Part Three - Zaporoshye - by co-Cruise Leader, Rudy P. Friesen
TUESDAY, 24 SEPTEMBER 1996 -ZAPOROSHYE
Most cruise passengers were up quite early since we were about to arrive in Zaporoshye where we were going to be spending a total of five days. Soon we were passing through the 36 m high lock adjacent to the Dneprogaz Power Station. Breakfast was served in the meantime and soon we were docked in Zaporoshye.
We disembarked and made our way to the waiting busses. The plan for the day was to tour the former Mennonite villages in and around Zaporoshye, including Chortitza, Rosental, and Schönwiese. Waiting for me at the busses were numerous local friends. I passed on the letters and packages from their friends in Winnipeg. Also waiting for me was the co-author of my book, Sergey Shmakin. I presented him with a framed copy of the book cover. We then agreed to meet on Saturday at which time he would show me his latest venture.
We finally boarded the buses and headed to Chortitza/Rosental. We stopped at the former Mädchenschule, toured the school including the second floor auditorium, and then walked to the former Zentralschule, Lehrerseminar, Wallmann house, and factory hospital. I noticed that the Lenin monument in front of the Lehrerseminar was now gone. Last year it was still there.
We again boarded our bus and headed south through Rosental, passed the former Kroeger Factory and village school. We then turned around and passed back through Rosental and Chortitza, to the old oak tree. Although it is a sad site, the one branch still seemed to have as many leaves as on my previous visits. I again picked up some leaves and acorns as souvenirs from this famous tree.
From here we headed to the Insel Chortitza. Here we visited the cemetery where many Mennonite gravestones can still be found, and a house/barn, the only remaining building of the former village of Insel Chortitza. It was then time to return to the ship for a late lunch.
Arrangements had been made for a joint service with the recently established Mennonite congregation in Zaporoshye. So we gathered once more in the lounge on the upper deck, to worship together with our brothers and sisters from the Zaporoshye area.
The congregation is being served by Sue and Peter Kehler, from B.C., who are supported by COM (Commission on Overseas Ministries). Peter opened the service and introduced Oleg Penner, the person most responsible for this group being established. Oleg explained the background of the group. A baptism service was held in August (see Der Bote, 11 September 1996, Nr. 34). The members of the congregation help the sick and the depressed in any weather. Although he has recently become blind, he can do everything with God, who gives him strength.
Oleg's wife, Alexandra, then presented the Kehlers with a bouquet of flowers, thanking them for their selfless service. The choir, directed by Bill Baerg, then sang, "Schafft in mir Gott ein reines Herz", and Ted Regehr gave a meditation based on the legacy of the Mennonite faith in Russia.
The service was particularly emotional for cruise members Frank and Selma Pauls of Winnipeg. Frank's sister is a member of the Zaporoshye congregation and they spent the five days together. She was also the recipient of one of the two wheelchairs that had been donated by the Bethania Personal Care Home in Winnipeg and that had been brought along as luggage.
After the service, Peter Kehler introduced a local man who had some books to sell. They were books from the former Chortitza Mennonite Church. When the Communists had closed the church, these books had been thrown out. This man's father had seen this happen, had later gathered up the books, and had kept them hidden all these years. I bought one book from him, entitled "Hoffnungsstrahlen", and published in 1899 in Zurich. Inside it was stamped with the Church's seal: "Eigentum Der Chortitzer M.-Kirche" and identified as No. 210.
Soon it was time for supper, followed by a book event, where I had an opportunity to autograph and sell copies of my book. This was followed by a presentation of Mennonite stories by Glenna Janzen, a professional storyteller from St. Catherines. This brought to an end our first day in Zaporoshye.
WEDNESDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 1996 - ZAPOROSHYE/MOLOTSCHNA
Breakfast was at 7:30. When the tour members originally registered for the cruise they had been asked to identify the villages they were most interested in visiting. Based on these interests, four separate bus tours had been organized for each of the next three days. Planning for these tours had been finalized on the ship a few days before. Arrangements were also made for smaller private tours.
