Mennonite settlements of Altai
Encyclopedia
Mennonite settlements of Altai arose after the 19 September 1906 act of the Duma
and State Council of Imperial Russia
, which provided for a resettlement bureau to distribute free land in Altai Krai
. During 1907–1908 an area of over 666,000 ha (26,000 mi²) of the Kulunda Steppe was set aside for settlers.
was levied for the shipping a pood
of goods a distance of 100 verst
. Settlers were exempt from municipal and state taxes in the first five years (in the subsequent five years only 50% of all taxes were appraised, and then full taxation), exempt from military service in the first three years and provided interest-free credit in the amount of 160 Russian ruble
s for the purchase of farm machinery, seed and other necessities. As the report of this act and its incentives reached the Russian Mennonite colonies of Crimea
, southern Russia and the area of Orenburg
, a strong interest arose among the landless and land-poor colonists. The price of land in the mother colonies was already so high that most of the landless farmers could no longer improve their situation. These landless workers were willing to try their luck in distant Siberia
.
Jacob Reimer, head of the Sagradovka district in Kherson
, informed the Mennonite colonies of Samara
and Orenburg about the plans for the settlement of Siberia. Because of this, applications from settlers of these areas were received practically at the same time by the resettlement bureau in Barnaul
, which explains why their villages were founded in the immediate neighborhood of one another.
At the end of April 1907 representatives of different Mennonite settlements met in Barnaul and presented an application for around 670 km² (260 mi²) of Kulunda Steppe land to be placed at their disposal. Their request for exclusive use of this land was granted.
The Orlovo district was formed on 1 January 1910 from these villages together with nine villages founded by German Roman Catholic settlers. In the following years the Roman Catholic villagers were incorporated into the Novo–Romanovka district.
By 1916 the Orlovo district consisted of 34 settlements, including those listed above as well as Schumanovka, Berjosovka and Černovka.
The settlers who founded these villages on the Kulunda Steppes originated from Molotschna
, Chortitza
and their daughter colonies. The number of settlers was around 1200 families, of which about 200 families were from Chortitza. The remaining Mennonite colonies in Crimea, Orenburg and Samara as far as Bashkortostan
accounted for only a few percent of the settlers.
The organization for the resettlement of Mennonites in the Kulunda Steppe played an extraordinarily important roll in the settlement of Sagradovka, establishing 17 villages in the first half of the 1870s with settlers from the Molotschna Colony. During 1906–1912, a total of 1847 people from this settlement resettled in Siberia, including 1726 to the Tomsk
region.
to the Kulunda Steppe. In the first two years the field was planted with their main crop, wheat
, and the third year with oats
or rarely with barley
. The fourth year the field lay fallow, allowing cattle to graze on it during the summer. In fall it was worked with a one-share plow
. The cycle was complete and the earth renewed for the next planting of wheat.
Later multi-bottom plows, disks, iron harrow
s, drill
s, horse-drawn mower
s and binder
s appeared. Horse powered threshing machine
s were rare. Only the vegetable garden was fertilized, because manure was gathered for fuel; there was no nearby source of coal and wood, making them expensive.
Although the settlers were hardworking, it was extraordinarily difficult for them to build up a good and profitable farm. At that time, city dwellers formed no more than 10 percent of that region's total population. In Siberia in 1909 the average grain yield was 820 kg/ha (12 bushels/acre), totaling around 4.9 million metric tons (180 million bushels) of grain. The region needed less than half this amount for its own needs. The extra grain had to be sold.
or Pavlodar
, because the low price hardly covered the cost of transport. The cost of transport to Kamen-na-Obi was often more than the going rate for wheat. The settlers needed industrial products, such as farm equipment, but almost all had to be brought from the other side of the Urals and were very expensive because of the transport costs.
Some of the villages were named by translating of the German name into Russian: Ebenfeld - Rovnopol, Reinfeld - Čistoje, Rosenwald - Lesnoje, Halbstadt -Polgorod, Schönsee - Sineosjornoje, Alexeifeld - Polevoje.
Some villages received names that had no direct relationship to the region or their German name: Blumenort - Podsnežnoje, Friedensfeld -Lugovoje, Gnadenfeld - Mirnoje, Nikolaipol - Nikolskoje, Rosenhof - Dvorskoje, Schönau -Jasnoje, Schöntal - Krasnyj Dol, Kleefeld - Krasnoje.
The Orlovo was restructured into the Znamenskij district in 1924 and ceased to exist as an administrative entity.
