Chortitza & Rosenthal: Mennonite Villages in the Chortitza Colony
In the Chortitza Colony, the villages of Chortitza and Rosenthal have strong Mennonite legacies. These villages are now within the Zaporizhzhia (formerly Alexandrovsk) city limits. All but the oak tree photo below are from a small, concentrated area with many Mennonite landmarks. Perhaps what most surprised me was how many Mennonite structures here still stand! I had not been aware of the business dynasties in Chortitza-Rosenthal until seeing their legacy firsthand. This link to a 1915 map marks out below locations from my 2007 trip to Ukraine.
Former Maedchenschule in Chortitza/Rosenthal. The upper floor of this beautiful building has an auditorium with stage for cultural events. Partially funded by the owners of the Lepp and Wallmann factory. Address: Rozental St, 1, Zaporizhzhia, Zaporiz’ka oblast, Ukraine, 69000. Google Maps Satellite View.Private residence of Katharina Wallmann nee Lepp, one of the owners of the Lepp and Wallmann factory.
Maedchenschule auditorium. Genealogist Alan Peters is being videotaped for the cruise video.
Hospital built by the owners of the Lepp and Wallmann factory in 1909 for the workers. Gained a reputation for expertise in treating sexually transmitted infections following the ravages of the Russian revolution.Former Niebuhr bank, established in 1904 in Chortitza by Jakob Hermann Niebuhr to help finance Mennonite business enterprises. Address: Abrahama Koopa St, 17.Google Maps Street View.
Classroom in the former Maedchenschule.
Heinrich Dyck family house, a landmark in Rosenthal. GPS co-ordinates: 47.862246, 35.013401. Google Maps Satellite View. Between the trees the Dyck flour mill is barely visible. Old oak tree situated in what was the northwest corner of the village of Chortitza. Only one branch is still alive at the time of this photo in 2007. An entrepreneur is trying to keep the tree for tourism with a system of poles and cables. I looked for an acorn, but so had hundreds before me, obviously! Visible in Google Maps Street View.
Chortitza Zentralschule (secondary school) for boys, founded in 1842. The white tires in the foreground are a driver training course. Located two buildings up the street from the Maedchenschule. GPS co-ordinates: 47.862282, 35.012167. Google Maps Satellite View.