The majority of this year's cruise passengers were interested in the Molotschna Colony, and so the tours offered this day were Molotschna West-1, Molotschna West-2, Molotschna East and South, and the Chortitza Colony villages. Since my brother, Irwin, was on the cruise, and wanted to see where our father was born (Rudnerweide) and had attended Zentralschule (Gnadenfeld), we chose the Molotschna East and South tour.
Soon we were on our way with our tour guide Lyudmila, our bus driver, Viktor and group leader, Glenna Janzen. We headed south from Zaporoshye on the Moscow-Simpferopol Highway toward the former Molotschna Colony some 100 km. distant. Unfortunately the weather was not good but rather foggy with the occasional drizzle. When the windshield got dirty, the driver would open his side window, take a bottle of water, lean out and pour it on the windshield.
During this time, Lyudmila took the opportunity to inform us about life in her country and the changes taking place.
• Regarding collective farms, she noted the average salary for farm workers is only 60 Hryvna/month, but they each have a small plot of land where they can grow vegetables for preserving. They also keep pigs, cows and other animals. The directors of the collective farms don't particularly like this system. She also pointed out that you can always tell the difference between a privately owned cow and a collective farm cow. The private cow is fat and contented whereas the collective cow looks unhappy.
• The main crops in the area are sunflowers, corn, and sugar beets. As a result, the Ukraine exports sunflower oil and sugar. Approximately 13% of the farm land in the Zaporoshye area is irrigated.
• Many changes are taking place, some not so good. Whereas once laundry could be left on the line in one's yard, now people steal it. There are many beggars, some of them professionals. Gypsies sell drugs especially to students in the larger cities.
• There is a lot more freedom now, sometimes more than they need. For example, people have radios playing loud and horns honking without regard for their neighbours, or they will establish shops in the front yards. Laws are needed, but more importantly, laws need to be enforced.
• There are some good changes, too. The service in stores and cafes is better, more courteous. Before customers were considered a nuisance. Shop owners plant flowers around their shops, put in new paving, have children's play areas, making the city look better.
• People can now be fired. They are not socially protected. Materially things are much more difficult, but morally they are better. Tour guides such as herself, can be much more honest.
• Whereas before people had to travel to Moscow to shop, now they can buy everything locally. Many people, including doctors and teachers, become importers, travelling to other countries to bring back goods for resale.
• The old people still worship Lenin, but the young people don't want the old system any more. • The traffic police have become free enterprising, regularly stopping vehicles, giving tickets for bogus infractions, and then demanding immediate payment.
We had reached the town of Vasiljevka, where we turned off the main highway and headed towards Tokmak. Lyudmila also brought us the latest news. The most important news item was that a meeting of doctors had just taken place in Moscow, including an American heart specialist, to decide what to do for Russian President Yeltsin. Soon we had passed through Tokmak and continued on the Tokmak-Berdjansk Highway. We were now in the former Molotschna Colony.
A short detour took us through the former village of Gnadenheim. We continued along the highway for a short distance, turning off at Gnadenthal. Here we found several Mennonite houses. A number of the tour members entered one of the houses and were surprised to find that it still had a central oven. The couple living in the house were quite friendly. They referred to Mennonites as Gnadenthalski.
We continued along the highway, turning off where the village of Paulsheim had once been. Although there was nothing at all left of the village, we stopped to take pictures of the fields that once had been Paulsheim. It was of significance to my brother and I. Our great-grandmother, Anna Flaming, after being a widow for 40 years, had married Peter Pankratz of Paulsheim: They had a large orchard and vineyard, and our father often recalled with fondness how as a child he would look forward to visiting these grandparents in Paulsheim, because the children would always receive treats from Grandfather Pankratz.
We continued on to Gnadenfeld. Entering the village from the west, we passed by the former Doctor's Clinic. Continuing on a short distance we came upon another group from our cruise ship. Jacob and Henry Toews, from Pennsylvania, had brought their families with them, and had taken a private tour to Gnadenfeld. Here they had found their parents' home and former lumber business. The house/business had originally been one u-shaped building, but had now been separated into two homes. Although they had left in the 1920's, the Toews brothers were able to enjoy revisiting the home of their youth.
