Village Coordinators:  Debbie Beick

Notes:  In 1766, six colonies were formed near Tschernigov, Russia.  These six villages were formed by 147 families;  Belowesch (E), Gorodock (E), Gross-Werder (K), Kaltschinowka (E), Klein-Werder (K), and Rundewiese (E).  Land quickly became scarce in the area and daughter colonies were formed in other districts.  In the fall of 1831, a group of 122 families migrated to the Mariupol district.  They lived through the first winter with the West Prussian colonists who had already settled there and in the spring of 1832 five new villages were formed:  Belowesch (E) by 26 families, Kaltschinowka (E) by 26 families, Gross-Werder (K) by 28 families, Klein-Werder (K) by 16 families, Rundewiese (E) by 26 families. 

The district government and main parish for the Lutheran villages was located in Grunau.  The main parish for the Catholic villages was located in Gross-Werder.

Church Records
     Grunau Parish Records

Articles
VILLAGES IN WHICH OUR FOREFATHERS LIVED:  EARLY DAUGHTER COLONIES NEAR MARIUPOL,  by Adam Giesinger, AHSGR Journal, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Spring 1979)

THE PLANER COLONIES, by A. Prinz (translation by J.L. Ritchie), Heritage Review, Vol 23: 1, 1993.

OUR LIFE IN BELOWESCH OVER THE COURSE OF ITS FESTIVALS,  by Frieda Schlau Neander (translation by J.M. Richey), Heritage Review Vol. 22: 3, 1992.

Related article 
VILLAGES IN WHICH OUR FOREFATHERS LIVED: GERMAN PIONEERS IN THE UKRAINIAN PROVINCE OF CHERNIGOV,  by Adam Giesinger, AHSGR Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3 (Winter 1979)

Books
FROM CATHERINE TO KRUSCHEV, by Adam Giesinger, pgs. 125-128.

Regional Interest Group for this Village:  Crimea/Taurien RIG