History of Alexanderkrone: A Mennonite Village in the Molotschna Colony

Alexanderkrone was a small Mennonite village in the Molotschna Colony of what is now Ukraine. It had a few unique features among the Molotschna villages. Though small, it was one of the few villages with a Zentralschule (secondary school). It also had both a church and an elementary school. It had two imposing windmills. Amongst its people were a few distinctions: it was one of the villages with adherents who, from 1880 to 1884, followed Claas Epp Jr. to central Asia to better prepare for Christ’s Second Coming. This village also had a disproportionately large number of people who emigrated in the 1920s when a window of opportunity opened. Quite a few Mennonite structures still stand in Alexanderkrone, below photos are a sample.

Basic facts of Alexanderkrone:
– founded in 1857, much later than many villages in Molotschna
– early settlers were from the various villages in Molotschna
– an elementary school was located in the centre of the village, it typically had about 60 students
– 1890: church building constructed, by 1913 it had 1,700 adherents including children
– 1906: a Zentralschule (secondary school) is established on a piece of land donated by the village, it was later reclassified as a business school.
– 1908 population: 419
– 1908 had a few businesses: two windmills, a steam mill, metalwork, furniture manufacturer, brick factory
– 1920s: at least 57 families totalling 231 people fled to Canada
– 1930s: most Mennonites shipped to central Asia
– 1942 German army statistics: 19 Mennonites represents 11% of total 167 population
– 1943: remaining few Mennonites presumably population joined “Great Trek” westward to Poland and Germany
– 2025: the former Alexanderkrone and Lichtfelde are now combined and called Hrushivka in Google Maps
source: Molotschna Historical Atlas, pp. 105-106.

See William Schroeder’s map of Alexanderkrone as it was in 1914.

Photos below are from my 2007 trip to Ukraine. The visit to Mrs. Pancratz’s house for snacks and visiting made this village especially memorable.

Alexanderkrone windmill, in the Dutch style. Struck by lightning in 1949. The structure must have been spectacular when it was intact and operating. GPS co-ordinates: 47.046857, 35.823873. Google Maps satellite view, where it’s labelled “Staryy Holands’kyy Mlyn”.
Former Alexanderkrone church, an offshoot of the Margenau Mennonite Church.




Food served by Mrs. Pancratz in her house. Delightful!




Former Alexanderkrone school, now used for storage.



The gear system inside the windmill is still largely intact after all these years.



Former Alexanderkrone store. Like many Mennonite buildings converted to storage, the windows have been replaced with bricks.



Mrs. Pancratz entertaining the tour which included a tour of her house. She had electricity for lighting and a fridge and had a wood stove for cooking. She spoke through an interpreter.


Free range poultry along the road allowance in Alexanderkrone. A very common site in the former Molotschna villages. I am told when the residents are asked: “How do you know whose chickens and ducks are whose?”, the answer is “We don’t know, but they do!”



Former Mennonite house in Alexanderkrone, near Mrs. Pancratz’s house.



The tour was invited to sample snacks at Mrs. Rita Pancratz’s house. Mrs. Pancratz and her husband were on the Great Trek but were overtaken by the Soviet forces and sent to Kazakhstan. Her husband died there but Mrs. Pancratz was able to return to Alexanderkrone in the 1970s. We were delighted to be served food and see the interior of her house.
Side view of Mrs. Pancratz’s very well-maintained house. It still had the original clay tile roof. The chimney was the outlet for the wood stove in her kitchen.