We continued on down the village street, walking past the Postamt, past where the Volost building had once stood, and then past the Johann Rempel house, to the Zentralschule where our father had once attended school. The building is now used by the collective farm and has a large yard behind it filled with farm machinery. When we entered the yard we were surprised to find a new John Deere 9500 combine there. For my brother, a recently retired farmer, it was of particular interest. We found out later that the John Deere Company has struck a deal to sell $200 million worth of combines and tractors to Ukraine, taking as payment grain, molasses, and sugar. They are also providing service training and establishing a parts supply network.
The visit to Gnadenfeld was also very meaningful to another tour member Arthur Rempel, a retired professor from Walla Walla, Washington. He had attended school in Gnadenfeld and had left in 1922.
Once we were on our way again, one of the tour members advised me that he had found his way into the Zentralschule where he had found several classrooms filled with desks. It seemed like the collective farm was still using the facility for training.
We briefly stopped in Konteniusfeld. We were told that there are still some gravestones in the cemetery, although they are hard to identify. We continued on the Sparrau, where we again stopped. There are no Mennonite buildings left here and a local old lady told us that there are no Mennonite gravestones left in the cemetery. Apparently, during the famine, they were taken and made into millstones. The lady, whose family name was Martakova, said that she had once corresponded with a friend in America by the name of Bartsch.
We continued on to Grossweide, stopping to take photos of a former Mennonite house and what may have been the village school. While passing the building of the local collective farm, some tour members suggested that it may have been the building of the former orphanage. But I could not notice any resemblance.
Our next stop was the village of Pastwa. We were now at the most easterly edge of the Molotschna Colony. Here we spoke to a lady by the name of Katharina Sevoya. She spoke very good German although she was Ukrainian. She was born in the area and had attended school in Pastwa where she had had a Mennonite teacher. She pointed out that only a few Mennonite buildings still remain. The other buildings were all built of bricks from the Mennonite buildings that had demolished. She also noted that the cemetery no longer exists. Before we left, she jotted down her address for us. From here we returned to Grossweide, then passed through what was once Franzthal, and then headed to Rudnerweide.
We stopped in Rudnerweide, the village where our father had been born. Our cousin, Annie Janzen from Winnipeg, was also with us. Her mother had also been born here. The tour guides usually ask for the oldest lady in the village because they usually know the most about the history of the village. So Lyudmila went to look for an old lady. She found someone working in one of the yards. It was a younger lady, who was using a former Mennonite house as a dacha (weekend home). She actually lives in Melitopol. She had a large trailer in her yard filled with beehives. When Lyudmila explained to her who we were, she invited us into the house and offered to share her fresh honey and milk with us. For a brief moment, we were in the land of milk and honey; sharing in an unusual communion.
We asked her whether she knew who the original owner of the house had been. She didn't know, but ran off to get her mother who lived nearby. Unfortunately she didn't know either, since she had only lived in Rudnerweide since 1952. She was able to tell us, however, that the Mennonite cemetery no longer exists. The road to the east now goes right over it.
We headed to the south end of the village, noting several former Mennonite buildings on the east side. My brother and I imagined that the most southerly one could have been the home of our grandparents, Jacob and Eliezabeth Friesen.
We turned around and went back to the centre of the village. We then headed east to Terresovka, north to Krasnoya, and then north west on the Tokmak-Berdjansk Highway.
We soon turned off the highway and drove through what was once Marienthal (now Panfilovka). There are no Mennonite buildings left here, only newer houses. We continued on through Pordenau (part of Panfilovka) where nothing is left, to Schardau (also part of Panfilovka), where only one house exists, and on to Alexanderthal ( now Alexandrovka), where we stopped to see the village school. We continued on to the west end of the village to see the former M.B. Church building. Built in 1902/03, the building had been occupied until recently, but now appeared empty. From here we continued on to Elizabethtal (part of Alexandrovka) where we found a few Mennonite buildings.
