History of Petershagen: A Mennonite Village in the Molotschna Colony
Basic facts of Petershagen: – founded in 1805 by Mennonites exiting the Vistula Delta – 1835 population: 158 living in 23 houses – 1857 population: 288 living in 39 houses – 1857 school size: 30 students – 1908 population: 320 – 1908 had five businesses: brick factory, wagon building business, windmill, motor driven mill, grocery store – 1930s, 1940s: some Mennonite men exiled, others drafted into the Red Army – 1942 German army statistics: 213 Mennonites represents 30% of total 710 population – 1943: remaining Mennonite population joined “Great Trek” westward to Poland and Germany – 2024: the Russian town name of Kutuzivka returned to its earlier name (or close to it), Petershahen, as part of a derussification campaign. source: Molotschna Historical Atlas, pp. 170-172.
Color photos below are from my 2007 trip to Ukraine.
Restored Petershagen Mennonite church. Once again houses a Mennonite congregation. Not every Mennonite village had its own church building, since the villages were small and so close together. Most inhabitants of nearby Ladekopp, for example, would have belonged to this church. In the peak of the exterior you can see the year the church was built, 1892. GPS co-ordinates: 47.220278, 35.641441. Google Maps satellite view.A closer look at the limestone rock work for the outbuildings. Beyond, you can see the backyards of the locals, including gardens, sheds, and a goat.
Support for restoration of the building and establishment of the church was provided by a missionary organization.
Interior of the church, with the pastor and our tour’s translator.
The facility did not have indoor plumbing, however our tour group was grateful for the non-flush toilets available in the outbuildings on the left.
