Timetable about history of Wolhynien

Date/month

Event

1340

Wolhynien is occupied by Litauen, remained there until 1569 (Lubliner union)

1569

Wolhyni area came at Poland (Polish farmers as settlers)

1763-65

Communist manifesto of the empress Katharina II. (1762 1796). Call at foreigners for immigration to Russia.

1764

Kolonialkodex: Definition of the agrarian development in the colonies

1765

Establishment of a first German municipality is created in the Volga region, the Herrenhuter municipality in Sarepta/ Volga.

1793

Second division of Poland and the occupation of all Ukrainian areas with exception Ostgaliziens as well as the remaining Weissrutheniens with Minsk. Foundation of the port Odessa.

1795

Third division of Poland: Dissolution of Poland, South Poles at Austria, Masowien with Warszawa at Prussia, Litauen and Wolhynien (2nd half 19. Century German settlements) at Russia

Prussia signs contract over 3. partition of Poland

1816

The first Mennonieten from the Danziger area, the Rheinpfalz and Wuerttemberg came to Wolhynien

1838

Nikolaus I. (18251855) confirms the privileges of the Kolonisten

1842

Coding of all liberties, obligations and privileges of the settler and award of the citizen rights to the settler in the whole contry of the zar.

1863/64

Second large immigration wave of German settlers from Poland, Lower Saxony, Pommern and Schlesien

1871

Abolition of the colonial statute of the "foreign settler" (among other things abolition of the autonomy of the colonies)

1874

Introduction of the compulsory military service. For Mennonieten as replacement forest service. Beginning of the emigration to north and South America. The first German families establish themselves in the Dakota Region, in Yankton.

1879

German-Austrian alliance (two-federation). Consequence: Degradation of the situation of the Germans in Russia. 

1881

Zar Alexander III. is murdered, afterwards accession Alexanders III. (18811894). The rests on the German settlements must change from german to russian nationality.

1904-1905

Russian-Japanese war. Defeat of Russia leads to partial liberalisation. Thus new economic and cultural upswing in the German colonies.

1914

Outbreak of the First World War. In the Russian army 300,000 Germans serve, but the ethnical Germans are explained nevertheless as enemies of the Zarenreiches.

1915

Pogrom against Germans in Moscow on 27 May many business are wounded plundered, 40 Germans, murdered three. z. February and 13. December liquidation laws. German land in a border strip of 150 km in the west and at the black sea is to be liquidated. Late expansion on other areas up to the Urals.

1916

Beginning of the second Brussilow Offensive between Karpaten and Wolhynien. It lasts until Octobers and is repelled.

1917

Resignation Nikolaus II. (February revolution). Immediately abolition of the liquidation laws.

First all-German congress in the history of the Germans in Russia. Establishment of a central committee of all Russian-Germans. 

1918

Peace of Brest Litowsk and the loss of almost all not-Russian people areas in the west, clause in favor of the Germans in Russia

1921

Peace of Riga with Poland. Western part of Wolhyniens came to Poland (until 1939)

1921-1927

New economic policy (NOEP). Temporary recovery in the German colonies.

1928

The collectivization begins, accompanied from through the hunger emergencies released attacks on wealthy farmers, unculacisation and locking of the churches

1929

approx.. 14.000 Germans from all parts of the country are broken open with their families to Moscow in hope to get a departure permission. After long negotiations only 5,671 was taken up in Germany through their journey, of where they were passed on to north and South America. The others are returned by force and under inhuman conditions.

1938-39

Stalinisti cleanings. Russian and Ukrainian replace German as instruction language. German-Soviet nonaggression treaty. Outbreak of the Second World War. Bessarabiendeut is driven out and resettled into the Warthegau into Poland occupied by the Germans. Dissolution of all Rayons outside of the ASSRdWD.

1939

23. August

German-Soviet nonaggression treaty.

1. September

Begin of the second world war with the German attack against Poland. Integration Danzig into the realm.

The Red Army marches into Poland.

Under guidance Heydrichs was formed the Central Reich Security Office (RSHA), that from the Sipo, for the safety principal office, the GeStapo and the Reichskriminalpolizeiamt

Signing of confidential German-Soviet minutes for the "removal" of the ethnic Germans population from the Soviet interest sphere. With this 5th historical division of Poland Hitler separated as the first by means of 8.10.1939 also purely Polish territories under the official designation "integrated east areas" from the so-called remainder state (realm gaus west Prussia and floats); latter designated it four days later in "Generalgouvernement for the occupied Polish areas" (under the guidance Dr. Frank) over. At the beginning of of July explained officially the "GG" to Hitler as the "Neighbour land of the realm", whose definite integration of the "GG" took place into the realm in the autumn 1940

Realm leader SS (RFSS) Himmler is assigned by Hitler in secret leader decree "strengthening German nationality"