Our next stop was the former Steinbach estate, now a facility for mentally handicapped children. We had been advised before the cruise that conditions at this facility were becoming serious because of the economic conditions. In particular, the children needed clothes for the coming winter. The tour members had been made aware of this situation and many had brought extra clothing along. We were now able to deliver these clothes. The director of the facility thanked us warmly. She explained that the facility houses 180 children from the ages of 4 to 22. The older ones work on the farm that is run by the facility.
We spent some time touring the grounds. We noted the former Jakob Dick house and barn and the Nikolai Schmidt house. We then walked to the southern part of the complex, where the former Pieter Schmidt buildings still exist.
Soon it was time to move on. My brother and I had hoped that we could continue on to nearby Steinfeld, the village where our grandfather, Jacob Friesen, had been born, and where our great- grandfather had been an original settler when the village was established in 1857. However, we were advised that the road to Steinfeld was impossible and that there was nothing left of the village. So we headed back through Alexandrovka and Panfilovka to the highway and on toward Tokmak. We made one final stop at what was once the village of Margenau. Although nothing is left of the village, our group leader, Glenna Janzen, wanted to see the place where her father had been born.
Unfortunately, the road leading to where the village had been, was too wet. It was also quite dark by now and so she was unable to achieve her goal. Fortunately she would be able to revisit it the following day.
We finally headed back to Zaporoshye, tired from a long but eventful day. After a late supper I had the opportunity to share the day's events with some of the other tour members. I spoke with Luella Warkentin (born Wallmann), from Visalia, California. She and her husband, Bob, together with brother-in-law, Alan Peters, had taken a private tour to visit the former Hutterite villages of Johannesruh and Huttertal, southeast of Melitopol. These villages had been established through the efforts of Johann Cornies, Huttertal in 1842 and Johannesruh shortly thereafter. So Johannesruh had been named after him.
Luella's grandfather Wallmann had been born in Johannesruh. She had found a lady by the name of Elsa Papp who lived in one of the original houses. There were a number of former Hutterite houses, referred to as "German" houses by the local villagers. Huttertal, also still had a number of original houses. One of them, they were told, had been built in 1902 by a Mr. Hoffman.
Their trip had been a success. On that note, I decided to retire for the night.
THURSDAY, 26 SEPTEMBER 1996 - ZAPOROSHYE/GRIGORJEWKA
Breakfast was at 7:30 am. Four tours were offered again on this day: Molotschna Centre, Molotschna West-2, Molotschna East and South, and the Chortitza Colonies. However, my brother Irwin and I had decided to take a private tour to visit Novo-Nadezhdino, the former Khutor of our grandparents, Dietrich and Maria Warkentin. In 1909, together with two other families (Walls and Penners) they had purchased 900 acres of land and had established a Khutor which they named Novo- Nadezhdino (Neuhofnung). This was where our parents were married in 1924.
I had been there in 1994 (see Der Bote, 19 July 1995, Nr. 29 for a detailed description). Irwin was also anxious to see it. Since we had expressed interest in also travelling to Grigorjewka, we were joined by Henry and Lenore Sawatzky, Ottawa, and Minnie Rempel, Sexsmith, Alberta. Nellie Rempel's grandmother Sawatzky had been from Grigorjewka. Henry Sawatzky's stepmother's father, Peter Funk, had run the mill there at one time and had also been a minister there.
While most other tour members boarded the large buses, we were met by our tour guide, Alla, and our driver, Vitaly. I knew Vitaly quite well from previous tours and knew that he was a very experienced driver. I was confident that we were in good hands. We all climbed aboard our minivan, a late model Ford.
We left Zaporoshye at about 8:30 am and headed north toward Dnepropetrovsk on the Moscow- Simpferopol Highway (M2). The highway was in reasonably good condition. However, we soon turned off the highway and headed in a northeast direction on a road that was really quite bad at times. A steady rain made it seem almost impassable at times. We passed through numerous police check points along the way. It seems that the purpose of these checkpoints is primarily for the police to earn some money, since they receive very low wages. They check for vehicle safety and for proper papers, looking for something that they can fine the drivers for.
