements are typically named and officially documented in High German (also known as Standard German) with two components: an adjective (sometimes geography-related) and a landform. Mennonite-founded settlements also often have Plautdietsch (the Mennonite Low German dialect) pronunciations, presumably used when speaking in Plautdietsch.

A few prominent examples are below:

Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada

Meaning: “stony brook”

“Stein” functions as both “stone” and “stony”

Bergthal, Bergthal Colony, Russian Empire (now Respublica, Ukraine)

Meaning: “mountain valley”

“Berg” in first position (rare)

“Thal” in second position

Grunthal, Manitoba, Canada

Meaning: “green valley”

Does not add “e” after “u” to replace “ü”

Also has Plautdietsch pronunciation: “Grientol” (/ˈ jrintol/)

“Thal” in second position

The rest of my examples are below (complete with annotations) and yes, they are all from either Ukraine and Canada - they have the best examples I could find that are Mennonite settlements specifically named by Mennonites - some Mennonite settlements in Latin America retain the Spanish names of the plots of land that they bought and others were named by/after non-Mennonite founders, such as Winkler, Manitoba, Canada. But anyways, here are the examples under the cut - but warning, it's rather long!

Blumenort, Manitoba, Canada

Meaning: “flower(s) place”

Dual usage of “ort” to be “garden” or “place”

Vegetation mention

Also has Plautdietsch pronunciation: “Bloomenuat” (/ˈblœmn̩ˌuɐ̯t/)

Friedensfeld, Manitoba, Canada

Meaning: “peaceful field”

“S” is unaccounted for

Friedrichsthal, Bergthal Colony, Russian Empire (now Fedorivka, Ukraine)

Meaning: “Friedrich’s valley”

Male personal name in first position

“Thal” in second position

Grossweide, Molotschna Colony, Russian Empire

Meaning: “big pasture”

Halbstadt, Molotschna Colony, Canada (now Molochansk, Ukraine)

Meaning: “half city” (etymology unclear)

Hochfeld, Manitoba, Canada

Meaning: “high field”

“Feld” in second position

Altitude adjective

Kleefeld, Manitoba, Canada

Meaning: “clover field”

Vegetation in first position

“Feld” in second position

Also has Plautdietsch pronunciation: “Kleefelt” (/ˈklɔɪ��fɛlt/)

Originally named “Gruenfeld”

Uses “ue” to represent “ü”

Reinfeld, Manitoba, Canada

Meaning: “pure field”

“Feld” in second position

Beauty adjectives

Reinland, Manitoba, Canada

Meaning: “pure land”

Beauty adjectives

Rosenort, Manitoba, Canada

Meaning: “rose garden”

Dual usage of “ort” to be “garden” or “place”

Vegetation mention

Schanzenfeld, Manitoba, Canada

Named after Jacob Yost Shantz, who assisted Mennonites in Southern Manitoba

“Feld” in second position

Schoenfeld, Bergthal Colony, Russian Empire (now Ksenivka, Ukraine)

Meaning: “beautiful field”

“Feld” in second position

Beauty adjectives

“Ö” is replaced by “oe”

Schoenthal, Bergthal Colony, Russian Empire (now Novoromanivka, Ukraine)

Meaning: “beautiful valley”

“Thal” in second position

Beauty adjectives

“Ö” is replaced by “oe”

Waldheim, Saskatchewan, Canada

Meaning: “forest home”

[canadajobbank]

Hiring now: Vegetable farm worker

[jeusussavearmyveteran1205]

