Fernheim Colony

Fernheim is a colony founded by Mennonites in the Chaco of Paraguay. It was founded in 1930-1932 by German -born plautdietsch speaking Mennonites in Russia, who had fled from the former Soviet Union. Center of the colony is the small town of Filadelfia (Philadelphia ). There are about 5,000 ethnic German Mennonites.

Some Russian Mennonites were able to make a successful application to emigrate to Germany, where they were also selected for their Deutschstämmigkeit. However, they did not want to stay there and moved a year later to Paraguay. There were already existing settlements, such as villages flowers Gart, Schönenbach or Simons, which were founded by German Mennonites from Canada. The Russian Mennonites settled in the vicinity and thus came the colony Fernheim (or even remote country ).

The immigration took place under the most difficult circumstances. The immigration area, which had asked the Paraguayan government made ​​available, was still undeveloped, whose access extremely difficult. First, had to be moved upstream with a river steamer the Paraguay River to Puerto Casado, from where a narrow-gauge railway Casado Society about 150 km to the west in the Chaco -Busch led into it. From there, it was still a several -day-long journey by ox cart in the settlement area. Finally, in 1956 began the construction of the Trans - Chaco road from Asuncion to Filadelfia.

Economic status of the colony Fernheim form agriculture and the processing of their agricultural products. These are mainly cotton, peanuts, beef, milk and dairy products.

After the colony Menno Fernheim was the second founded by Mennonite colony in Paraguay. The historical and cultural contexts of the russlandmennonitischen migration and integration to and within Paraguay classes are described very vividly, especially in the literature of Peter P..

In the near Filadelfia is the recreational camp Flor del Chaco, which emerged in the early seventies as a result of the initiative.

The villages of the colony Fernheim

The remote home villages were founded by people from different backgrounds. Some founders came from Russia, other than Poland; other villages were founded by immigrants from Harbin and others founded by immigrants who were already settled in Fernheim. To date, remote home has 25 villages, of which but the following have already been resolved: Wiesenfeld (No. 4), Auhagen (No. 9), Rosenfeld (No. 12), Hiebertsheim (No. 13) and Grunfeld (No. 19) This villages have been all replaced by other villages. The following table shows the present-day villages with number and Year of establishment: