Krasnosilka (Güldendorf)

Güldendorf (today Krasnosilka) was a German colony in the Kherson Governorate of Odesa Uyezd and formed part of the Berezan/Liebental Colonists’ District. Today, the territory of the former colony lies within Odesa District.

The colony was founded in 1830 by settlers from Württemberg and Baden. In the early years of settlement, conflicts frequently arose with military settlers, Chumaks, and Bulgarian peasants.

The economic basis of the colony consisted of arable farming, livestock husbandry, and horse breeding.

Following reforms of local self-government, the colony became the administrative center of the Güldendorf Volost. It had 129 farmsteads and a population of 869. Sources of income included a steam mill, four shops, and an inn.

Religious life in the colony—inhabited by Lutherans, Baptists, and Catholics—was turbulent and marked by conflict.

At the outbreak of the First World War, the German population lost the trust of the government. They were dispossessed of their property, forbidden to publish German-language press, and no longer allowed to speak or pray in their native language. In 1915, the village school was closed. In 1914, Güldendorf was renamed Kutusovo.

During Bolshevik rule, the inhabitants of Güldendorf took part in the armed anti-Bolshevik Grossliebental Uprising in the spring and summer of 1919.

In February 1920, Soviet power was established in Ukraine. Relations between the Bolsheviks and the population of Güldendorf were tense. Attempts to introduce collective forms of agriculture proved unsuccessful. At the end of the winter of 1930, the campaign of expropriation and collectivization began. During the famine of 1932–1933, at least 47 residents of Güldendorf died. During the period of mass terror in 1937–1938, 28 people were executed.

In the summer of 1941, Güldendorf fell within the zone occupied by Romanian troops. The German population was placed under the administration of the SS Special Detachment R (Sonderkommando R). In March 1944, in view of the advance of the Red Army, the inhabitants were evacuated to the Reichsgau Warthegau (Poland). After the war, they were repatriated to the USSR.

After the end of the war in 1945, Güldendorf ceased to exist as a German settlement and was renamed Krasnosilka.