| Village Name and Location | Population Count |
| Count of Mixed Marriages | Germans in Mixed Marriages |
| Origins | Education | Cultural Life |
| Health and Welfare | Church Records |
| Economy | Economic and Political Hardships in the Bolshevik Era |
| Germans | Ukrainians | Russians | Jews | Others | Total | |||||||
| pre Jun '41 | now | pre Jun '41 | now | pre Jun '41 | now | pre Jun '41 | now | pre Jun '41 | now | pre Jun '41 | now | |
| Persons | 461 | 472 | 31 | 16 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 492 | 488 |
| Families | 120 | 119 | 7 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 127 | 123 |
How many households have no [male] household head? 54
Census of Germans in the following years:
1914 - 460 Germans
1920 - 475 Germans
1926 - 500 Germans
1930 - 581 Germans
1936 - 540 Germans
1941 - 461 Germans
1942 - 450 Germans
III. COUNT OF MIXED MARRIAGES
6 couples
IV. LIST OF GERMANS IN MIXED MARRIAGES
V. ORIGINS
In 1780 the fist immigrants from the Danzig lowlands settled in the Chortitza Colony. In 1797, a new group of 118 families came from Germany. Because there was a shortage of Crown land, the government purchased a substantial parcel of land from Noble Miklaschevsky. It was on this land that in 1803 they established Burwalde and Nieder Chortitza. The new immigrants and settlers from Kronsweide and Rosenthal combined in 1809 to establish the village of Kronsthal, with 22 families. The Kronsweider wanted to village to be called New-Kronsweide while the Rosenthaler wanted to call it New-Rosenthal. Finally they agreed on the name Kronsthal - the beginning of Kronsweide and the end of Rosenthal.
Physical Education and Social Life: In school, there is no physical education. The social life was almost destroyed by the Collective system. Everyone is happy and contented when, for a few hours on Sunday, they can freely meet in the congregation and can stay and visit, or can be by themselves [away from the Communists].
The first to be arrested was David Wiens. They arrested him during the day and took
him away in a car to some unknown destination; the NKVD could only tell us that they
were arrested. Most were shipped north. Because the arrests during the day caused
such an upheaval, the later arrests were made during the nght. When we rose in the
morning, we would hear cries of women and children whose fathers and husbands had
been taken away.
For example, Old Man Gerhard Dyck was arrested and put into jail because he was
wealthy. Everyone anxiously awaited the things to come. On 12
July 1941 all men, women and youth over 15 were mobilized to help the army dig
trenches for the war. Only very old men, mothers with small children, and the
Administration were left at home. The harvest proceeded at full speed. Everyone that
was left behind worked as hard as they could - except the Administration of course.
The fate of the ethnic Germans became evident. From 23 July 1941 many refugees
came through our village en masse from the West to the Dnieper. The refugees were
accompanied by cattle and tractors. No one knew where to go. Many combines were
pulled around. One only heard the noisy mooing of the cattle in the evening until late at night
when there was a terrifying silence. Finally the refugees settled in their campsites for
the night. Suddenly we heard mortar. The Russians were trying to shoot down an
airplaine. A restless night. Everybody looked for safety in bomb shelters.
On 8 August 1941 we had to move the Collective's cattle, tractors, and combines behind
the Front (over the Dnieper Bridge). It became clear that the Germans would
systematically be evacuated. The Russians, Ukrainians, and Jews were fleeing from the
Germans. The livestock, nine men, and three women under the leadership of
Litowschenko were moved. The tractor operators drove the tractors and the combines
away. Some of the privately-owned livestock remained and we could use it. We had to
promise to take the livestock along when we moved on. On 17 August the militia came
heavily armed - 17 men into the village. They had a categorical order to move all of the residents to behind the Front. Holowatyj, the Russian from the Collective farm, chased
everybody together with the militia out of the village.
He came together with the militia to chase everyone out. The main street was cleared
first. 63 families (264 souls) were loaded onto 20 wagons. Everybody could only take
the absolute necessities. Where they went, we do not know. We went to Dnieper Island.
