Neu Danzig - 1848 Village History
Copyright 1996, Curt Renz

Notes: Please see the Introduction to the Village History Projectfor additional information.

NEU DANZIG

Toward the end of the 18th century. a number of people immigrated from the free city of Danzig to Russia where some of them were settled near the city of Elizabethgrad; the other group was sent to Berislaw. After a few years, the first group was combined with the latter into one colony, which they named Danzig. After 50 years, most of these immigrants had died. In the meantime, the young generations had multiplied greatly and was in need of more land. In 1837 they turned to the former Top Welfare officer of the colonists of South Russia, His Excellency, General von Inzow, with the petition to let them have more land. This request was granted and the Government City of Cherson allocated a stretch of land of 70 versts. It stretched along the Ingul River in a width of almost three versts and was, on its southwesterly boundary along the river, 12 versts long. In the year 1838, the new colony was started. The homes were mostly built of earth and were miserable huts. The colony was jointly named Neu Danzig.

The surrounding land was not inhabited. It had been used by some people as pasture for their livestock. It was so overgrown with grass that it looked almost like a steppe-field. The colonists also found wild horses which were seen in groups of 40. They did considerable damage to the grain fields. They were hunted, in hopes they would be caught and used as workhorses. This was unsuccessful because the horses succumbed to the rigor of the hunt. Even to this day, horses can be seen in groups of 10. The luxuriant grass carpet which was originally found can hardly be seen anymore. There were no forests and none now exist because the recently started plantings can hardly be called forests.

The level ground consists mostly of black sad, but nitrous earth can be found in the lowlands of the Ingul, from 3/4 to one arschin deep. The Ingul Valley is an exception. There, hard clay is present as well as hard stones and saw-stones. However, the stones cannot easily be gotten because they are located too deep in the earth. This ground lends itself best for growing rye.

Since most of these colonists were young people and had not owned ground before, they were not well off. Most of them owned only a pair of oxen, a wooden wagon without steel rims, two cows and about 50 rubles. Others had three or four pair of oxen, the same number of wagons, four to five cows and
200 to 250 rubles in the bank.

Many had brought with them the inclination for rough parties and proceeded to continue their immoral lives. Any concern for the future was brushed aside. Even the harvest days and weeks were used by rich and poor for their debauchery. It was especially bad on Sundays. Warnings from sensible people were not heeded. It seemed as if no remedy could be found to stop this corruption. In the year 1841, several families of the Muenich colony were settled here upon their own request. They were Roman Catholics who had embraced the Protestant faith and wanted to live among their fellow believers. There was plenty of room for them as there had been set aside enough land for 60 families, of which only 35 had come. Their protests against the immorality was of no avail and some of the newcomers joined in it. The land was not worked well and caused poor harvests. The result was poverty and distress. They tried to get out of this by borrowing money or by the sale of their farms. The farms had become a burden because they did not want to work them and were satisfied if they got a few hundred rubles for their holdings. But, at that time, it was hard to sell property and their debts became a hardship. There was a turn for the better, however.

Late in the year 1842, some colonists from Rohrbach came here. Some were settled here because they had no land of their own and some had sold their farms in their hometown in order to buy new farms here. The inhabitants refused to accept the newcomers, because they did not want to join in their parties. Therefore the welfare officer, Staatsrat von Hahn ordered that they must be accepted. This was a break in the existing rule of October 18, 1832, which made the acceptance of new colonists dependent upon the existing community. Through the good influence of the Rohrbach colonists, a turn for the better came to pass. A massive religious movement caused a change in the thinking and actions of many. Instead of going to the beer-hall, the people went to church; instead of cursing, they read the Bible and other religious books. Now prosperity was restored. The dirt huts disappeared and well-planned, pretty stone houses took their shape. Trees were planted, and in spite of some bad harvests and crickets in the year 1845, the colony prospered. One of the most important results of the pietistic movement was the building of the school system by the Black Sea colonists.

Mayor - Dickhaut
Counselor - Kohl
Counselor - Beutusch
Teacher - J.G.Nuss

This history appeared in Gemeindeberichte der Schwarzmeer deutschen, 1848 by M. Woltner

Data provided by Curt Renz
Coordinated with GRHS Village Research Clearing House
Coordinated with AHSGR/GRHS Translation Committee Chairman

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