Duma
A Duma is any of various representative assemblies in modern Russia and Russian history. The State Duma in the Russian Empire and Russian Federation corresponds to the lower house of the parliament. Simply it is a form of Russian governmental institution, that was formed during the reign of the...
and State Council of Imperial Russia
State Council of Imperial Russia
The State Council was the supreme state advisory body to the Tsar in Imperial Russia.-18th century:Early Tsars' Councils were small and dealt primarily with the external politics....
, which provided for a resettlement bureau to distribute free land in Altai Krai
Altai Krai
Altai Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It borders with, clockwise from the south, Kazakhstan, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo Oblasts, and the Altai Republic. The krai's administrative center is the city of Barnaul...
. During 1907–1908 an area of over 666,000 ha (26,000 mi²) of the Kulunda Steppe was set aside for settlers.
Incentives
The resettlers were granted certain privileges such as reduced rail rates (25% of the normal rate) and children up to ten years of age traveled free. A kopeckRussian ruble
The ruble or rouble is the currency of the Russian Federation and the two partially recognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Formerly, the ruble was also the currency of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union prior to their breakups. Belarus and Transnistria also use currencies with...
was levied for the shipping a pood
Pood
Pood , is a unit of mass equal to 40 funt . It is approximately 16.38 kilograms . It was used in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Pood was first mentioned in a number of documents of the 12th century....
of goods a distance of 100 verst
Verst
A verst or werst is an obsolete Russian unit of length. It is defined as being 500 sazhen long, which makes a verst equal to 1.0668 kilometres ....
. Settlers were exempt from municipal and state taxes in the first five years (in the subsequent five years only 50% of all taxes were appraised, and then full taxation), exempt from military service in the first three years and provided interest-free credit in the amount of 160 Russian ruble
Russian ruble
The ruble or rouble is the currency of the Russian Federation and the two partially recognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Formerly, the ruble was also the currency of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union prior to their breakups. Belarus and Transnistria also use currencies with...
s for the purchase of farm machinery, seed and other necessities. As the report of this act and its incentives reached the Russian Mennonite colonies 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...
, southern Russia and the area of Orenburg
Orenburg
Orenburg is a city on the Ural River and the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies southeast of Moscow, very close to the border with Kazakhstan. Population: 546,987 ; 549,361 ; Highest point: 154.4 m...
, a strong interest arose among the landless and land-poor colonists. The price of land in the mother colonies was already so high that most of the landless farmers could no longer improve their situation. These landless workers were willing to try their luck in distant 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...
.
Jacob Reimer, head of the Sagradovka district in Kherson
Kherson Oblast
Kherson Oblast is an oblast in southern Ukraine, just north of Crimea. Its administrative center is Kherson. The area of the region is 29000 km², its population is 1.12 million.Important cities in the oblast include:...
, informed the Mennonite colonies of Samara
Samara Oblast
Samara Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Samara. Population: In 1936–1990, it was known as Kuybyshev Oblast , after the Soviet name of Samara .-Demographics:Population:...
and Orenburg about the plans for the settlement of Siberia. Because of this, applications from settlers of these areas were received practically at the same time by the resettlement bureau in Barnaul
Barnaul
-Russian Empire:Barnaul was one of the earlier cities established in Siberia. Originally chosen for its proximity to the mineral-rich Altai Mountains and its location on a major river, the site was founded by the wealthy Demidov family in the 1730s. In addition to the copper which had originally...
, which explains why their villages were founded in the immediate neighborhood of one another.
At the end of April 1907 representatives of different Mennonite settlements met in Barnaul and presented an application for around 670 km² (260 mi²) of Kulunda Steppe land to be placed at their disposal. Their request for exclusive use of this land was granted.