While the Wine Barrel in Dürkheim was never used for wine, but as a restaurant and wine tavern, the Heidelberg Tun (Großes Fass im Heidelberger Schloss) actually held wine. The first Großes Fass (there are four) was finished in 1591 under Johann Casimir, holding 127,000 liters. It was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War (1618-48). However, the same cooper who built the first barrel, Michael Werner, built another one in the Halbstadt. The Gröninger Fass is located in the hunting lodge Spiegelsberge. The second Großes Fass in the Heidelberg Palace is called Karl-Ludwig-Fass after the prince-elector, you guessed it, Karl Ludwig. It was filled for the first time in 1664 with the wine tithes of the Palatinate subjects. In 1680, it leaked for the first time and they were never able to fully repair it. The Karl-Philipp-Fass was built in 1728 and was a total replacement of the second barrel. But much like that one the third one also was leaking. The fourth and final one is the Karl-Theodor-Fass from 1751. With a volume of around 220,000 liters it is the largest. It was only filled three times because of leaking problems. But even if it doesn't hold any wine, the Heidelberg Tun is a tourist attraction and around half a million people a year visit the Heidelberg Palace and look at the barrel. Even Mark Twain was there. And what would a gigantic wine barrel be without a guard? Prince-elector Karl Philipp had a "Hofzwerg" (court dwarf), Clemens Pankert or Giovanni Clementi from South Tyrol who possibly was a button maker and who impressed the prince-elector with his high tolerance for alcohol and quick-wittedness. Karl Philipp took him with him to court and made him the guard for the Großes Fass. The name Perkeo comes from his answer when he was asked if he wanted to empty the Heidelberg Tun. He supposedly said "Perché no?" - Why not?

[taximezhorodsib]

Вьезд в немецкий район в Алтайском крае. 🚖ИНДИВИДУАЛЬНЫЕ ПОЕЗДКИ ИЗ НОВОСИБИРСКА И АЭРОПОРТА ТОЛМАЧЁВО КОМФОРТНЫМИ АВТОМОБИЛЯМИ ТОЙОТА КАМРИ И МЕРСЕДЕС В НЕМЕЦКИЙ РАЙОН В АЛТАЙСКОМ КРАЕ И ОБРАТНО ПО ПРЕДВАРИТЕЛЬНОМУ СОГЛАСОВАНИЮ. 🚖INDIVIDUELLE AUSFLÜGE VOM NOVOSIBIRSK UND TOLMACHEVO-FLUGHAFEN MIT KOMFORTABLEN AUTOS TOYOTA KAMRI UND MERCEDES ZUM DEUTSCHEN DISTRIKT IN DER ALTAI-REGION UND ZURÜCK 🌞РАБОТАЕМ ЕЖЕДНЕВНО 24/7 ВЫЕЗД В УДОБНОЕ ДЛЯ ВАС ВРЕМЯ ПРЕДОСТАВЛЯЕМ ОТЧЁТНЫЕ ДОКУМЕНТЫ 🚕🚕🚕ЗАКАЗ И ПРЕДВАРИТЕЛЬНОЕ БРОНИРОВАНИЕ : ☎️- +7-999-467-41-01 📞WhatsApp, Viber, Twitter, Telegram 🤵ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНЫЕ ВОДИТЕЛИ С БОЛЬШИМ СТАЖЕМ РАБОТЫ НА МЕЖДУГОРОДНИХ ПЕРЕВОЗКАХ. 👉НАДЕЖНО-КОМФОРТНО-БЕЗОПАСНО #вгальбштадт #halbstadt #внемецкийрайон #догальбштадт #едемвгальбштадт #таксивгальбштадт #трансфервгальбштадт #поездкивгальбштадт #перевозкивгальбштадт #таксидогальбштадт #taxihalbstad #таксидогальбштадт #taxidohalbstad #таксиновосибирскгальбштадт #таксиаэропорттолмачевогальбштадт #таксигальбштадтновосибирск #таксигальбштадтаэропорттолмачево #трансферновосибирскгальбштадт #гальбштадтновосибирск #новосибирскгальбштадт #перевозкигальбштадтновомибирск #поездкигальбштадтновосибирск #трансфергальбштадтновосибирск https://www.instagram.com/p/CLUenQ6jWU1/?igshid=10zet6qx0p2q4

[minnesotadruids]

Trigger Warning: Accounts of Death of Over 200 People. 

This post marks 100 years since the end of November of 1919: when my ancestors, their families, friends, and many members of their community were brutally massacred by Nestor Machno and his band of anarchists in Ukraine.

IF you idolize Nestor Machno or promote actual anarchy, then this post is evidence of your errant ideological legacy, so get the hell off my blog.