A woman showed us an unoccupied bridge. Then a troop of Red Army soldiers appeared
with an order to march the people ahead. The people turned pale. Everyone was ran to
save themselves, any way they could, as best they could. Some ran to the bunkers,
others to the gardens, some to the summer fallow fields in the valley where they could
hide in the corn and sunflower fields.
The cannons thundered. The airplanes flew. The children cried. The battle lasted until evening. The left bank of the Dnieper River
looked like a sea of fire. Once in a while schrapnel flew overhead. On the right bank of
Dneiper the signals lit up all night. The Red Army came and asked that we surrender into
imprisonment.
Finally the morning came, and military trucks and tanks came closer and
closer. Then the Red military driver turned around the corner - and faced us. he
stopped and cried "Hands up". We answered in German. He was surprised and asked
why we (Germans) were here. We explained quickly. Then more tanks and military
trucks came. The fight from the airplane was answered with shooting. The bullets hit
the combines that stood at the side of the road. Bombs were falling and then it was still.
In the morning he asked first for the Jew, who had, the day before, ordered
us out. No Jew remained. Even the leader of our Collective had saved himself by
crossing the bridge (it was 18 August). But, there were strong orders that we were
supposed to follow him in the morning.
We started. I was in the first wagon because I
had the permit. The wagon stopped because the bridge was still occupied by Jewish refugees who were eager to get across. It was the chaos of chaoses. Overturned wagons, people screaming, and horses being whipped. I decided not to rush. We Germans didn't really want to cross the bridge behind the front.
Then, suddenly there came an order to clear the bridge because the Russians wanted to cross. At 10:00, civilians came, out of breath, screaming, "Forward, forward"! The German troops were coming. The left bank of the Dnieper River is being shelled. One German family got mixed up with the Jews and crossed the bridge.
On August 18, I was blamed for not crossing the bridge faster. The day before, we also lost time because we didn't really want to cross. On the way, we went into a ravine. But, the repulsive Jew found us in the bushes. Now we still had to go to the island at the approach of the bridge. Always, we were controlled, because we Germans were a "socially foreign element". At night, we reached the Dnieper Island.
All night the Red Army was moving along the main packed gravel road on the island. At midnight, an airplane came and there was a lot of shooting. A battle broke out. In the morning, the Jew and the leader of our Collective had disappeared [run away]. The thunder of falling bombs and the noise of the cannons terrified us. After the battle we came out from our hiding places. The women and the children were crying. but, our salvation was at hand. Already on the 18th of August in the evening at 9:30pm the Dnieper bridge was blown up. And now, after 10 mintues, the Red Army blew up the hydro-electric dam and evacuated the island. One person - a fifteen-year old daughter of Heinrich Toews died instantly after being shot through the head. Mrs. Harder was wounded. Two horses were dead. Although we were still shaken, we hitched the horses to the wagons and went back to our village.
On August 19 at 2:00pm we reached our home in our dear village of Kronsthal. Only the family who had crossed the bridge was missing. In our village, the German militia had settled and made themselves at home.
Now we are free! The brave German troops rescued us from the damn Bolshevistic yoke! For 24 long years we suffered terribly under that Bolshevik yoke. How many Germans were banished or abducted, dragged behind the front, one can see from the tables above. The worst was not permitted by God, because the Bartholomaeus Night [ed note - killing spree] that had been planned by the Red Army was interrupted by German troops which surprised the Army at the critical moment.
We citizens of the Kronsthal Village speak our heartfelt thank you to our great leader, Adolf Hitler, the German Army and the German people, for the salvation from hardship and assure him that we will be ready tat any time to do our part whenever Adolf Hitler can use us. Hail Hitler.
Signed:
2. In mixed marriages, only the German partner is counted; the children are included above.
3. All persons 18+ are counted among the men and women, even if unmarried.
Editor's note:The reference to Bartholomaeus Night is an
allusion to a historical killing spree. More information about it will be provided in an updated version of this page.
Return/Go to:
Water Supply:
There are too few wells. There are streets with no wells, and the depth varies from 3-12 metres from well to well. Only four wells are suitable for people to drink from.