We eventually reached the city of Lozovaja and from there headed east to the town of Blisnetze. We soon found the railway station where our parents with brother Arnold, grandparents and other family members, on 23 June 1926, boarded the 7:00 am train to Lozovaja, where they transferred to the train to Moscow, on their way to Canada. Although the building itself was likely not the original building, the importance of the site impacted us. We were so thankful for the decision that had been made at that time.
From Blisnetze, we headed north and then east. We soon arrived at another police checkpoint. Vitaly asked the policeman if he knew where Novo-Nadezhdino was. His response was, "yes, I was born there." He then volunteered to come along with us and show us where it is (likely end of his shift). When we arrived at what is now the village of Novo-Nadezhdino, we stopped at the village school. The policeman then suggested we visit a family by the name of Guss and they would know about the history of Novo-Nadezhdino. We thanked him for his help and asked if we could have a photo taken with him in his handsome uniform. He refused and quickly disappeared.
We soon found the Guss home on a street one block over from the main village street. (On my previous trip I had only gotten to see the main village street.) The doors to the Guss house and adjacent shed were unlocked. Alla, our tour guide, suggested that this was an indication that someone must be home. Yet we couldn't find anyone.
We waited for awhile and soon an old motorcycle came putt-putting into the yard. On it were Mr. and Mrs. Guss. Alla explained who we were and why we were there. Did they know anything about the Warkentins? Yes, she said, her father, Pantilye Vasilevich Pashkov, had known our grandfather and had bought his yard. (Her maiden name was Claudia Pashkova). Was there anything left of the original Khutor? On my previous visit I had been told that there was nothing left, other than one pear tree and some bricks that our grandfather had made. She noted that although little was left of the original Khutor, there was one small building remaining, the Warkentins' summer kitchen. We asked her if she would help us find it. Willingly she joined us in the van and directed us to the other end of her street. There in someone's yard stood the former summer kitchen. She explained that one end of the building had been modified by the present owner and in the other end wall a door had been installed where a window had previously been. The present owner came out and invited us to have a closer look. We tiptoed through the mud, and the chickens and ducks, to take some pictures. Then I asked if he had any of grandfather's bricks. On my previous visit I had the good fortune to find several bricks with grandfather's initials on them (D.W. in Russian letters). He soon found one, again with . . on it, washed it off, wrapped it in paper and presented it to Irwin. He then picked some grapes in his front yard and presented them to us.
We left fully satisfied, and returned to the Guss home, to drop her off. Before we could leave, she rushed into the house, returning with a large loaf of fresh baked bread for our continued journey. We left Novo-Nadezhdino fulfilled, and headed east to Grigorjewka, approximately 25 km distant. On the way, we were again stopped by police at a checkpoint. After a lengthy discussion between Vitaly, our driver, and the policeman, we were on our way again. "Today is the 26th, isn't it?" Vitaly asked. "Yes," we answered. Apparently the policeman had maintained that it was the 27th, and that Vitaly's papers were, therefore, not in order. On this basis he had wanted to levey a fine, but Vitaly had stood his ground. It is still necessary to obtain papers when travelling, even for one day trips such as this one. The papers must spell out where you are going and why. Vitaly, of course, had the proper papers, dated the 26th of September.
Soon we arrived in Grigorjewka, at the west end of the village. The mill that was once located here, on the north side of the street, no longer exists. Nearby, however, we saw what could have been a former Mennonite building. Continuing along the village street, we stopped to ask an old lady about the village. She mentioned the following:
The windmill had been demolished and the stones used for other buildings. After collectivization, all the Mennonite houses had been destroyed because they were too large. Smaller houses were then built from the bricks. There had been a church at the east end of the village and a mill in a field nearby. During the Second World War, the village had been occupied by the Germans. During that time the Obermeister of the village had been a man by the name of Schmidt. A local lady is writing the history of the village from the start of the Soviet period.