A meticulous written record was made of the death tolls on what was called Schreckenstage ("Terror-Days" in German) by my Mennonite ancestors in the Zagradovka Colony. The lists of those killed by Nestor Makhno and his bloodthirsty militia are grouped by village. In some cases, the manner in which they were slain was also documented. Some names may appear to be duplicates, but each listing is a different person. It was very common for sons to be named after their father or close relatives. The gene pool among Mennonites also tends to be smaller, and many of them had very common names.

At least three dozen missing were never found, most of which were from Münsterberg. That village had a population of about 100. Of those hundred, only one woman and one other family survived by hiding inside chimneys. The village was almost entirely burned, and many remains could not be recovered or identified. Today, the outlines of building foundations at what was once Münsterberg can still be seen in Google Earth or other mapping programs at coordinates  47°32'0.64"N  33°16'10.15"E ...now the ruins serve as gravestones to the missing. Of the more than 230 victims of the Terror-Days, below is the list of casualties they were able to identify.

The Death Tolls

November 29, 1919, Gnadenfeld:

Gerhard Schellenberg Sr – shot

Peter Wiebe Sr – shot

David Koehn – shot and burned

Abram Isaak – shot

Johann Wiebe – shot

Peter J. Koop – murdered in a Ukrainian village

Abram Warkentin – murdered in a Ukrainian village

Johann Kliewer – shot

Johann Klassen – shot

Gerhard Wiebe – chopped to pieces

Johann Doerksen – chopped to pieces

unknown non-Mennonite – chopped, shot, and burned November 29, 1919, Reinfeld:

Herman Bahnmann – slaughtered

Heinrich Epp – shot and burned

his wife Elizabeth – shot and burned

their infant daughter Liese – shot and burned

their daughter Katharina – shot and burned

Aaron Epp – chopped to pieces

Kornelius Warkentin – chopped and burned on a haystack

Heinrich Koop – chopped and shot

Peter Funk – shot

Abram Funk – shot

Johann Klassen – shot and chopped on the oven bench

Mrs. Klassen – chopped

Peter Boschmann – shot

Gerhard Boschmann – burned

Peter Bahnmann – chopped, shot, and burned

Mrs. Jakob Reimer – shot November 29, 1919, Orloff:

Heinrich Wiens (age 62) – shot

Rev. Peter Martens – shot

Wilhelm Peter Martens – chopped

Abram Walde – chopped, died slowly

Kornelius Nickel – shot

Peter Isaak – chopped and shot

Isbrand Friesen (visiting from Schoenau) shot and burned

Jakob H. Wiens – shot

Jakob Klassen – shot through the head

Nikolai Harder – chopped to pieces

Johann Lammert – chopped to pieces

Jakob Koehn of Altonau – shot

Peter Koehn of Altonau – shot

Diedrich Neufeld Sr – shot

Johann D. Neufeld – chopped and shot

Heinrich Wiebe Sr (age 73) chopped and stabbed in bed

Jakob H. Wiebe – chopped and shot

Jakob J. Wiebe Jr – shot

Jakob Adrian Sr – shot

Abram Walde (age 75) – shot

Wilhelm Fr. Martens – shot through the heart

Gerhard Wall (age 77) – shot while sitting in a chair

Johann Peters – shot and burned

Heinrich Wall – shot and burned

Peter Wiebe – chopped to pieces in bed

Mrs. Peter Wiebe – chopped to pieces in bed

Heinrich Neufeld (teacher) – shot in schoolroom

Johann Toews (teacher) – shot in schoolroom

August Penner – chopped

Heinrich D. Jager of Tiege (young student) – chopped

Wilhelm Peters – slaughtered with a saber

Liese Lammert – chopped to pieces

Jakob W. Penner (sick with typhoid fever) – chopped in bed

Johann Heinrichs – shot

Wilhelm Penner – chopped

David Block – chopped

Johann Siemens – shot

Kornelius Willms of Tiege – perished from wounds

Maria Reimer – chopped

Heinrich P. Siemens – shot and burned

Rev. Jakob T. Friesen – decapitated

Jakob Heinrich Duerksen of Neu-Halbstadt (young student) – chopped

Johann W. Martens (age 73) – hands torn apart by mushrooming bullet, died 6 days later

