Warenburg

Names

Privalnaja, Privalnaya, Priwalnoje, Privalnoye, Privolnoye, Warenburg

Location

50º56' N 46º05' E

History

      Warenburg was founded as a Lutheran colony on 12 May 1767 by LeRoy & Pictet with colonists from Darmstadt, Brandenburg, Prussia, Württemberg, and Holstein.
      In 1770, Warenburg was looted during the Pugachev raids on the area.
      In 1876, immigration to North American began with the departure of 17 people.
      A Congress of representatives from the colonies on the Wiesenseite was held in Warenburg 24-27 February 1918. From 4-8 January 1919, there was an anti-Bolshevik uprising held in Warenburg against the government's requisitioning of food.

Church

      The Warenburg parish was founded in 1770. Between 1905-1907, a new church building was constructed of brick by architects and artisans from Germany and Latvia. It was built in the Kontor Style, originally painted completely white on the exterior, and is said to have seated 1,200 worshipers. The interior was painted white and blue. Above the altar in gilded letters was written "Ehre Gott in der Hohe" ("Glory to God in the Highest"). A balcony held a magnificent organ, and three crystal chandeliers hung from the dome above the sanctuary. The church was heated by three cast-iron furnaces. Around the church was a park.
      After the closure of the church in 1932, the building was used as a community entertainment center. The gilded praise to God was replaced by a red-lettered "Die Buhne ist der Spiegel des Lebens" ("The Stage Mirrors Life"). The furnaces broke and were removed. In 1939, the building was abandoned. In 1943, the building was used as a prison workshop and the prisoners worked on tractors beneath the dome.

Pastors

"Miller" School

      The descendants of Heinrich Müller who had settled in Warenburg from near Darmstadt in Hesse became prominent merchants among the Volga German colonies. Over time, some branches of this family set up businesses in other parts of Russia as well. The community was in need of a school building, and in 1909 the ancestral home of the Müller family was acquired to serve this purpose. To this day, this building still functions as a school and is known as the Miller School.

Population

Population Table

Year	Households	Population
		Total	Male	Female
1767		543
1769	149	524	290	234
1773	145	579	327	252
1788	101	521	261	260
1798	122	672	344	328
1816	143	956	492	464
1834	220	1,766	867	899
1850	269	2,836	1,411	1,425
1857	303	2,377	1,685	1,692
1859	320	3,491	1,752	1,739
1883		5,146
1889		5,608
1894
1897		5,279*	2,611	2,668
1904		8,074
1910	784	8,340	4,167	4,173
1912		8,312
1920	1,017**	6,697
1922		4,848
1923		4,638
1926***	860	4,898	2,322	2,576
1931		5,217****

*Of whom 5,216 were German.
**Of which 1,005 households were German.
***Of whom 4,795 (2,269 male & 2,526 female) were German living in 841 households.
****Of whom 5,170 were German.

Beideck.
                                                                                   

                                                                            Beideck church in 2001 used as a "house of culture". Photo courtesy of Steve Schreiber.