Germans from Russia Heritage Collection

The Executive Committee of the Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland e.V.

Please contact the Landsmannschaft well in advance before arriving in Germany or Stuttgart. The Landsmannschaft headquarters is located three to four walking blocks from the Bessarabian deutscher Vereine.V. and Heimatmuseum der Deutschen aus Bessarabien.

Role and objectives:
Ruth Klötzel of the Landsmannschaft made the following presentation at the 1995 Germans from Russia Heritage Society 25th Anniversary Convention, "Role and Objectives of the Association of the Germans from Russia in Stuttgart". Go to the following GRHC website page for the complete text of the presentation: http://library.ndsu.edu/grhc/klotzel.html.

Journal:
Volk auf dem Weg, the monthly journal is of significant interest to Germans from Russia family historians and genealogists. The journal includes obituaries and anniversary listings.

Membership:
With a subscription to the journal, Volk auf dem Weg, one becomes a member of the organization.

Subscription price for Volk auf dem Weg:
The yearly subscription cost is 60 Euro land rate postage shipment, or 80 Euro air mail postage shipment. Payment needs to be only in Euro dollars payable to the Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland, Railelsbergstrasse 49, 70188 Stuttgart, Germany.

Organization:
The Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Rußland was founded in the early 1950s. It is an organization with a membership from the following groups:

- Black Sea Germans
- Caucasus Germans
- Crimean Germans
- Mennonite Germans
- Volga Germans
- Volhynian Germans

Work activities include social welfare assistance to the ethnic Germans immigrating to Germany from the former Soviet Union. Since the late 1980s to date, close to 2.5 million ethnic Germans have immigrated from the former Soviet Union to Germany.

The society provides cultural events, publishes books, and prepares travelling exhibits on the German-Russian experience. The primary work of Landsmannschaft relates to the social welfare of the Germans from Russia community in Germany today.

Library and Museum:
The Landsmannschaft has an extensive library collection available for researchers at the Stuttgart. Interlibrary loan is not available. A museum room of German-Russian artifacts is available for viewing.

Bookstore and book sales:
Books for purchase of the Landsmannschaft including many Heimatbucher and literature are avialable for purchase from the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection website at the following page: http://library.ndsu.edu/grhc/heimatbucher.html.

Bundestreffen (Bi-Annual gathering of Germans from Russia)
The Landsmannschaft sponsors a large Germans from Russia gathering every two years. In June, 1998 when Chancellor Helmut Kohl was the featured speaker, close to 60,000 ethnic German-Russians attended.

Margaret Aman Freeman, Redondo Beach, California, and Homer Rudolf, Richmond, Virginia assist at the Amerika Haus tables representing the Glueckstal Colonies Research Association (www.glueckstal.net).

Photo of one of the large gatherings at the Bundestreffen, on June 6, 1998 at Killesberg Messe, Stuttgart, Germany. The large hall includes primarily persons of German ancestry who lived in Kazakhstan and have immigrated to Germany since the late 1980s and 1990s.

Amerika Haus
At the 1994, 1996,1998, 2001, and 2007 Bundestreffen gatherings, the North Dakota State University Libraries sponsored the "Amerika Haus" with information tables. The 2001"Amerika Haus" was jointly sponsored by the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia and the NDSU Libraries.

The 2001 and 2007 Journey to the Homeland: Germany and Ukraine Tour sponsored by the North Dakota State University Libraries included attendance at the Bundestreffen. For further information about the tour, go to the following GRHC website page: http://library.ndsu.edu/grhc/journey.html.

Regional gatherings:
Regional gatherings of Germans from Russia are held throughout Germany. Announcements of gatherings appear in the monthly journal, Volk auf dem Weg.

Genealogical and family history research:
At this time, The Landsmannschaft is not prepared to accept genealogical research correspondence, due to lack of staff or resources. The best source of genealogical information is to support the Landsmannschaft by subscribing to Volk auf dem Weg. Much genealogical data can be located in the journal of the Landsmannschaft.

Contact in North America:
For further information about the Landsmannschaft, contact: Michael M. Miller, Germans from Russia Heritage Collection, NDSU Libraries, PO Box 6050, Dept. 2080, Fargo, North Dakota 58108-6050; Telephone: 701-231-8416 E-mail: Michael.Miller@ndsu.edu

Journey to the Homeland Tour members visiting the Landsmannschaft offices in May of 2010 and 2011:


Tour group in front of the Landsmannschaft office building, Stuttgart, Germany.	Adolf Fetsch, Munich, Germany, President of the Landsmannschaft, shares a sign of cooperation by shaking hands with Michael Miller.