Villages
The resettlement of Mennonites was intensive from 1907-1909 and continued until the outbreak of World War I. Mennonites founded 31 villages in 19 settlements:| Villages | Districts | | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Friedensfeld, Orloff, Rosenhof | Besymjannyj Log | 4170 |
| Ebenfeld, Hochstadt | Wysokaja Griva | 2717 |
| Landskrone | Golenkij | 1450 |
| Alexanderfeld | Griškovka | 1880 |
| Schönwiese | Degtjarka | 1895 |
| Nikolaidorf, Schönsee | Djagilevskij Nr.2 | 1871 |
| Nikolaipol, Rosenfeld, Schöntal | Ivanov Log | 4631 |
| Karatal | Karatal | 1535 |
| Schönau | Karlovka Nr.8 | 1230 |
| Alexanderkron, Halbstadt | Kussak | 3132 |
| Markovka | Markovka | 2138 |
| Chortitza | Perekrjostnyj | 1700 |
| Lichtenfeld | Petrovka | 1645 |
| Alexeifeld, Protassovo, Reinfeld | Protassov Log | 3304 |
| Blumenort, Gnadenheim, Kleefeld | Redkaja Dubrava | 4069 |
| Wiesenfeld | Stepnoj | 1857 |
| Gnadenfeld, Tiege | Stupin Log | 3145 |
| Alexandrovskij | Skljarovka | 1688 |
| Grünfeld | Čertjož | 2605 |
The Orlovo district was formed on 1 January 1910 from these villages together with nine villages founded by German Roman Catholic settlers. In the following years the Roman Catholic villagers were incorporated into the Novo–Romanovka district.
By 1916 the Orlovo district consisted of 34 settlements, including those listed above as well as Schumanovka, Berjosovka and Černovka.
The settlers who founded these villages on the Kulunda Steppes originated from Molotschna
Molotschna
Molotschna Colony was a Russian Mennonite settlement in what is now Zaporizhia Oblast in Ukraine. Today is called Molochansk with a population of under 10,000. The settlement is named after the Molochna River which forms its western boundary. Today the land mostly falls within the Tokmatskyi and...
, Chortitza
Chortitza
Chortitza Colony was a Russian Mennonite settlement northwest of Khortytsia Island and is now part of Zaporizhia, Ukraine. Chortitza was founded in 1789 by...
and their daughter colonies. The number of settlers was around 1200 families, of which about 200 families were from Chortitza. The remaining Mennonite colonies in Crimea, Orenburg and Samara as far as Bashkortostan
Bashkortostan
The Republic of Bashkortostan , also known as Bashkiria is a federal subject of Russia . It is located between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains. Its capital is the city of Ufa...
accounted for only a few percent of the settlers.
The organization for the resettlement of Mennonites in the Kulunda Steppe played an extraordinarily important roll in the settlement of Sagradovka, establishing 17 villages in the first half of the 1870s with settlers from the Molotschna Colony. During 1906–1912, a total of 1847 people from this settlement resettled in Siberia, including 1726 to the Tomsk
Tomsk
Tomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
region.
Farming methods
The settlers brought crop rotationCrop rotation
Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons.Crop rotation confers various benefits to the soil. A traditional element of crop rotation is the replenishment of nitrogen through the use of green manure in sequence with cereals...
to the Kulunda Steppe. In the first two years the field was planted with their main crop, wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, and the third year with oats
OATS
OATS - Open Source Assistive Technology Software - is a source code repository or "forge" for assistive technology software. It was launched in 2006 with the goal to provide a one-stop “shop” for end users, clinicians and open-source developers to promote and develop open source assistive...
or rarely with barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
. The fourth year the field lay fallow, allowing cattle to graze on it during the summer. In fall it was worked with a one-share plow
Plowshare
In agriculture, a plowshare is a component of a plow . It is the cutting or leading edge of a moldboard which closely follows the coulter when plowing....
. The cycle was complete and the earth renewed for the next planting of wheat.
Later multi-bottom plows, disks, iron harrow
Harrow (tool)
In agriculture, a harrow is an implement for breaking up and smoothing out the surface of the soil. In this way it is distinct in its effect from the plough, which is used for deeper tillage. Harrowing is often carried out on fields to follow the rough finish left by ploughing operations...
s, drill
Drill (agriculture)
In agriculture and gardening, a drill is a shallow furrow in which seeds or bulbs are placed during seeding. A drill is commonly created by dragging a hoe through the soil in a straight line, leaving a furrow of a centimeter or two for smaller seeds, or a deeper trench of several centimeters for...
s, horse-drawn mower
Mower
A mower is a machine for cutting grass or other plants that grow on the ground. Usually mowing is distinguished from reaping, which uses similar implements, but is the traditional term for harvesting grain crops, e.g...
s and binder
Binder
The reaper-binder, or binder, was a farm implement that improved upon the reaper. The binder was invented in 1872 by Charles Withington. In addition to cutting the small-grain crop, it would also tie the stems into small bundles, or sheaves...
s appeared. Horse powered threshing machine
Threshing machine
The thrashing machine, or, in modern spelling, threshing machine , was a machine first invented by Scottish mechanical engineer Andrew Meikle for use in agriculture. It was invented for the separation of grain from stalks and husks. For thousands of years, grain was separated by hand with flails,...
s were rare. Only the vegetable garden was fertilized, because manure was gathered for fuel; there was no nearby source of coal and wood, making them expensive.