Livestock Inventory
In the Collective
Privately Owned
Animals abducted in
the war
horses
80
-
-
cows
18
66
47
sheep
-
15
167
pigs
-
67
215
goats
-
18
-
beehives
-
19
- Inventory of Fowl:
There are about 1,300 hens, geese and ducks
Fruit Orchards, Vegetable Gardens, Vinyards, and other land under cultivation:
Condition of Homes and Yards in the Village:
There are 10 older brick houses, seven wooden houses (the oldest one from the time of
the village's first settlers), out of crown wood [? treetops]. The others are out of clay.
About 10 roofs are clay tile, a few are tin and shingles, and the rest are out of straw.
All the houses are in need of repair. In the last years, there were almost nothing that
could be done about it. Now, there are no materials available. The average home has
two rooms for living in, and a kitchen. There is a serious shortage of beds, clothing, and
underwear. In Bolshevik times there was little available and now there is none.
Public Buildings, Furnishings, and their Condition:
Schoolhouse with two classrooms and a teacher's residence with two rooms made out of
bricks and in good condition.
Industry and Production:
Collective mill for preparing crushed grain for feed. Two workers in addition to a
blacksmith and a finish carpenter. Six workers in the Collective,
Road Conditions:
The settlers established a village in the valley. There are no cobblestone streets, so
when it is wet, the streets turn into gumbo because they have no (drainage) foundation.
The sidewalks are elevated, but if it rains, even they get muddy. Between the villages,
there are no cobblestone roads either - just dirt roads.
Farm Machinery Inventory:
Average daily agricultural production in 200 pound unites/hectare:
< '18
'31
'32
'33
'34
'35
'36
'37
'38
'39
'40
'41
Wheat
18
15
8
12
7
8
15
11
12
11
7
8
Barley
15
10
6
10
6
6
11
10
12
10
7
10
Oats
18
8
7
15
6
8
12
10
14
13
11
12
Rye
19
10
8
17
7
9
14
12
15
12
12
7
Corn
30
15
13
18
14
14
16
19
17
16
19
18 Rations and Cash Paid per Workday:
'31
'32
'33
'34
'35
'36
'37
'38
'39
'40
'41
Grain (kg)
-
.7
1.5
.9
2.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.5
1.4
1.5
Potatoes (kg)
-
-
-
.5
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.2
Cash: Rubels
-
1.2
.48
.75
.96
1.64
1.12
1.36
2.26
1.87
.67
Labour opportunities and relative standard of living, considering both inkind and cash
income earned.
In small families, one can somehow survive, but in big families with few workers they
simply do not have enough to live on.
XI. Economic and Political Hardships in the Bolshevik Era:
Starved:
1921 1933/34 Total Men 0 1 1 Women 0 0 0 Youths <18 0 1 1 Total 0 2 2 Banished and not seen again:
'29
'30
'31
'32
'33
'34
'35
'36
'37
'38
'39
'40
'41
Total
Men
9
-
1
6
-
1
-
-
3
11
-
-
4
35
Women
13
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
13
Youths (<18)
22
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
22
Total
44
-
1
6
-
1
-
-
3
111
-
-
4
70 Murdered or Abducted:
Men Women Youth Total
Murdered by Machno Army (1918-June 1941)
1
0
0
1
Murdered in World War II
0
0
0
0
Abducted since June 1941
13
3
5
21
Abducted and Returned
5
0
3
8 Examples:
The mass arrests of the Germans in Russia occurred in 1937 and 1938. Everyone was on
edge, because the reason for those being taken was completely unknown. It did not
matter if they were rich or poor, then or now - they were arrested.
Additional description of the events directly before and during the war until freed by the German troops:
On 22 June 1941 the war started between Germany and Russia. The mistrust of the
Russian government for ethnic German residents was always substantial, but especially
when the war started. There were Russian or Ukrainian guards on the bridges, fields,
and high-power lines. The Red Party Russian sympathizers were afraid - not without
reason - of air raids. The ethnic Germans were being spied on consistently.
Minister for the Occupied Territory, Dr. Stumpp
Mayor P. Giesbrecht
District Commissioner, Gerhard Fast
Dated 18 July 1942
Notes:
1. These children are included in the current population counts above.
Village Report Home Page
Mennonite Genealogical Resources Page
Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society Home Page
Translation by Dora Epp and Anna G. Rempel
Transcription, editing and html by Judith Rempel
01 April 1997