Großliebental was a Protestant Mother colony founded in 1803. The 78 families that made up the original colonists came to Großliebental from Hungary but were originally from Alsace, Baden, Prussia, Rhine Bavaria, Saxony and Württemberg.
The colony was located on the river Akershi, was was fed by springs and emptied one mile south into the Black Sea.
By 1914, there were 167 farmers, but there wasn't enough land for all those who wanted to farm. Many made a living by sharecropping or truck farming (the practice of growing crops on a large scale for the purpose of transporting them to distant markets) or were craftsmen or tradesmen.
There were several wagon factories, blacksmiths, carpenters, a bakery, flour mills, a brick and tile factory and three wine and vodka taverns.
Below are two slightly different plat maps of Großliebental. Locate the church (Kirche) and the school (Schule) in the center on each.
The colony was located on the river Akershi, was was fed by springs and emptied one mile south into the Black Sea.
By 1914, there were 167 farmers, but there wasn't enough land for all those who wanted to farm. Many made a living by sharecropping or truck farming (the practice of growing crops on a large scale for the purpose of transporting them to distant markets) or were craftsmen or tradesmen.
There were several wagon factories, blacksmiths, carpenters, a bakery, flour mills, a brick and tile factory and three wine and vodka taverns.
Below are two slightly different plat maps of Großliebental. Locate the church (Kirche) and the school (Schule) in the center on each.
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| Plat map of Großliebental Source: Erinnerungen an die deutschen Kolonien des Großliebentaler Rayons bei Odessa Map courtesy of the Black Sea German Research plat map collection This map also appears in Homesteaders on the Steppe, p. 332-333 |
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| Plat map of Großliebental Source: Heimatbuch der Deutschen aus Russland, 1956 Map courtesy of the Black Sea German Research plat map collection |
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| Location of Großliebental |
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Sources:
- Black Sea German Research website, plat map collection
- The Emigration from Germany to Russia in the Years 1763 to 1862, Karl Stumpp, p. 577
- Erinnerungen an die deutschen Kolonien des Großliebentaler Rayons bei Odessa, Eduard Mack
- Germans from Russia Settlement Locations, Liebental Colonies map
- German-Russian Handbook, Ulrich Mertens, p. 379
- Grossliebental 1848 Village History, Odessa: A German-Russian Genealogical Library
- Heimatbuch der Deutschen aus Russland 1956, Johann Kampen and Hans Kampen, editors
- Homesteaders on the Steppe, Joseph S. Height, p. 330-336
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