Peter Klassen – sword wounds to head, died slowly

Gerhard G. Bargen of Alexanderfeld (student) – chopped 21 times, suffered long before death November 29, 1919, Tiege:

Johann Giesbrecht Sr – shot

Gerhard Schroeter – chopped

Peter Buller – chopped

Rev. Wilhelm Duekmann – chopped and shot

Jakob Braun – chopped, stabbed, and shot

Franz F. Klassen (teacher) – shot

Heinrich Isaak – shot

Heinrich de Fehr of Altonau – shot

Abram P. Dyck – chopped and burned

Olga – servant of apothecary A. Gauderer – shot

Heinrich Friesen – shot

Isaak Tschetter (a miller) – shot

Isaac de Jager – shot

Johann Krause – chopped and shot

Peter Lammert – chopped and shot

Johann J. Martens – shot

Heinrich A. Fast – shot November 29, 1919, Münsterberg:

Abraham Reimer – chopped and burned

his wife, Emilie Reimer – died from a heart attack

their son Gerhard – chopped with a saber

their son Willie – chopped with a saber

their daughter Emilie – chopped with a saber

Johann Friesen – chopped and shot

Jakob Duekmann – chopped and shot

his wife, Maria Duekmann – chopped and shot

their son, Jacob – chopped and shot

their daughter Maria – chopped and shot

their son Peter – chopped and shot

Peter P. Goossen – chopped and burned

his wife, Maria Goossen – chopped and burned

Rev. Abraham Regehr – chopped and burned

his wife, Helene Regehr – chopped and burned

Johann A. Regehr – chopped and burned

his wife, Helene Regehr – chopped and burned

their infant daughter Lena (14 days old) burned alive in her cradle

Sarah A. Warkentin of Friedensfeld – chopped

Wilhelm Jakob Martens – chopped and burned

his son Jakob – chopped and burned

his son Kornelius – chopped and burned

his son Heinrich – chopped and burned

his daughter Mariechen – chopped and burned

his daughter Sarah – chopped, suffered for many days before dying

Heinrich P. Thiessen – chopped and burned

his wife, Maria Thiessen – chopped and burned

all their children, Helene – chopped and burned

Heinrich – chopped and burned

Anna – chopped and burned

Peter – chopped and burned

Aaron – chopped and burned

Maria – chopped and burned

Maria Martens nee Peters – chopped and burned

her son Willie – chopped and burned

her son Johann – chopped and burned

her daughter Anna – chopped and burned

her daughter Helene – chopped and burned

her son Jakob – chopped and burned

her daughter Mariechen – chopped and burned

Johann Wiebe – chopped and burned

his wife, Katharina Wiebe – chopped and burned

their daughter Helene – chopped and burned

Jakob A. Regehr – chopped and burned

his wife, Maria Regehr nee Toews – chopped and burned

their son Abraham – chopped and burned

their daughter Liese – chopped and burned

their daughter Lenchen – chopped and burned

their son Jakob – chopped and burned

their daughter Margaretha – chopped and burned

their daughter Tinchen – chopped and burned

Bernhard Langermann – chopped and burned

his wife, Maria nee Reimer – chopped and burned

their son Johann – chopped and burned

their son Gerhard – chopped and burned

their daughter Elisabeth – chopped and burned

their daughter Anna – chopped and burned

Daniel P. Goossen – chopped and burned

his wife, Maria – chopped and burned

Heinrich Ott – chopped and burned

his wife Anna Ott – escaped to Shestirnya, but then slain and eaten by dogs & pigs

