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Since the First World War, Germans have repeatedly immigrated to Germany from Russia, the Soviet Union and its successor states as a result of numerous political and social upheavals. The immigration of approximately 2.4 million Germans from the Soviet Union at the start of perestroika attracted a great deal of attention in Germany. It is less well known, however, that Russian-Germans had already been immigrating to the GDR as early as the 1970s.
To gain a better understanding of the background to this diverse migration movement, the Wolhynian Resettlers’ Museum organised the workshop ‘The immigration of Germans from the (post-)Soviet space since the 1970s’ from 23 October to 24 October 2026. Other partners included the Chemnitz branch of the Association of Germans from Russia, Riwwel guG from Berlin and the Linstow Local History Society. Over the course of two days, six speakers recounted their very personal immigration stories. The focus was on questions such as:
- What role did the topic of ‘being German’ play in the Soviet Union and its successor states?
Why did people emigrate?
What was it like arriving in Germany?
Were the immigrants’ expectations of life in Germany fulfilled?
How did life change as a result of the peaceful revolution in 1989?
The 30 workshop participants came from Berlin, Mecklenburg, Lower Saxony and Saxony, many of whom have a background of migration. On the first day, Ida Böttcher, Galina Zerr and Lilli Tews spoke about their immigration from the Soviet Union to the GDR in the 1970s and 1980s. The memories of this period were very moving for everyone. For the younger generation in particular, there was a great deal of new information. For example, apart from a small welcome grant, there was no state support for integration in the GDR.
On the second day, Oskar Schulz spoke about his immigration to the Federal Republic of Germany from Tajikistan (then still part of the Soviet Union) in 1988, which was closely linked to perestroika and the Soviet Union’s war in Afghanistan. Nikita Heidt had already been researching the persecution of his ancestors under Stalinism whilst still in Russia. For Maria Lotsmanova, family history research was the starting point for her work as director of the Museum of GULAG History in Moscow. The change in the social climate in Russia following the Russian aggression against Ukraine had prompted both of them to emigrate to Germany.
We then met a pair of siblings from Argentina as surprise guests; their ancestors were Russian-German emigrants from the Volga region and Volhynia who had emigrated to Argentina via Brazil. During the breaks, Jörg Borchardt and Michael Thoß offered guided tours of the two exhibitions and the museum, which were very well attended.
The public part of the programme featured a book reading by Eleonora Hummel, a writer with Russian-German roots. Her ancestors were deported from the Volga region to Kazakhstan in the 1940s. In the 1980s, her family emigrated to Saxony. The audience found it particularly interesting to hear how she had explored her family history through her writing.
Through these different life stories, the participants were able to gain a very clear understanding of the vastly different circumstances under which people left the Soviet Union and its successor states. Although they all ‘merely’ came to Germany, they encountered very different societies and perceived the country in very different ways, depending on whether they arrived in the GDR, the Federal Republic or reunified Germany. Each story had its own distinctive flavour, an individual character, but also much in common, which was predetermined by our shared history as members of the German minority. For everyone, immigration marked a new beginning towards a life that was both uncertain and longed for – regardless of whether this step was taken in the 1970s, 1980s or as late as the 2020s.
The good mix of young and old, each with different life experiences, led to many interesting conversations. The hard-working women from the local heritage association made a particularly significant contribution to the success of the event; with great care, they provided all participants with lunch, coffee, cake and little treats in the evening. We felt completely at ease; the warmth was evident in every gesture. I would like to take this opportunity to offer my heartfelt praise and thanks to everyone who prepared, organised and ran this workshop. We would also like to express our gratitude for the support provided by the Federal Government Commissioner for Matters Relating to Ethnic German Resettlers and National Minorities and the Cultural Department for Russian-Germans.
Ida Böttcher, LmDR Ortsgruppe Chemnitz
The Wolhynian Resettlers Museum invites you to a reading by author Eleonora Hummel, who will read from her novels ‘The Fish of Berlin’ and ‘Venus in the Window’. Her work focuses on the history of Russian-Germans who resettled from Kazakhstan to the GDR during the Soviet era.
Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Wolhynian Resettlers Museum, Kiether Str. 2, 18292 Linstow
In ‘The Fish of Berlin’, the narrator Alina sets out to uncover a secret from the Stalin era surrounding her taciturn grandfather. In ‘The Venus in the Window’, the author explores the fate of a woman whose life was shaped by deportation, forced labour and the NKVD’s special command. In her novels, Eleonora Hummel unfolds the eventful story of a Russian-German family who emigrated to the GDR in the 1980s with high hopes, only to be brought down to earth by harsh reality.
In a talk with the audience, the author discusses settling into a new home and explores the question: what does it take to put down roots in a new place? Eleonora Hummel was born in 1970 in Zelinograd, Kazakhstan. In 1980, she moved with her family to the North Caucasus and settled in Dresden two years later.
The event is sponsored by the Federal Government Commissioner for Matters Relating to Ethnic German Resettlers and National Minorities, as well as by the Cultural Office for Russian-Germans, with funding from the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Admission is free.
