Crimea Germans
Encyclopedia
The Crimea Germans were ethnic German
settlers who were invited to settle in the Crimea
as part of the East Colonization.
, Ukrainians
, and Germans
to the Crimean Peninsula (in what was then the Crimean Khanate
) in order to weaken the Crimean Tatar
population.
The first planned settlements of Germans
in Crimea were founded over 1805-1810 with the support of Czar Alexander I
. The first settlements were:
Friedental - in the district of Simferopol
; formed in 1806 by Lutherans
Heilbrunn - in the district of Feodosia; formed in 1809 by Lutherans
Kronental - in the district of Simferopol
; formed in 1810 by Lutherans and Catholics
Neusatz - in the district of Simferopol
; formed in 1806 by Lutherans
Rosental - in the district of Simferopol
; formed in 1806 by Catholics
Staryj Krim (old Crimea)- in the district Feodosia; formed in 1805 by Lutherans and Catholics
Sudak - in the district of Feodosia; formed in 1805 by Lutherans
Zuerichtal - in the district of Feodosia; formed in 1805 by Swiss Lutherans
All of these early colonies were located in the Yayla-mountains of Crimea
and were mostly Swabian
wine-farmers. However over time only Sudak
produced quality wine and the other settlements soon turned to agriculture. The second generation didn’t have enough land and soon young men started buying land from the Russian
aristocracy and creating new ("daughter") colonies.
Later Mennonites began to move from Ukraine
into Crimea
.
Details are vague but during the 19th century a “German hospital” and dispensary arose in the Simferopol
suburb of Nowyj gorod (called Neustadt or new city - now this is "Киевский район" of Simferopol).
). Under the Soviet regime many Volksdeutsche were persecuted by gangs of Russian peasants as landowning Kulak
s or class enemy bourgeoisie. In 1939, two years before their deportation
to Central Asia
, around 60,000 of the 1.1 million inhabitants of Crimea
were German and "they had their own administrative raion in the Crimean Republic.".
Exiles dispersed all over the world. In Canada, Reynold Rapp
, a farmer and Lutheran immigrant from the Crimea, became a Progressive Conservative
Member of Parliament
. A strong supporter of the British
heritage of freedom in his adoptive country, Rapp opposed the replacement of the Canadian Red Ensign
with a new Maple leaf
flag in 1964. He told reporters: “I may be the only man in this House who has lived under the Hammer & Sickle. A flag is not just a bunting: it represents so much more than that.”
eastwards to Siberia
and central Asia on entirely spurious allegations that they were spies for the Third Reich. Consequently many died in transit, although later they could not be seriously blamed for Nazi crimes in the region.
It is unclear whether any remained at all during the Nazi occupation as German
policy was to evacuate all surviving Soviet Volksdeutsche to settlements in Poland
. The Nazi Generalkommissar Alfred Frauenfeld
toyed with the idea of resettling ethnic Germans (Volksdeutsche) here from Italian
South Tyrol
after the war and several cities were renamed with spurious German ones (Simferopol
became Gotenburg and Sevastopol
became Theodorichhafen for example).
were only allowed to return to the peninsula after Perestroika
. Today, Crimea
is merely seen as a way to get into Germany
for young people of German
ancestry. The German reunification
brought a rebirth of Crimean-German culture and, since 1994, they have had a small representation in the Crimean Parliament.
Of the 2 million inhabitants of the now Ukrainian Crimea, around 3,000 are of German ancestry.
Ethnic German
Ethnic Germans historically also ), also collectively referred to as the German diaspora, refers to people who are of German ethnicity. Many are not born in Europe or in the modern-day state of Germany or hold German citizenship...
settlers who were invited to settle in the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
as part of the East Colonization.
History
From 1783 onwards, there was a systematic settlement of RussiansRussians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
, Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
, and Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
to the Crimean Peninsula (in what was then the Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate, or Khanate of Crimea , was a state ruled by Crimean Tatars from 1441 to 1783. Its native name was . Its khans were the patrilineal descendants of Toqa Temür, the thirteenth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan...