She offered us some fresh milk to drink and directed us to the cemetery. We continued along the village street to what had originally been the Querstrasse. We noticed that the east half of the village no longer exists, i.e. everything east of the Querstrasse. We soon found the cemetery. It seemed to be in its original location. We searched for Mennonite gravestones for awhile, but couldn't find any. However, at the south end of the cemetery we found a large monument with "RUHET...." on its base. But the monument itself was lying face down. We asked a lady next door about the monument. She explained that it commemorated the death of some German soldiers. Henry Sawatzky then recalled the story about 30 German soldiers being killed in a train collision nearby in 1914. They had been buried in a mass grave and a monument had been erected in their honour.
We then returned to the west end of the village to take a few pictures. By now it was 4:30 pm. Soon it would get dark. We had hoped to continue on to the village of Jekaterinowka, southeast of Grigorjewka, in the former Ignatyevo settlement. Henry Sawatzky's grandfather Redekopp had owned a mill in Jekaterinowka.
But it was getting late, so we decided to head back to Zaporoshye. We passed through the village of Petrovka, then to Lozovaja and to Pavlograd. This time Vitaly chose to take the main highway (M21) west towards Dnepropetrovsk, and then south (M2) to Zaporoshye. We arrived back at the ship at 8:00 pm, after having logged a total of 554 km.
After supper, we had an opportunity to share with others the experiences of the day. These included:
The Molotschna Centre tour found a former Mennonite building in the village of Tiegerweide. They also stopped in Alexanderwohl where two of the tour members confirmed that the building on the church site was, in fact, the former Alexanderwohl Church (see Der Bote, 27 März 1996, Nr. 13). They sadly reported that the building was in the process of being demolished. The Chortitza tour found that in the village of Neuenburg the village school and several houses still exist. A small group took a private tour to the former Memrik settlement where they found quite a few former Mennonite buildings in various villages. Memrik was established in 1885 by the Molotschna Colony.
This brought to a close another eventful day.
FRIDAY, 27 SEPTEMBER 1996 - ZAPOROSHYE/YAZYKOVO
Breakfast was again at 7:30 am. Again four tours were offered: Molotschna West-1, Molotschna Centre, Molotschna East and South, and North Chortitza/Yazykovo. I chose to go on the latter tour. Our tour guide was Natasha and our driver was Alexi. Soon we were on our way, crossing to the west side of the Dnieper and heading north on Highway P51.
With us was Peter Kehler, the pastor serving the Zaporoshye Mennonite congregation. While we were traveling, he was invited to take the microphone and talk about experiences serving the Zaporoshye congregation. He explained that the group started meeting in 1993. They have received support from "Wiedergeburt", a German organization, whose space they also use. But the space is too small and the group is looking for larger facilities, preferably their own church. They are investigating the possibility of acquiring the building that was once the Chortitza Mennonite Church.
Peter and his wife, Sue, do not speak Russian, so they serve the group in German. But it is hoped that when the Kehlers return to Canada in 1997, they can be replaced by a Russian speaking pastor.
Not all members of the group are of Mennonite background, some are Lutheran. The people have strong faith. They have had many difficult experiences. After so many years of persecution and sufferring, when they couldn't read the Bible, they are now anxious to learn more about the many Bible stories. The older people remember the prayers and hymns like "Gott ist die Liebe" that their parents taught them.
Peter also talked about the economic changes that have occurred since the fall of Communism. Things are very difficult for the older people. They have much less buying power and it is virtually impossible to obtain health care. The few medical supplies available are kept for the young. For younger people things are somewhat better. They at least have the freedom to decide things for themselves.
We eventually reached Solonye, located just north of what was once the Yazykovo Colony. It had been the estate of the Bergmann family, established in 1862 when they came from Prussia. By 1898, Solonye had 22,000 dessiatine of land. Today it is a village of 10,000 people and is still called Solonye.
A number of buildings still remain. The most impressive is the former Hooge residence, now a small museum. The director, a lady architect, gave us a brief tour. Many of the finishes are still original. Some of the ceramic floor tiles had the names Bergen and Hamm on the back.
After a brief look at the other buildings of the former estate we boarded the bus. We returned to Highway P51 and headed back south. We sooned turned off to the west, to Nikolaipole, the former villages of Nikolaifeld and Franzfeld.
