Background article The History of the German-speaking Volhynians as Part of a Global Migration History From the mid-nineteenth century onward, innovations such as steam navigation and the advent of the railroad led to a sharp increase in global migration movements. The German-speaking Volhynians were part of this development, which moved between the ideal-typical poles of voluntary and forced migration and was significantly influenced by the enforcement of the ethnonational principle. This article focuses on the emigration movements of this group from the Russian governorate of Volhynia in the period between the 1860s and the First World War. The subsequent forced migrations of the German-speaking Volhynians are also briefly discussed.
Unpacked In this permanent exhibition, pieces of luggage and the stories of their Russian-German owners, are "unpacked". These are stories are marked by repeated migrations, different homelands and identities – and are still today an important part of German society as a whole.
Zürich an der Wolga ("Zurich on the Volga") How did a village with the name "Zurich" come to be built on the Volga? And did Swiss people actually live there?
