Verein der Wolgadeutschen
The Verein der Wolgadeutschen (Association for Volga Germans) was organized in Berlin in May 1919 by 33 men who had escaped the Bolshevik Cheka. The association was headquarted at NW. 52, Schloss Bellevue.
The association published two paperbacks on the Volga Germans which revealed to many Germans for the first time the existence of this splinter group on the lower Volga that had held its language, religion, customs and culture for over 150 years.
The first 48 page book, printed in 1919, titled Die deutschen Kolonien im Wolgagebiet (The German Colonies in the Volga region) was an concise and authentic history of the colonies with a hand-drawn map. The book was distributed in Western Europe and the New World.
In 1922, Johannes Schleuning (a founder of the organization) published a 128 page companion work, Aus tiefster Not (In Direst Need) in Berlin. It was an eye opening account of the colonists plight during World War I, their sufferings through the reign of terror and civil war, and the then current struggle to survive the severe famine in Russia. On the eve of publication, Schleuning traveled to the United States (Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Ohio, Iowa, California, Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota) with three other Verein members to visit areas of Volga German settlement in an effort to seek aid and support for their kinsman in Russia. At his numerous public appearances (sometimes two or three per day), the books were sold with the proceeds (about $10,000) used to fund the relief support.
In 1922, a second edition of Schleuning's history of the colonies was printed in Portland, Oregon.
The Verein also published the monthly Wolgadeutsche Monatshefte in Berlin from 1922 to 1925. Besides distribution in Germany, circulation included the United States, Canada and Argentina. The Monatshefte is valuable source for the Volga German researcher.
Schloss Bellevue in Berlin, the former headquarter of the Verein der Wolgadeutschen. Today it is the official residence of the German president.