We stopped at the former Zentralschule, where several tour members went inside. Others looked at the former church building next door. We then headed across to the cemetery where several tour members found gravestones of their ancestors.
Tour members, Kay and Louise Klassen, Winnipeg, wanted to find the granary that had once belonged to their grandfather. We walked down the village street toward the south end of the village, and soon found the granary.
The bus picked us up and we slowly drove back through Nikolaifeld and then through Franzfeld to Hochfeld (Morozovka). After a brief look at the former village school and several other former Mennonite buildings, we headed back to Franzfeld where we looked for the cemetery. We then returned to Highway P51 and headed south again.
Soon we turned off to the east, to look for the original village of Eichenfeld. In 1919 Eichenfeld was the site of a massacre at the hands of the Machno bandits. 82 people, including 6 visiting tent missionaries, were killed in a single night. The village was completely destroyed. One of the missionaries that was killed, by the name of Sukkau, was the aunt of tour members, Arthur Wiebe, St. Catherines, and Michael Wiebe, Minneapolis. Although there is nothing left of the village, we were able to find the location of the mass grave. We gathered at the grave and sang a hymn. It was a solemn moment, very moving for all of us, but particularly for the Wiebe brothers.
We continued on to the former Petersdorf which was originally a private estate but eventually developed into a village. Nothing remains of Petersdorf today. So we turned around and headed back to the highway and continued in a southerly direction.
Turning off the highway to the west, we headed toward Neuendorf (Shirokoye), one of the former Chortitza Colony villages. Here we stopped at the edge of the village where we saw the village granary and firehall. We continued on to the village school and then headed to the west side of the village, where we drove to the top of the hill. From here we had a wonderful view of Neuendorf. We were able to pick out a number of former Mennonite homes. We went back down the hill, through the village to the cemetery. Here we found numerous Mennonite gravestones and several tour members again found gravestones of ancestors.
This was our last stop. From here we went back to the highway and headed south to Zaporoshye. Soon we were back on board our ship, sharing stories with fellow tour members.
Wilmer Harms, North Newton, Kansas, who had just returned from one of the Molotschna tours, advised me that they had found a former Mennonite house-barn in what was once Tiegerweide (now Mostove). Although the barn appeared to be facing the street, he had been able to determine that the former street was behind the house. Local ladies had confirmed that a Mennonite family had lived in the house before the war. Today the building is used as a horse- barn.
The Thiessen clan had taken a private tour to Hochfeld to look for their great-grandfather's estate. They ended up in Kariskovka where they met a man by the name of Boris Mochnenko. His father had worked for their great grandfather and he was able to explain where the estate had been. The land, they were told, is still referred to as the Thiessen land.
Paul Klassen, Elm Creek, Manitoba, and his sisters, Dora Giesbrecht, Winnipeg, and Elvira Voth, Toronto, had gone to search for their grandfather's estate, Prigorye. They had taken a private tour with Victor Penner of Zaporoshye (the son of Oleg Penner). Driving through the western villages of the Molotschna, they came to the former village of Altenau (now Travnyeve). From here they continued south, and after asking directions several times, they soon came upon the former estate, Reimerhof, thinking at first it was Prigorye. Here they found a number of original buildings, including one wing of the original house. Two original large gate posts and stretches of fence also remain. The estate is now a small village.
While talking to the local people they met an elderly lady who had attended the Reimerhof school. She said her mother had worked on the estate. Wistfully, with tears in her eyes, she recounted the good times she had in her youth on the estate. Then she brought out four large photos, carefully wrapped in old yellowing newspapers. Two photos were of the Reimerhof house, one of the Prigorye house, and one of a cow. She said it was a special cow that gave much milk. With pride she told them that it had been her responsibility to take extra care of the animal and make sure she got the right fodder.
She had kept the photos close to her heart throughout the hard times, saying they were her most prized possessions. Tearfully, she hugged Ellie and Dora again and again, and didn't want to let them go. She remarked it had been so beautiful when the Mennonites were there and asked if they couldn't send some Mennonites from Canada to help them improve the farm.