Katharina Wolf – escaped to Shestirnya, but then slain and eaten by dogs & pigs

Heinrich Wolf – chopped in Shestirnya

Johann Wiebe – chopped and burned

Gerhard Bergen – chopped and burned

his wife, Anna – chopped and burned

Heinrich Enns – chopped and burned

Rev. Jakob J. Wiens – chopped and burned

Peter Johann Wiebe – chopped and burned

Peter Goossen Sr – chopped and burned

Katharina Klippenstein nee Goossen – chopped and burned

Helene Klippenstein – chopped and burned

Gerhard Reimer Sr – chopped and burned

his wife – chopped and burned

their daughter Katharina – chopped in the street

Gerhard Friesen (an infant) – burned alive in the cradle

Gerhard Goossen – chopped and burned

Peter P. Goossen Jr – chopped

Grandmother widow Giesbrecht – chopped and burned

Bernhard Giesbrecht – chopped and burned

his wife– chopped and burned

their son Bernhard – chopped and burned

their daughter Elisabeth – chopped and burned

their daughter Anna – chopped and burned

widow Huebert – chopped in a Ukrainian village

Abram A. Friesen – chopped in a Ukrainian village

Friedrich Wunsch – chopped in Shestirnya and eaten by dogs

David Nickel – chopped and burned

Johann Nickel – chopped and burned

Heinrich Nickel – chopped and burned

Johann D. Martens (teacher) – chopped and burned

Klaas Enns – chopped and burned

Katharina D. Friesen (infant) – killed while suckling (mother survived her wounds)

Heinrich Buegler – chopped

widow Klippenstein – died of a heart attack

Abraham Schwarz – chopped

Kornelius Klippenstein – missing without a trace December 1, 1919, Schönau:

Jakob Neufeld

Johann Pauls

Rev. Martin Hamm – chopped and shot

Jakob Unruh Sr

Mrs. Unruh

Jakob Nickel Sr

Johann Wiebe – abused and shot

Jakob Wiebe – abused and shot

Franz of Riesen

Abraham Franz

Franz Nickel

Abram Quiring – shot a few days later on the street February, 1920, Neu-Schönsee:

Jakob D. Janzen – shot in a surprise night attack August, 1922, Blumenort:

Franz Kroeker – slain on his way to town

Abram Wiebe – beaten, choked to death with reins

Johann Goertzen – beaten, choked to death with reins

his son – beaten, choked to death with reins Vanished Without A Trace: 

Peter B. Dyck – Tiege

Martin Schierling – Rosenort

Franz F. Adrian – Altonau

Peter J. Koop – Altonau

Dietrich B. Koop – Altonau

Daniel J. Janzen – Neu-Schönsee

Johann J. Doerksen – Friedensfeld

Johann J. Klassen – Blumenort

Heinrich Kasdorf – Gnadenfeld

Peter P. Isaak – Rosenort

Peter J. Friesen – Orloff

Heinrich August Penner – Orloff

David J. Penner – Schönau

Top photo caption in English: Mass grave in Orloff. Holding 58 bodies. From the book Sagradowka by Gerhard Lohrenz, 1947.

Orloff is one of the few villages in the Zagradovka Colony that still has the same name today, though the Ukrainians adjusted the spelling to "Orlove." Zagradovka is now "Zahradivka" and lies just 4.5 miles northeast of Orlove. I wonder if the Ukrainian citizens today are aware of their local history, or the events that took place there a century ago.

Each year this is a solemn time for my family. My great grandmother was 11 years old when this happened. Her grandparents and extended family are listed among the dead. About a dozen other surnames mentioned are in my family tree. By spreading awareness of this senseless barbarity I strive to both prevent this from happening again, while honoring the memory of my ancestors.

See Also: My entry last year: a journal entry of one of my relatives that tells what happened in gruesome detail. [Link here]

[mennonite-memories]

Nestor Mahkno, Gerhard Wall, the Selbstschutz, and the Zagradovka Massacres

Among the Mennonites with roots in Ukraine, one event that left a lasting historical trauma was the massacres that took place in the Zagradovka colony. Situated within the Kherson Oblast, the land for this colony was purchased in 1871 from Leo V. Kochubey to establish a new Mennonite colony for landless Mennonites from the Molotschna Colony. Between 1872 and 1883, 16 villages were established by the Mennonites; Alexanderfeld, Neu-Schönsee, Friedensfeld, Neu-Halbstadt, Nikolaifeld, Orloff, Blumenort, Tiege, Altonau, Rosenort, Münsterberg, Gnadenfeld, Schönau, Steinfeld, Reinfeld, and Alexanderkrone.

