Lindenau
Lindenau was found in 1804, one of the initial nine villages laid out along the eastern banks of the Molochnaya River. The settlement was supervised by the first Oberschulze, Klaas Wiens….The initial population of the village was 90, with 47 males and 43 females….Lindenau farmers stood in the forefront of Molotschna agriculture. While wheat production showed an average yield, in 1847 Isaak Braun had the second largest nursery in the colony (12,970 trees), and was among the leaders in growing fruit trees. Isaak Loewen had the highest production of silk in the Molotschna in 1846, Jacob Wiens the second most in 1850. Lindenau had 126,182 trees in 1851….
In 1857 [the time of the map featured on this page] Lindenau had a population of 345…living in 48 houses….Most Lindenau Residents were members of the Lichtenau Flemish church, then later the Lichtenau-Petershagen congregation. In the early years leader and minister, David Huebert, lived in Lindenau. It was his home that was visited by the Czar in 1818.
-pg. 156, Molotschna Historical Atlas, 2003. Helmut Huebert
The beautifully coloured Russian maps featured here are from the 1850’s. Their purchase was made possible by the generous funding of the Plett Foundation.