On This Day, 8 September 1766

The location of Schulz on
Karte der deutschen Siedlungen im Wolgagebiet
(Map of the German settlements in the Volga Region, 
AHSGR map #6)

The Lutheran colony of Schulz (Russian name Lugovaya Gryaznukha or Луговая Грязнуха) was founded on this day, 8 September 1766, as a Crown colony. Its closest neighboring colonies were Reinwald and Reinhardt.

Emigration from the colony began in 1780 to the Caucasus, in 1859 to Neu-Urbach and in 1870 to America with larger groups going to America in 1905.

In 1926, the population was 1,093, and Schulz was a Soviet seat.  There was a cooperative store, an agricultural kolkhoz founded with loans, a school with grades one to four and a traveling library. 

Plat map of Schulz, 1919. This was originally drawn as remembered by Heinrich Richter in 1922 after his arrival in Sheboygan, Wisconsin with streets, lots, the location of the church, mills, granary and blacksmith.  This is among the village files maintained by AHSGR. In 1984, Mrs. Katherine (Zitzer) Lerch provided family names, the location of the store, cemetery and the land description as she remembered them in 1919, and the plat map was redrawn by Frederick Zitzer.
This is the updated version from 1991, map #61 from AHSGR.

The location of the Volga colony Schulz,
now known as Lugovskoye, Saratov, Russia. 

Very little remains of Schulz today. The area that comprises the locality is much larger than the actual population there. Note the red line outlining the village boundaries on the left.  Perhaps those are the boundaries of the original colony, still in place after all this time.  

The photos below of Schulz are courtesy of Tyulin Denis via Panoramio, posted/taken in August 2011.

The road to Schulz (Lugovaya).

A house in Schulz (Lugovaya).

A house and garden in Schulz (Lugovaya).

View of hills and cows in Schulz (Lugovaya).

Learn More: 

American Historical Society of Germans from Russia – Village Files
Center for Volga German Studies – Schulz

Volga German Institute – Schulz

Wolgadeutsche – Schulz

2017 marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Mother colonies along the Volga River. There are many events throughout the year to commemorate the anniversary, and the Germans from Russia Settlement Locations project joins in the celebration of this rich Volga German heritage.

The German immigrants that came to the Volga region were among first colonists to take up Catherine the Great on her manifesto. They came from Hesse, the Rhineland, the Palatinate and Württemberg. They are also among the most well researched and documented groups of German colonists in Russia. Thus far, the Volga Mother colonies settled between 1764 and 1767 are the only colonies that have precise dates they were settled.

For more historical and current events related to Germans from Russia, see our calendar page or link to our public Google calendar.

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