One of my direct ancestors and his family lived in the village of Orloff (the present-day village of Orlove near the Kherson-Dnipropetrovsk border). Gerhard Wall (Aug 9. 1840 – Nov 19, 1919) was my Great-Great-Grandfather through my grandmother Maria Wiebe’s mother’s family. According to the available information, he was initially from the Molotschna Colony (located around the city of Molochansk in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast) which means that he was one of the landless Mennonites who relocated to the Zagradovka (Zahradivka) Colony between 1872 and 1883. The reason the Zagradovka Colony has a notable place in the Mennonite historical memory is due to the massacres that took place there in the winter of 1919.

At this time, the Russian “Civil War” was in full swing. The Ukrainian lands were the operating grounds for several different armies: the Bolsheviks, the White Army, Ukrainian nationalists, the Germans, and the Austro-Hungarians, alongside various bands of Ukrainian anarchists. One of the most famous leaders among the Ukrainian Anarchists was the revolutionary Nestor Ivanovych Makhno (also known as Batko Makhno). He was the commander of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine and leader of the Makhnovschchina. Makhno’s forces could be opportunistic; at times fighting the Bolsheviks, sometimes forming temporary alliances with the Bolsheviks against the White Armies of Denikin and Wrangel, and even fighting against the armies of the Ukrainian People’s Republic. The goal of Makhno was to establish a form of anarcho-communism in southern Ukraine and therefore fought against anyone who attempted to establish any other polity in the region.

The name “Nestor Makhno” holds a vilified place in the Mennonite consciousness due to a series of massacres that took place in the Zagradovka colony from November 29th to December 1st, 1919. The days have come to be known as the "Schreckenstage" (Terror Days) where more than 230 Mennonites were executed by militia groups connected to Nestor Makhno. While I do not have access to many primary resources which narrate the massacres, there is one casualty list that I have found which includes Gerhard Wall and one of his sons, Heinrich Wall. The list provides the names of identifiable casualties and in my cases even mentions the manner of death. According to the list, Gerhard Wall was executed on the night of November 29th in the village of Orloff where he was shot while sitting in a chair; he was 77 at the time of his execution. His son, Heinrich Wall, is listed as being shot and burned in Orloff at the age of 41. Massacres were carried out in the villages of Gnadenfeld, Reinfeld, Orloff, Tiege, Muensterbeg, and Schoenau on the nights of November 29th and December 1st.

While the surviving chronicles describe horrendous acts perpetrated by the militias, it is important to keep in mind the historical context. One of the darker chapters in the history of the Mennonites in Ukraine comes from this period: the Selbstschutz. Despite one of the central tenets of the Mennonite faith being pacifism, many of the wealthier Mennonites in southern Ukraine formed their own “self-defense” militia to preserve the land and privileges granted to them by the Tsarist government. As revolutionaries in Ukraine were looking to redistribute land and eliminate all vestiges of Tsarist rule in Ukraine, there were many Mennonites who looked upon these developments negatively. Rather than participate in the redistribution of land, those Mennonites who wish to preserve the status quo formed a militia, receiving training and weapons from the German and Austrian armies operating in the area. When the Germans retreated from Ukraine, the Selbstschutz allied themselves with Denikin’s White Army, fighting against Ukrainian Nationalists, the Bolsheviks, and the Makhnovists. As one article about this period relates, “the aim of these landlords’ militias was to ‘restore the pre-Revolution community patterns as completely as possible'. Thus, the Selbstschutz did not start as a defensive organization but as a militia that aimed to use violence to restore the inequalities of Tsarist Russia.”

This is what must be kept in mind when reading about the Zagradovka massacres. While massacres of any kind or always inexcusable, historical accuracy is always of the utmost importance. There was a notable presence of the Selbstschutz in the Zargradovka Colony and the Mennonites here, who began as landless but over time had become quite affluent, were known to be strongly opposed to the redistribution of land. The “Makhnovist” reprisals in Zagradovka were a response to the antagonism of the Selbstschutz militia. It is also important to be aware that the “Makhnovist” militia that carried out these massacres likely had no direct order from Makhno himself and may have only been loosely associated with the Maknovshchina. Makhno himself had expressed at times the difficulty he experienced in keeping the ever-expanding militia in order and even recognized with regret various atrocities committed by them (which at times even led to him ordering the execution of his own rank for committing atrocities).

