Russia’s Secret German Community: The Volga Germans

#russian #german #kazakhstan In the Eastern European nation of Russia, there exists an ethnic German minority known popularly as the Volga Germans. The Volga Germans primarily descend from German settlers and refugees from central Europe, who settled in southeastern Russia from as early as the 18th century. Smaller communities also exist in Central Asia, particularly in the modern-day nation of Kazakhstan. During the late 18th century, a large portion of southeastern Europe became a part of the Russian Empire, leading to the growth of the empire’s size and prominence throughout the region. The empress of Russia at the time sought to develop the unoccupied land in these new territories and, in the year 1763, issued a manifesto inviting non-Jewish Europeans to immigrate and settle permanently in the area. Due to the conflicts and economic hardships that ravaged much of Central Europe in the 18th century, a large number of German refugees from modern-day Germany began immigrating to Russia and were granted farmland along the banks of the Volga river. Overtime, these German immigrants became referred to as the Volga Germans. During the late 19th century, the Russian Empire began pursuing a policy of “Russification“, which saw increased pressure on ethnic minorities living in Russia to culturally assimilate into mainstream Russian society. Fearing the eradication of their German identity, many Volga Germans began immigrating to the Americas, particularly to the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Argentina. A significant number of Volga Germans remained on Russian territory and soon began adopting the Russian language, Russian clothing, and Russian agricultural practices. During the Nazi invasion of Soviet Russia, the Volga Germans were labeled as potential Nazi collaborators by the Soviet administration, leading to mass deportations of the Volga German population to Central Asia and Siberia. These deportees were taken to forced labor camps and gulags, where over a million Volga Germans died due to harsh working conditions, starvation, and disease. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the year 1991, the vast majority of the Volga Germans began immigrating to Germany, however, a few still remained in Russia, particularly in Siberia and the Ural region. The Volga Germans have historically spoken varying dialects of the German language, depending on their historical area of origin in Germany, and their place of settlement in Russia. Due to their relative isolation from mainstream German communities for centuries, the dialects spoken by the Volga Germans closely resemble 18th-century German, but also include a few Russian loanwords. Today, the Volga Germans primarily speak the Russian language, however, a significant minority can still speak the German language fluently. Here is a short sample of a Volga German dialect being casually spoken. The Volga Germans are predominantly Protestant Christians, with many belonging to Lutheran or Mennonite denominations. A significant minority also adhere to Roman Catholicism or Russian Orthodox Volga Germans are known for their unique cuisine, which is mainly derived from traditional German cooking styles, but also includes notable influences from Russian cuisine. One popular example of Volga German cuisine is “Bierock“, which is a savory pastry that consists primarily of bread, ground beef, onions, cabbage, pepper, and garlic. Timestamps: Introduction - 0:00 History - 0:25 Language - 2:26 Spoken Sample of a Volga German Dialect - 3:03 Religion - 3:37 Volga German Cuisine - 3:52 Attributions: Channel 1 - @leibedduch3154 Video 1 - Channel 2 - @Idel116 Video 2 - Channel 3 - @CertifiedAngusBeefTestKitchen Video 3 - Channel 4 - @Dronography360 Video 4 -