Exploring the legacy of Wolgadeutsche - the Russian Germans

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The Soviet Union was a vast and diverse multinational state that encompassed numerous nationalities, ethnic groups, and cultures. At its height, the Soviet Union comprised 15 republics, each designated as a Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR), along with various autonomous regions and districts. One of the national minorities of the USSR was Wolgadeutsche - ethnic Germans who settled in the Volga River region of Russia during the 18th century. They were invited by Catherine the Great in the late 1700s to help develop agriculture in the area.

During World War II, many Volga Germans were deported to Kazakhstan and Siberia by Stalin, who distrusted ethnic Germans living in the Soviet Union.In the late 20th century and early 21st century, there were efforts to revive Volga German culture and heritage in Russia. However, the population of Volga Germans in Russia has significantly declined compared to their numbers in earlier centuries, due in part to migration, assimilation, and historical events.

I went to Saratov region of Russia to personally see and explore places where Volga Germans had been living for more than 2 centuries. I wanted to explore the historical artifacts of German culture that have been survived the Soviet era and 30 years of the independent Russia. Join me on the exploration of this rarely discussed topic of the Russian and German history.

Enjoy!

Filmed in January 2024.

Key moments:

00:00 - Who are the Wolgadeutsche (Volga Germans)?
04:40 - Kamenka (Ber) - the former German colony with an abandoned Lutheran church
10:40 - Interviewing a German descendant in the village of Kamenka (Ber)
12:40 - Visiting Ust'-Zolikha aka. Messer - a former German colony with an abandoned Lutheran church
14:35 - Engels - the first capital of the Autonomous Republic of Volga Germans (Wolgadeutsche)
17:37 - Zürich is not what you expect
19:19 - Marks (Catharinenstadt) - the capital city of the Wolgadeutsche Autonomous Republic
20:40 - Lipovka (Schäfer) - the German colony in the Russian nowhere

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