The conclusion that I have come to is that while my ancestors in Ukraine were subjected to horrendous violence at the hands of the Makhnovist militia, they were not completely blameless. As the beneficiaries of the inequalities of Tsarist rule in Ukraine, they took it upon themselves to forsake their pacifistic heritage to preserve their own benefits by military means. While my Great-Great-Great-Grandfather Gerhard was likely too old to have participated directly in the Selbstschutz, he very well may have been a supporter of them (or at the least non-resistant to their aims and objectives). This of course does not justify the atrocities that were committed in Zagradovka, but it does provide additional perspective. It would be well for those of us with Mennonite heritage to reflect on our role in the Tsarist colonizing policies at the expense of the local Ukrainians (I intend to write more about this in an upcoming post concerning the establishment of the original Mennonite Colony in Khortisya). This self-reflection is even more important today as we witness the Russian aggression and war in Ukraine. As many of us, rightly, are opposed to the imperialistic aims of the Russian Federation, we need to wrestle with our past of being pawns of Russian Imperialism when we accepted lands from the government in St. Petersburg which had previously belonged to Ukrainians and Tatars. Our historical suffering was real but our historical isolationism also resulted in a victimization that excluded recognizing how we were pawns in the victimization of others. The thought that one of my direct ancestors was executed is deeply troubling to me, but so is the fact that my ancestors willingly played a role in the imperialistic aims of Russia to the detriment of Ukrainians. While I cannot atone for this, I can at least try to understand the history and discard any unnecessary villainization of people who were also victims. Understanding and repentance are the only way forward.

[szelkovica]

Империя принадлежит всем и никому конкретно, поэтому за её благополучие не хочется бороться.

Я сама чувствую связь только со средней полосой России и всем немецким — Halbstadt в Алтайском крае, азовский национальный район, отчасти Калининград, но он скорее мне интересен, а не именно близок. И я не чувствую своим всё остальное.

Перестала воспринимать Россию как Россию. Нет, это большое лоскутное одеяло из несправедливо соединенных в одно государство культур, которым нужно управляться и жить самим, пусть и в ущерб экономике.

[newsgur]

Canada to annul citizenship of a former Nazi military

Helmut Oberlander is 94 years old and resides in Waterloo (Ontario) after a career in real estate. He was born in 1924 in the city of Halbstadt (Ukraine) and arrived in Canada in 1954. Six years later, he became Canadian. For the fourth time, the Government of this country tries to annul his citizenship.

http://www.newsgur.com/2018/05/canada-to-annul-citizenship-of-former.html

[sibiriendeutsche]

»Meine Mama ist Russin, mein Papa hat deutsche Vorfahren. Seine Eltern sind früh verstorben und wir wussten lange nichts Genaues über unsere Familiengeschichte. Ich wollte mehr über meine deutschen Wurzeln erfahren. Ich recherchierte im Internet, in der Puschkin-Bibliothek in Omsk, bei deutschen Botschaften und im Archiv des Inlandgeheimdiensts FSB. Auf einer Liste von Leuten, die im Zweiten Weltkrieg politischen Repressionen ausgesetzt waren, fand ich meinen Urgroßvater. Ich erfuhr, dass er 1895 in der deutschen Siedlung Halbstadt im Süden der heutigen Ukraine zur Welt kam. Plötzlich lag die Fotografie eines Mannes vor mir, den ich noch nie gesehen hatte, der aber meinem Vater ähnlich sah! Das war ein eigenartiges Gefühl. Je mehr ich mich mit meiner Familiengeschichte beschäftigte, desto mehr habe ich über mich selbst erfahren.« 

› Zum Interview mit Olga Tefs

Olgas Großeltern väterlicherseits, Jakov und Nadežda Tefs, (große Porträts) und weitere Familienmitglieder.

Olgas Urgroßvater Hermann Ivanovič Tefs (Герман Иванович Тевс), geboren 1895. Fotos: privat  

[warcraftedtardis]

Okay, @wiseisnice . This is the working summary:

On his very first day on the job, a young constable finds himself in the midst of a horrific murder. With his home at serious risk and few leads, he goes to visit the new arrival in the long abandoned Halbstadt manor; there he finds a man with a few too many unsettling things about him, not least of which being his three massive hunting dogs and his predilection to silver bullets.

