History of the Russian Mennonites

The illustration below of the “earthen huts” constructed by the first “Black Sea” German settlers does not Mennonites, but likely neighbouring Molotschna German Lutherans, ca. 1804. I think poster by Willy Planck captures the earliest experiences of German settlers with some authenticity. It is entitled: “‘Difficult Beginnings! First field cultivation before house construction in the Black Sea region” ( note 1 ). I was first introduced to the earthen huts in the 1980s when I interviewed elderly siblings of my grandfather. When their parents left Molotschna in March 1891 for the new daughter colony “Neu Samara,” they first lived in earthen huts. They were made of clay, sod, logs and straw were built approximately one metre below and one metre above the ground. Their parents not only brought a few basic farming implements and enough money to purchase a cow from locals, but also a door and window that were incorporated into the structure. “Although the clay huts were far from ideal, the f...