) in order to weaken the Crimean Tatar
Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...
population.
The first planned settlements of Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
in Crimea were founded over 1805-1810 with the support of Czar Alexander I
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
. The first settlements were:
Friedental - in the district of Simferopol
Simferopol
-Russian Empire and Civil War:The city was renamed Simferopol in 1784 after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire by Catherine II of Russia. The name Simferopol is derived from the Greek, Συμφερόπολις , translated as "the city of usefulness." In 1802, Simferopol became the...
; formed in 1806 by Lutherans
Heilbrunn - in the district of Feodosia; formed in 1809 by Lutherans
Kronental - in the district of Simferopol
Simferopol
-Russian Empire and Civil War:The city was renamed Simferopol in 1784 after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire by Catherine II of Russia. The name Simferopol is derived from the Greek, Συμφερόπολις , translated as "the city of usefulness." In 1802, Simferopol became the...
; formed in 1810 by Lutherans and Catholics
Neusatz - in the district of Simferopol
Simferopol
-Russian Empire and Civil War:The city was renamed Simferopol in 1784 after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire by Catherine II of Russia. The name Simferopol is derived from the Greek, Συμφερόπολις , translated as "the city of usefulness." In 1802, Simferopol became the...
; formed in 1806 by Lutherans
Rosental - in the district of Simferopol
Simferopol
-Russian Empire and Civil War:The city was renamed Simferopol in 1784 after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire by Catherine II of Russia. The name Simferopol is derived from the Greek, Συμφερόπολις , translated as "the city of usefulness." In 1802, Simferopol became the...
; formed in 1806 by Catholics
Staryj Krim (old Crimea)- in the district Feodosia; formed in 1805 by Lutherans and Catholics
Sudak - in the district of Feodosia; formed in 1805 by Lutherans
Zuerichtal - in the district of Feodosia; formed in 1805 by Swiss Lutherans
All of these early colonies were located in the Yayla-mountains of Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
and were mostly Swabian
Swabian
Swabian may refer:* to the German region of Swabia ; or* to Swabian German, a dialect spoken in Baden-Württemberg in south-west Germany and adjoining areas See also:...
wine-farmers. However over time only Sudak
Sudak
Sudak or Sudaq is a small historic town located in Crimea, Ukraine situated to the west of Feodosiya and to the east of Simferopol, the capital of Crimea...
produced quality wine and the other settlements soon turned to agriculture. The second generation didn’t have enough land and soon young men started buying land from the Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
aristocracy and creating new ("daughter") colonies.
Later Mennonites began to move from Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
into Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
.
Details are vague but during the 19th century a “German hospital” and dispensary arose in the Simferopol
Simferopol
-Russian Empire and Civil War:The city was renamed Simferopol in 1784 after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire by Catherine II of Russia. The name Simferopol is derived from the Greek, Συμφερόπολις , translated as "the city of usefulness." In 1802, Simferopol became the...
suburb of Nowyj gorod (called Neustadt or new city - now this is "Киевский район" of Simferopol).
Soviet Persecution
On 18 October 1921 the so-called Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created as part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (i.e. part of RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
). Under the Soviet regime many Volksdeutsche were persecuted by gangs of Russian peasants as landowning Kulak
Kulak
Kulaks were a category of relatively affluent peasants in the later Russian Empire, Soviet Russia, and early Soviet Union...
s or class enemy bourgeoisie. In 1939, two years before their deportation
Population transfer in the Soviet Union
Population transfer in the Soviet Union may be classified into the following broad categories: deportations of "anti-Soviet" categories of population, often classified as "enemies of workers," deportations of entire nationalities, labor force transfer, and organized migrations in opposite...
to Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, around 60,000 of the 1.1 million inhabitants of Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
were German and "they had their own administrative raion in the Crimean Republic.".