Shameless self promotion incoming…

Hey guys, did you know I’m writing a book??

Well it’s more of a novelette at this point. I think it might wind up being around 13,000 words or more when I’m done with it; so about the length of some recent fan fiction chapters I’ve been putting out, but this is its own self contained story with totally unique characters in a writing style I hope reads like a modern classic and evokes the kind of old school scary that Sleepy Hollow or Mask of the Red Death might. To that end, I might post short snippets.

I bring it up because I plan on selling the work as a kind of self digital publication for relatively little.

Please, ask me questions about it. I need to keep my energy up for the final edits so I can get this bad boy out this October!! I’ll also be posting sketches and thumbnails of the cover which I hope to be able to draw myself.

[dynamo-7-kyiv]

Молочанску 2️⃣1️⃣6️⃣ лет Этот маленький городок был основан в начале 19-го века ⏳ в 1804 году колонистами меннонитами как #Halbstadt полугород. Ходит легенда что #Гальбштадт лично посещал Александр Первый 🤴🏻 император был восхищён культурой и развитием меннонитов, это был небольшой оазис европейской культуры 🇳🇱 в Таврийских степях 🌾 До 1871 года Гальбштадт был центром Молочанского меннонитского округа ⚓️ В 1887 году в Гальбштадте было основано протестантское издательство «Радуга» 📚 В 1913 году через Гальбштадт была проложена железная дорога 🛤 В 1914 году в Гальбштадте действовал цех по производству и обслуживанию автомобилей Opel 🚘 В начале 20-го века Гальбштадт был один из самых развитых городов Таврической губернии, в некоторых сферах Гальбштадт опережал по развитию уездные города #Мелитополь и #Бердянск 📈 После начала Первой мировой войны в 1915 году Гальбштадт был переименован в Молочанск 📝 В 1938 году Молочанск получил статус города 🌆 Во время Второй мировой в октябре 42-го #Молочанск посещает рейхсфюрер СС Генрих Гиммлер, один из главных деятелей Третьего рейха, он лично планировал сделать Молочанск столицей Таврии, в годы оккупации Молочанск стали сново назв��ть Гальбштадтом, образовались филиалы фольксдойче и миттельштелле 🇩🇪 А ещё есть село в Алтайском крае РФ 🇷🇺 которое было основано в 1908 году немецкими переселенцами из Приазовья и названо по Молочанской колонии Гальбштадт. Молочанск мог бы быть городом музеем на юге Украины 🇺🇦 в котором сохранились множество архитектурных стилей меннонитской культуры 🧱 я восхищаюсь теме строениями которые сохранились до наших дней, мне хочется снова и снова посещать и отковать для себя Гальбштадт ❤️ #Україна #Украина #Ukraine #ЗапорізькаОбласть #ЗапорожскаяОбласть #ZaporizkaOblast #История #Архитектура #Architecture #Мелитополь #ХранительИстории #DimaAntifeev #Антифеев #Меноніти #Меннониты #MolotschnaMennonite #Mennonites #Mennonite #Mennoniten #Mennonici #Канада #Canada #Германия #Germany #Deutschland Скоро видео 👉 m.youtube.com/DimaAntifeev 🎞 (at Molochansk) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFaIVCeslAu/?igshid=1fq6ae8vhe666

[dynamo-7-kyiv]

В подземельях Гальбштадта 🔦 #україна #ukraine 🇺🇦 #украина #запорізькаобласть #zaporizkaoblast #запорожскаяобласть #токмацькийрайон #токмакскийрайон #молочанськ #molochansk #молочанск #гальбштадт #halbstadt #меноніти ⚓️ #mennonite #меннониты #mennonites #mennoniten #подземелье #dungeon #подземныймир #диггеры #digger #август2020 #хранительистории #dimaantifeev #антифеев 👤 (at Molochansk) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDmFV7uHaEG/?igshid=g6rioi2reqrp

[dynamo-7-kyiv]

#Halbstadt 🇩🇪 У пошуках архітектури 🏛⛪️🏰 #Ukraine 🇺🇦 #ZaporizhiaOblast #Molochansk #Mennonite #Architecture #History ⏳ (Molochansk)