Lymanske Selz

Selz (today Lymanske) was a German colony founded in 1808 by Catholic settlers from Alsace, Baden, and the Palatinate. From 1808 to 1871, it served as the administrative center of the Kuchurgan Colonists’ District in Odesa Uyezd of the Kherson Governorate. Since 1938, it has been part of Rozdilna District of Odesa Region.

The economic basis of the colonists consisted of agriculture, market gardening, livestock husbandry, and horse breeding. Until the second half of the 19th century, fine-wool sheep breeding was a profitable activity. Viticulture and wine production generated substantial income, while fishing provided additional earnings. The needs of agriculture and everyday life were met by local craftsmen. By the end of the 19th century, Selz had a steam mill, a grain mill, a sawmill, tile works, and a wool-weaving workshop. The volume of trade at Selz’s markets ranked among the highest in the uyezd.

In 1821, a stone church was built with funds from the local community. In 1901, it was replaced by the monumental Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, consecrated by Bishop Anton Zerr.

At the outbreak of the First World War, all German settlements were given Russian names; Selz was renamed Uspenskoye.

The Revolution and the Civil War, along with raids by armed bands, devastated the village. The colonists opposed Bolshevik policies and, in the summer of 1919, took part in the anti-Bolshevik Grossliebental Uprising. During a punitive expedition by the brigade of Hryhorii (Grigory) Kotovsky against the insurgents, 72 residents of Selz were killed.

The Soviet regime imposed in February 1920 was not supported by the colonists. The policy of grain requisitions, combined with drought, led to famine in 1921–1922. In 1926, the Selz (Friedrich Engels) German National District was established in an effort to restore economic initiative among German farmers.

Forced collectivization began in January 1930. Between 1930 and 1938, 446 people in Selz fell victim to political repression, amounting to 14% of the total population.

In the summer of 1941, the colony fell within the zone occupied by Romanian troops. The German population was placed under the administration of the SS Special Detachment R (Sonderkommando R). On 25 March 1944, in view of the advance of the Red Army, the evacuation of Selz’s inhabitants was ordered; only one third of the population managed to cross the Dniester River. After the war, 65 families were returned to the USSR and deported to the Northern Urals.

Selz ceased to exist as a German settlement. The former inhabitants are remembered through the surviving German houses and the buildings of the hospital and school, which are still in use today. The Catholic cathedral fell into ruins.