Although the settlers were hardworking, it was extraordinarily difficult for them to build up a good and profitable farm. At that time, city dwellers formed no more than 10 percent of that region's total population. In Siberia in 1909 the average grain yield was 820 kg/ha (12 bushels/acre), totaling around 4.9 million metric tons (180 million bushels) of grain. The region needed less than half this amount for its own needs. The extra grain had to be sold.
Transport
The high cost of transporting Siberian grain to the European post of Russia made marketing unprofitable, because grain prices in Siberia were very low. A farmer rarely brought a crop to Kamen-na-ObiKamen-na-Obi
Kamen-na-Obi , known until 1933 as Kamen , is a town in Altai Krai, Russia, located on the left bank of the Ob River northwest of Barnaul. Population: 36,000 ....
or Pavlodar
Pavlodar
Pavlodar is a city in northeastern Kazakhstan and the capital of Pavlodar Province. It is located 350 km northeast of the national capital Astana, and 400 km southeast of the Russian city of Omsk along the Irtysh River. , the city has a population of 331710...
, because the low price hardly covered the cost of transport. The cost of transport to Kamen-na-Obi was often more than the going rate for wheat. The settlers needed industrial products, such as farm equipment, but almost all had to be brought from the other side of the Urals and were very expensive because of the transport costs.
Russification
By 1914 all of the German settlements and municipalities had to be renamed with Russian names. Typically the Russian names were formed from the name of district in which the respective villages were found: Alexanderkron - Kussak, Alexanderfeld - Griškovka, Gnadenheim - Redkaja Dubrava, Grünfeld - Čertjož, Hochstadt - Wyssokaja Griva, Lichtenfeld - Petrovka, Landskrone - Golenkij, Nikolaidorf - Djagilevka, Tiege - Uglovoje, Wiesenfeld - Stepnoj.Some of the villages were named by translating of the German name into Russian: Ebenfeld - Rovnopol, Reinfeld - Čistoje, Rosenwald - Lesnoje, Halbstadt -Polgorod, Schönsee - Sineosjornoje, Alexeifeld - Polevoje.
Some villages received names that had no direct relationship to the region or their German name: Blumenort - Podsnežnoje, Friedensfeld -Lugovoje, Gnadenfeld - Mirnoje, Nikolaipol - Nikolskoje, Rosenhof - Dvorskoje, Schönau -Jasnoje, Schöntal - Krasnyj Dol, Kleefeld - Krasnoje.
The Orlovo was restructured into the Znamenskij district in 1924 and ceased to exist as an administrative entity.
Economic survey
In 1916 an inspection commission for settler affairs examined the settlement in Tomsk. The summary provided a view of the economic condition of the Orlovo district:| 35 | Villages | 18,156 ha | Wheat | |
| 1051 | Farms | 1260 ha | Barley | |
| 3083 | Men | 2082 ha | Oats | |
| 3576 | Women | 27 ha | Millet | |
| 6659 | Total | 16 ha | Sunflowers | |
| 5942 | Horses | 158 ha | Potatoes | |
| 2239 | Cows | 3 ha | Linseed | |
| 40 | Breeding bulls | 13 ha | Pasture | |
| 4514 | Registered cattle | 9 ha | Other | |
| 338 | Sheep | |||
| 4778 | Swine | |||
| |
||||
| 152 | Plows | 112 | Drills | |
| 350 | Planters | 29 | Grass mowers | |
| 57 | Rakes | 463 | Mowers | |
| 89 | Mowers | 208 | Threshing machines | |
| 143 | Binders | 5 | Windmills | |
| 4 | Presses (e.g. for peanut oil) | |||
Further reading
- Aziatskaja Rossija, Tom 1, S. – Petersburg, 1914.
- Očerki Altajskogo kraja. Barnaul, 1925.
- Fast, Gerhard: In den Steppen Sibiriens. RosthernRosthern, SaskatchewanRosthern is a town at the juncture of Highway 11 and Highway 312 in the central area of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located roughly halfway between the cities of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.-History:...
, 1952. - Sbornik statističeskich svedenij ob ékonomičeskom položenii pereselencev v Tomskoj gubernii. Vypusk 1, TomskTomskTomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
, 1913.
External links
- Altai State University, The Germans of Altai Region in Historical and Ethnographic Reviews