Updates have been made to the Germans from Russia Settlement Locations and German Settlements in European Russia maps to show where Germans were known to have lived Far North region of the former Russian Empire. As with the other regions, the provinces listed are those that were in existence around 1914, near the fall of the empire. In addition to the provinces of the Far North, this region will include the Baltics and the Grand Duchy of Finland in future updates.
For now, the provinces included in this update are the following. Individual maps for each province will be created once the entire region is complete.
Arkhangelsk Province (1796-1929). According to the Imperial Census of 1897, there were 346,536 inhabitants in the province of Arkhangelsk, with 163,784 male and 182,752 female. Of those, 309 (.09%) reported speaking German as their Mother tongue, 118 male, 191 female.
Novgorod Province (1727–1927). Moved from Great (Central) Russia with updates and additions. According to the Imperial Census of 1897, there were 1,367,022 inhabitants in the province of Novgorod, 651,901 male and 715,121 female. Of those, 4,188 (.64%) reported speaking German as their Mother tongue, 2,104 male, 1,994 female. Novgorod was a known location of many German Daughter colonies from the Mother colonies in Saint Petersburg province.
Olonets Province (1801-1922). According to the Imperial Census of 1897, there were 364,156 inhabitants in the province of Olonets, with 171,718 men and 192,438 women. Of those, no inhabitants reported speaking German as their Mother tongue. However, EWZ records from the 1940s indicate that there were Germans living in the city of Vytegra as early as 1900.
Pskov Province (1722-1927). Moved from Great (Central) Russia with updates and additions. According to the Imperial Census of 1897, there were 1,122,317 inhabitants in the province of Pskov, 539,632 male and 582,685 female. Of those, 3,885 (.35%) reported speaking German as their Mother tongue, 1,886 male, 1,999 female.
Saint Petersburg Province (1708-1927). Moved from Great (Central) Russia with updates and additions. According to the Imperial Census of 1897, there were 2,112,033 inhabitants in the province of Saint Petersburg, with 1,121,048 men and 990,985 women. Of those, 63,457 (5.66%) reported speaking German as their Mother tongue, 28,992 male, 34,465 female. St. Petersburg was home to many early German colonists who came from the same places and arrived along with those who would go on to the Volga region. In addition to colonists who settled around St. Petersburg for agricultural purposes, there were many Germans living in the city who were professionals—architects, engineers, merchants, scholars, musicians, etc.
Vologda Province (1796-1929). According to the Imperial Census of 1897, there were 1,341,785 inhabitants in the province of Vologda, with 635,664 men and 706,121 women. Of those, 226 (.02%) reported speaking German as their Mother tongue, 118 male, 191 female.
Those provinces in this region not mentioned above did not have any evidence of German habitation and were therefore left off.
In total, this update includes 120 locations, either new or updated. The full list is in the Change Log.
Up next: the historical provinces of Estland, Kurland, and Livonia.
Last updated 22 March 2026