The maps for South Russia and the Black Sea Region have been updated, including noting the former German colonies that are in Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine.
Special thanks goes to Chris Kullman who did some excellent location work in northern Bessarabia based on some Kischinew parish records. He’s also been translating and indexing these records for Black Sea German Research. The records span from 1835 to 1939. Check them out at this link. Use your browser search to look for Kischinew (Kischinev) Parish or just scroll down to get to the records available by year.
New Colonies
A note about the colony additions in Bessarabia—there are two new ones that have similar or the same names: Alt-Sarata (today Sărata Veche) and Neu-Sarata (today Sărata Nouă). These are located in northern Bessarabia and were settled by Germans from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, from villages in Galizien and Bukovina. Don’t confuse them with Sarata (est. 1822) and Neu-Sarata (est. 1889 with its own parish in 1901) in southern Bessarabia. I put notes on everything. Hopefully it will be clear.
Below are the new colonies added along with alternate names, spellings and current name in parenthesis.Bessarabia: Algina (Algine, Albina), Alt-Sarata (Alt Sarata, Sărata Veche, Fălești District), Kodiasi (Kodiasy, Codiasi, Codiasy, Gudias, Gudjas, Coada Iazului), Lembehn (Limbeni, Linbeschty, Alibeni, Limbenii Vechi), Lipkani (Lipkan, Targ, Lipcani Târg, Lipcanis, Lipkanya, Lipcani), Neu-Sarata (Sărata Nouă, Fălești District), Neu Scholtoi (Neu-Sholtoy, Neu-Scholtoti), Otake (Ataki, Otaki, Otaci), and Staftschani (Staftschan, Staftczan, Stavchany).
Don: Budenovka (Bohdanivka) and Peski (October Revolution farmstead, Piski).
Ekaterinoslav: Gruzkoe (Gruzkoe Plescheeevo, Chasov-Jurt, Chasiv Yar) and Shcherbinovka (Shcherbynivka, Dzerzhynsk, Dzerzhinsk, Toretsk).
Occupied Territory
The Russo-Ukrainian War frontline has been updated on the South Russia and Black Sea Region maps. There are 301 former German colonies in occupied territory as of 20 May 2025. This number does not include all of the Crimean peninsula, another 290 colonies, which has been occupied by Russia since 2014.See the Change Log for a full list of updates and the Sources for new additions.
Ethnographic Map of the Rural Population of Bessarabia
Finally, for fun, here is an ethnographic map of the rural areas of Bessarabia published in 1920 based on data from 1907. There are many of these maps of this area because it was so ethnically diverse and stayed that way. The lightest blue shading is where it notes Germans living, mostly in the southern part of the province.
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Ethnographic map of the rural population of Bessarabia. Based on data from V.N. Butovich in 1907 and other sources, compiled by L.S. Berg. Published by the commission for the study of the tribal composition of Russia at the Russian Academy of Sciences. Lithograph of the cartographic department. Printed in 1920. Scale 10 miles per inch.
Source: EtoMesto
Maps Updated
Germans from Russia Settlement Locations (full map)
European Russia (European settlements only)
Black Sea Region (settlements around the Black Sea, including the Caucasus)
South Russia (administrative region as of 1914)
Ekaterinoslav Province