The Volga-Germans

The Russian - American Business & Culture Council (RABCC) presents the next in our series “Voices from Russia”: Celebrating All Things Volga-German, an introduction to the history and cultural manifestations of the Germanic settlers in the Russian empire and their descendants.
Panel:
Dr. Brent Mai, Dean of the Carpenter Library, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, Florida
Sam Brungardt, a renowned expert on Volga-German foodways, St. Paul, Minnesota

[@cindykammerzell3937]

Hi I am a Volga German. I’m just beginning to realize how serious this was. I wish my grandparents had talked about this.

[@greenbelly2008]

My parents used to speak German at home. A beautiful Volga German dialect. A German lady told me some people still speak it in Southern Germany.

[@e.kaufmann4718]

include my grandparents. ;-)

[@marcaurel2333]

Sehr schön dass die Geschichte dieses Volkes nicht vergessen wird und sie sich dank moderner Technologien vernetzen können. Liebe Grüße aus Deutschland. Meine Vorfahren waren Russland-Deutsche aus Rostov am Don. Sie wurden 1941 nach Südkasachstan deportiert. Als wir Anfang der 90er die Genehmigung hatten nach Deutschland zurückzukehren, sagte mein Opa "Endlich gehen wir nach Hause". Es freut mich für ihn dass er das noch miterleben durfte.

[@Zech287]

I have a entire history about my ancestors who are Volga Germans.
My ancestors were invited by Catherine the Great II into Russia. Then one of the 3 of my ancestors traveled to America to settled in Kansas. A few families likes to stay along the Volga River until today. But when my ancestors went to Kansas and became the founder of Munjor Kansas. Theirs like a lot of us in Kansas, but some families like my grandparents decided to settle in Texas until present times. I hope I can get to see them one day. My last name was different and you might look up our last name and their origins.

[@DaToiletDeer]

My great great grandfather moved from a village in Russia called Niedur Monjou and settled in western Kansas and we have lived here since

[@richardoschell6462]

Hi, my grandparents on my dad's side came from Seewald and Walter, grandmother's sidefrom Walter. My grandmother was born in Colorado, but her brother was born in Russia. My grandfather was from Seewald. Their parents both came from Russia between 1910-1918. Very interesting history.

[@sandranatali1260]

Both sets of my Grandparents are Volga germans, and were very proud people. First they were in New York, then moved to Oklahoma and finally settled in Wisconsin. We have been able to find that one of our grandmothers back to Germany in the 1700, so we assume, her family migrated to Russia during that time. My grandparents came to America in 1929, the rest where sent to Siberia. My grandmother heard from her sister in the 1960s, she had been in Siberia. We never heard from her again. My father a Volga german, was a manufacturer, of motion picture processing equipment for over 40 years. Treise Engineering had equipment in military installations, hospitals, motion picture installations, equipment around the world.

[@jacqlynblattner894]

I am a Descendant of Johann George Blattner born in 1722 in Rees Germany , he then migrated to Kamenka Saratov Russia. Black Sea area. My Grandfather was the Only one to come to Canada. So much History we Never knrw about. In 1974 we discovered The Blattner name in Avon Minnesota. Back then they still didnt know where our History connected. In 2013 i finally made contact with another descendant who gave me this info. Wow what a History lesson to finally know Who and Where my name came from. We were FLAX Farmers. My grandfather came to Kendal Saskatchewsn Canada.

[@luv1another]

Thank you so much for this. My family was also from Volga to Wakeeney Kansas. Wheat farmers.

[@manw3bttcks]

My grandparents were volga germans that came over as young children and settled in Galatia and then Otis, Kansas. They farmed but it was hard for them so he worked most of his employment time as the high school maintenance man for the Otis high school. She had very bad arthritis and was unable to work on the farms. Their family names were Schlegel and Koch

[@GeneaVlogger]

Thank you for posting this presentation. Very informative!

[@DerekWitt]

I'm also Volga German. My great-great grandparents settled in western Kansas (a few miles southeast of Hays) in the 1870s.
A few years ago, I emailed the Bishop of Saratov. He is also the Bishop of Munich. He actually understood my broken German. I asked him whether he knew of any remaining records of the Volga German colonies. He unfortunately didn't know either. We both surmised those records were destroyed by Stalin before or during World War II.
I didn't expect his Excellency to respond back to me. I'm thankful he did.
If you try to find Obermunzich in Russia on Google Maps, there is only a slight hint of there even being a town. Only indication is how the farmland is somewhat disturbed. There's only a small shed at that location.

[@robt5818]

I am not a Volga German, but the history is very similar to the Donauschwaben. Volga Germans were invited to settle in the 1700s by Catherine the Great and the Donauschwaben were invited to settle in the 1700s by Maria Theresa (Austria). The dialects are quite similar too.

[@howardmettee2635]

The selection of TH-cam vignettes from history are really tremendous. TV history, education, classical music, and I imagine sports and entertainment as well. I do notice that when a zoom conference has been archived for future reference, the shared screen appendages don't carry over. A technical problem, or, maybe I'm too cheap to pay the premium cost for this service..

[@MsSkipperkim]

This was awesome. Thanks Brent for all the information you have provided. How was it decided who went to what colony in Russia? I know most of the people from Russian colonies settled again in the USA.

[@krugmeister7301]

My Father was Born in STETTIN in 1928..And he was in the Hitler's Youth...And saw the Horror of the Bombings and destruction of the German Cities...And His Uncle Survived STALINGRAD...Came back in Germany...But later died in 1983...

[@chuckfarley567]

I miss the dinner prayers...

[@daeboilyoverhorse9026]

Ich bin Wolga-Deutscher

[@karfomachet7265]

former territory of the Volga German republic is today settled by Kurds and other Asiatic peoples along with Russians

[@davemaurmann123]

ZDF did a good miniseries on a Volgagerman der Illegale 1972

[@johnrogan9420]

Volga Germans...beerrack

[@barlazyjj7872]

Our family called bierock or Runza , a "cabbage burger".

[@wolodimirmelnik9007]

Börek ( Türk) Пирог Pirog (Rus) . Volga Germans- Pirok . "cabbage burger"- Kraut Pirok

[@Feed_Outdoor]

im a Volga German were the ones who settled in whitman county washington "Weitz" or Veitz