The Linstow Local History Society warmly invites you to the 34th Museum Festival in Linstow. Under the theme ‘From Volhynia to the wider world – the settlement of German farmers in the Baltic States’, a varied programme awaits our guests from 4 September 2026 to 6 September 2026.
Friday, 4 September 2026
5.30 pm Welcome with musical accompaniment
6.00 pm From Volhynia to the wider world – the settlement of German farmers in the Baltic States with Dr Ron Hellfritzsch and Dr Kaisa Langer
Saturday, 5 September 2026
2.00 pm Museum festival with cultural programme
4.00 pm Ukrainian choir ‘Smetana’ from Stralsund
Sunday, 6 September 2026
10.00 am Local church service at Kieth Church
12.00 pm Memorial service for the victims of flight and expulsion in the Garden of Remembrance
The starting point is a until now little-known aspect of the eventful migration history of the Volhynian Germans. From 1906 onwards, several thousand farmers migrated on from Volhynia to the Baltic states. On Friday, 4 September 2026, Dr Ron Hellfritzsch and Dr Kaisa Langer will take us on a journey through time to Latvia and Estonia, a journey that, for many settlers and their descendants, ended in 1945 with their flight to Germany.
On Saturday, 5 September 2026, we would like to celebrate the successes of our museum’s work together with you, with music, dancing, a raffle and Volhynian specialities, whilst providing an opportunity for stimulating conversations and an exchange of views. We are particularly looking forward to the Ukrainian choir ‘Smetana’ from Stralsund. Nearly 30 singers will be inviting you to dance to a mix of traditional and modern songs. On Sunday, 6 September 2026, we will celebrate our church service at Kieth Church with guests from Germany and abroad. Afterwards, we would like to gather in the Garden of Remembrance for a solemn memorial service in honour of all victims of flight and expulsion.
You are warmly welcome to the 34th Museum Festival – come and celebrate with us in Linstow.
To mark the day of remembrance for the victims of flight and expulsion, the Wolhynian Resettlement Museum invites you to a lecture titled “The Forced Resettlements from the GDR Border Region along the Inner-German Border in 1952” with Rainer Potratz.
Date: Friday, June 19, 2026
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Wolhynian Resettlement Museum, Kiether Str. 2, 18292 Linstow
On May 26, 1952, the GDR Council of Ministers adopted a new border regime for the border with the Federal Republic of Germany. Over 8,000 people, who were considered politically unreliable for various reasons, were deported against their will and without prior notice to the interior of the GDR. They were resettled in the hinterland under conditions that were at times inhumane. The reasons for their forced resettlement remained largely unknown to those affected. In nearly all villages near the border, from the Baltic Sea to the border triangle near Hof, people were affected by this coercive measure.
In his lecture, Rainer Potratz describes the historical background, the process, and the consequences for the victims. He provides an overview of the forced resettlements following the construction of the Berlin Wall on October 3, 1961, and of subsequent individual resettlements. Furthermore, he describes the difficulties faced by the victims in having their experiences of persecution recognized in the Federal Republic of Germany since the 1990s. Eyewitnesses from Mecklenburg will also share their stories.
Rainer Potratz is a historian who has been researching the GDR’s border regime for many years. Most recently, he served as an advisor to the State Commissioner of Brandenburg for Coming to Terms with the Legacy of the Communist Dictatorship.
The event is sponsored by Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Meckelburg-Vorpommern. Admission is free.
To kick off the summer season, the Volhynian Resettlers Museum invites you to the musical and literary program ‘What Remains’ featuring Katharina Martin-Virolainen and Oleg von Riesen.
Date: Sunday, May 3, 2026
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Volhynian Resettlement Museum, Kiether Str. 2, 18292 Linstow
From Volhynia to Siberia, along the Danube to Bessarabia, from the heights of the Carpathians to the vineyards of the Caucasus—in many places, there are still numerous signs of former German settlement. An abandoned half-timbered house, the ruins of an old church, a forgotten gravestone in the cemetery, or a lone apple tree in the middle of a field bear witness to a world that has been lost.
Between 2018 and 2025, Katharina Martin-Virolainen and Oleg von Riesen traveled through eleven countries in search of traces of the history of German minorities. They visited former German villages, places of exile, museums, and memorial sites. They spoke with eyewitnesses and dedicated individuals who continue to preserve the legacy of the past to this day.
They documented their search for traces through photographs and videos and processed their experiences into sensitive texts and songs. With their multimedia program, the two artists invite the audience on a journey through time and speak about what remains when seemingly nothing is left.
The author Katharina Martin-Virolainen was born in East Karelia. She is the founder and director of “Meine Leute,” a theater dedicated to the history of displaced persons and ethnic German repatriates, in Eppingen. For many years, she has been exploring the history and culture of German minorities—including those in the former Soviet republics—through artistic projects. Composer Oleg von Riesen was born in Kazakhstan. In addition to his own compositions, he sets poems by artists such as Nora Pfeffer, Valeria Koch, Gerhard Hauptmann, and Gertrud von den Brincken to music.
Coffee and cake will be served. Admission is free. Donations to support the museum’s work are appreciated.
