History

Painting by Jakob Weber of Volga Germans cooking watermelons

Jakob Weber painting of Volga Germans making watermelon syrup

At the invitation of Catherine the Great, 30,623 colonists primarily from the central region of present day Germany founded 106 colonies along the unsettled Russian steppe near the banks of the Volga between 1763 and 1772. These original colonists were joined in 1812 by 181 mostly German soldiers who had been a part of Napoleon's Army when it invaded Russia. A group of Mennonite colonists also began settlements among the extant Volga German colonies in 1848. These pioneers shared a rich life based in German culture, language, traditions, and religion and influenced by their Russian neighbors and environment. Today, those born on the Volga and their descendants are scattered in many parts of the world including Canada, the United States, Germany, Argentina, Brazil and South Africa, as well as those who remain in European Russia, Kazakhstan, and Siberia.