They eventually continued on, and were surprised to find that Prigorye was only about a mile or so southwest of Reimerhof. To their disappointment, not much of the estate remained. They found only two original buildings, now used as homes. They still had the original red clay tiles on the roofs. Even though not much was left of the estate, they did have the satisfaction of having set foot on the soil of their grandparents. They took some soil from the garden and then had a farewell picnic on the site. Weary, but elated from all the excitement, they returned to Zaporoshye.
Supper was at 7:00 p.m. After supper my brother and I met in my room with several local businessmen. They wanted to talk about exporting agricultural products to Canada. When our meeting came to an end, I indicated that I would like to find a telephone so as to call my office. One of the businessmen opened his briefcase, took out a cellular phone, and handed it to me. So I was able to call my office from my room aboard the Glushkov. This brought to an end another fascinating day.
SATURDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 1996 - ZAPOROSHYE
This was to be our last day in Zaporoshye. The itenary called for shuttle buses to take cruise passengers to the Saturday market and to the shops. Arrangements had also been made to take those who were interested to a collective farm.
I had arranged for several meetings this morning. My first meeting was with Alexander Tedeev, from the Zaporoshye State Archives. He picked me up at the ship and drove me to the Archives. Here he first showed me the computer that had been purchased with the assistance of the Mennonite Heritage Centre in Winnipeg. He then showed me some of the interesting documents that still exist in the Archives. These included:
It was time for my next meeting. My friend Sergey Shmakin came to pick me up, together with his driver and a Russian/German translator. Sergey wanted to show me his latest business venture, the manufacturing of wood housing components, which he plans to ship to Germany for erection. I knew that with his business partner in Germany, he had already acquired land, and one foundation had already been prepared there.
We went to a large old factory building on the outskirts of Zaporoshye where a few components had already been made. We then went to the office of a model maker where a scale model of the first four houses for Germany was on display. The model was very well made. The roofs were removeable so that the interiors of the proposed houses could be visualized. After discussing the designs of the houses for some time, we continued on to Sergey's office.
Here we met several more of his colleagues. He showed me some building products form Germany that his company is the licensed representative (Vertreter) for in the Ukraine. After a cup of coffee and some further discussions we were on our way again.
I had asked Sergey to take me to the former village of Chortitza where I wanted to have a look at the building that stands where the Chortitza Mennonite Church once stood.
When I had heard that the Zaporoshye Mennonite congregation was working to acquire this building, I had offerred to assess it, to see how it might accommodate those things that they hoped to have in it, such as a small sanctuary, care for the elderly, etc. I had been inside the building the year before, when we had celebrated the 75th anniversary of the founding of MCC there. I now wanted to have another look at it.
So we drove to Chortitza. Unfortunately I was unable to get inside the building. It was raining, so I quickly paced of the building, looked inside the windows, and returned to the car.
We headed back toward the city centre, stopping at a restaurant on the Insel Chortitza for lunch. After a fine meal, we returned to the ship where we took Abschied.
Back on board, I soon had an opportunity to talk to some of those that had gone to visit the collective farm. It turned out that this collective farm was actually a former estate (Khutor) of the Wallman family. There were several of the original buildings that were still in use. What the visitors found particularly interesting was that one of the foremen, Grigory Vassiljevitch Kotov, whose grandfather had been Wallmann's coachman, was commonly referred to on the collective farm by his nickname - "Wallmann". He was 73 years old and had been on the collective farm for 40 years.
The afternoon itenary called for a visit to the Cossack Equestrian Show on the Insel Chortitza. Here the tour members were entertained by local Cossacks dressed in traditional costume, performing various stunts on their horses.
When the buses brought the tour members back to the ship, it was time to say goodbye to local friends and relatives. Frank and Selma took Abschied from his sister and relatives. Frank and Luella Wall who had miraculously met his cousin during last year's cruise (see Der Bote Nr. 8, 21 Februar 1996), took Abschied from his relatives who they had stayed with for the last four days. For all of us it was time to say good bye to the Zaporoshye tour guides who had again served us so well with their knowledge, friendliness, and professionalism.
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