6./7. October

Hitler explains publicly the intention of arranging and in this connection also according to a "regulation of the Jewish problem" of looking for "ethnographischen conditions" again into Europe with the help of the resettlements. It assigns Heinrich Himmler to plan and coordinate the new Ethnopolitik as a "realm commissioner for strengthening German nationality"

Himmler installs an agency "realm commissioner for strengthening German nationality" (RKF). 1941 took place renaming in "staff principal office for strengthening German nationality" (StaRKF)

Establishment of the immigrant central office (EWZ)

Hitler signs the decree "over the administration of the occupied areas". There is without definition of the time and the course of the border is called: "the areas occupied by the German troops the governor general for the occupied Polish areas subordinated, so far it not into the German Reich are integrated." (RGBl. 1939/I, page 2077 f. see also decree of Hitler of 8.10.1939, page 2042 f.). With the same decree, which entered into force on 26 October 1939, Hans Frank was appointed the governor general

Heydrich creates the immigrant central office northeast (EWZ). Their task existed in the evaluation of the races, naturalization and first also in the temporary accommodation of German resettlers. Boss of the EWZ became Dr. Martin Sandberger. (BAK, R 43/II/1412, Bl. 53. The designation "EWZ northeast" was changed later in "EWZ"; Staff instruction NR. 9 of 8.10.1940; AGK, EWZ/L/2, Bl. 7)

The Soviet Union and the German Reich lock the contract for the resettlement of the people Germans from the areas east and southeast Poland which was annexed by the Soviet Union (Narew district Wolhynien, Ostgalizien) in Moscow

Heydrich divides the resettlement program into a close and a remote plan. Afterwards should in the context of the first close plan first 80,000 humans to be driven out. Became actual in the time of 1. to 17.12. 87,838 humans from the annexed west Polish provinces into the GG deported, among them all Jews, who lived in the western (earlier Prussian part wait preserve from). "settlement from Balten and Germans from Wolhynien and evacuation ran from Poland and Jew under the designation

Agreement over the Russian-German interest border

The first course with Germans from Wolhynien resettlers arrives in Litzmannstadt

15. January

Development of the branch Litzmannstadt to the central office

1. March

Leader wait preserve from, Greiser, arranged the settlement of the Wolhynien and Germans from Galizien in the east wait preserve from to create over there a "impenetrable barrier with German humans against the Polentum". (Letter of Greisers from 1.3.1940 to the heads of the provincial government from Kalisch and Hohensalza; AGK, Greiser Prozess/36, Bl. 549 FF.)

Koppe instructs for the settlement of Wolhynien and Germans from Galizien to prepare the evacuation of Polish farmers

Regulation on the introduction of the German military right in the integrated east areas, already effective 1 March 1940 (RGBl. 1940 I page 707)

22. June

Beginning of the German-Soviet war. German attack on UdSSR. The Soviets Germans from the western settlement areas begin to kidnap to Siberia and central Asia.

17. May

With the decree of the OKW/WFSt Hitler explained itself ready that people-German prisoners of war of Soviet nationality could be adjusted under certain conditions as voluntary into the German armed forces

1943/44

350,000 Russian-Germans are settled in the Wartheland, where they receive the German nationality.

25. March

Decree of the RdL and ObdL/L resistance over the admission of members of the east areas integrated into the realm into German

The order of the OKW over the use of members of the department 3 of the German people list ("German Poland") loosens to 1.12.1942 expressed prohibition of the use in the east army

17. April

Decree of the OKW/AHA over the military service of the resettlers

Decree of the OKW No. 11 664/43 AHA/Ag E (I A) AHA/Ag E over the military service of Absiedlern from Elsass, Lorraine, the lowest egg Mark and from Oberkrain in the RGBl. 1943 I page 269

Regulation on the nationality on revocation in the RGBl. 1943 I page 269

Regulation on the award of the German nationality to the persons in the RGBl, registered into the German people list of the Ukraine. 1943 I page 321 publishes

12. January

Beginning of the Soviet winter offensive. Many Germans on the escape.

8. May

Unconditional surrender of the German armed forces. Extreme displacement, obligatory repatriation of the ethnical Germans from all zones of occupation into the Soviet Union and deportation to Siberia, middle Asia and Central Asia.

Decree of the highest Soviet: Banishing on "eternal times" fixed, leaving the settlement places without special permission with hard labour up to 20 years threatens.

Decree the upper Soviet "over the abolition the restriction in the legal status the German and their relative, which itself in the settlement find". But: No return of the fortune confiscate with banishing and prohibition of the return to the former homeland colonies.

24. April

German-Soviet agreement over the family unification.

29. August

Decree over the partial rehabilitation of the Volga Germans and abolition of the Deportationsdekrets of 28.8.1941 (applies also to all other Germans in the USSR).

1986

New law over and departure facilitates the family unification. Afterwards constant rise of the evacuee numbers (198714,488, 198998,134, 1992195,576).