Exiles dispersed all over the world. In Canada, Reynold Rapp
Reynold Rapp
Reynold Rapp was a Progressive Conservative party member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was born in Crimea, Russian Empire and became a farmer by career....
, a farmer and Lutheran immigrant from the Crimea, became a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. A strong supporter of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
heritage of freedom in his adoptive country, Rapp opposed the replacement of the Canadian Red Ensign
Canadian Red Ensign
The Canadian Red Ensign is the former flag of Canada, used by the federal government though it was never adopted as official by the Parliament of Canada. It is a British Red Ensign, featuring the Union Flag in the canton, defaced with the shield of the Coat of Arms of Canada.-History:The Red Ensign...
with a new Maple leaf
Maple leaf
The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree, and is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.-Use in Canada:At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements of New France had attained a population of about 18,000...
flag in 1964. He told reporters: “I may be the only man in this House who has lived under the Hammer & Sickle. A flag is not just a bunting: it represents so much more than that.”
Nazi Invasion, Deportation and Exile
In late 1941, following the Nazi invasion of the western regions of the USSR, Soviet authorities forcibly removed the native German population of CrimeaCrimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
eastwards to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
and central Asia on entirely spurious allegations that they were spies for the Third Reich. Consequently many died in transit, although later they could not be seriously blamed for Nazi crimes in the region.
It is unclear whether any remained at all during the Nazi occupation as German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
policy was to evacuate all surviving Soviet Volksdeutsche to settlements in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. The Nazi Generalkommissar Alfred Frauenfeld
Alfred Frauenfeld
Alfred Eduard Frauenfeld was an Austrian Nazi leader. An engineer by occupation, he was associated with the pro-Nazi Germany wing of Austrian Nazism.-Activism in Austria:...
toyed with the idea of resettling ethnic Germans (Volksdeutsche) here from Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
South Tyrol
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
after the war and several cities were renamed with spurious German ones (Simferopol
Simferopol
-Russian Empire and Civil War:The city was renamed Simferopol in 1784 after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire by Catherine II of Russia. The name Simferopol is derived from the Greek, Συμφερόπολις , translated as "the city of usefulness." In 1802, Simferopol became the...
became Gotenburg and Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
became Theodorichhafen for example).
Perestroika
Crimean GermansGermans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
were only allowed to return to the peninsula after Perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
. Today, Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
is merely seen as a way to get into Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for young people of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
ancestry. The German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
brought a rebirth of Crimean-German culture and, since 1994, they have had a small representation in the Crimean Parliament.
Of the 2 million inhabitants of the now Ukrainian Crimea, around 3,000 are of German ancestry.
Literature
- Valdis O. Lumans, Himmler's Auxiliaries: the Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle and the German minorities of Europe, 1939-1945 (1993)
- Robert Conquest, The Nation Killers: The Soviet Deportation of Nationalities (1970)
- ”Die deutschen Kolonien in der Krim” in the Heimutbuch der Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland (1960)
- Arnold Toynbee, Veronica Toynbee, et al., Hitler's Europe, Chapter VI "Ukraine, under German Occupation,1941-44", p. 316-337.
See also
- History of Germans in Russia and the Soviet UnionHistory of Germans in Russia and the Soviet UnionThe German minority in Russia and the Soviet Union was created from several sources and in several waves. The 1914 census puts the number of Germans living in Russian Empire at 2,416,290. In 1989, the German population of the Soviet Union was roughly 2 million. In the 2002 Russian census, 597,212...
- Black Sea GermansBlack Sea GermansThe Black Sea Germans are ethnic Germans who left their homeland in the 18th and 19th centuries, and settled in territories off the north coast of the Black Sea, mostly in southern Ukraine...
- Spätaussiedler (de)
- Catherine II of RussiaCatherine II of RussiaCatherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
- Crimean GothsCrimean GothsCrimean Goths were those Gothic tribes who remained in the lands around the Black Sea, especially in Crimea. They were the least-powerful, least-known, and almost paradoxically, the longest-lasting of the Gothic communities...