Conrad Keller, a visitor to Kleinliebental in 1904, described the village as follows:

"The colony Kleinliebental, also called Kseniewka and Malaja Ackerscha, is located in the Odessa district province of Cherson, twelve versts from the railway and seaport of Odessa, on the river Malaja Ackerscha. The Malaja Ackerscha has its origin fifteen versts north-west of the colony, near the main road, winds its way across the boundary of the Kleinliebental fields, from the north to the south. It flows through the middle of the colony dividing it into two parallel streets. It is joined by two tributaries and flows in a three faden wide river bed below the colony into the Liman (estuary).

The banks on both sides of the little river are approximately one faden high. The flat land extending from the river banks to the higher ground is divided into vegetable gardens. Each of these gardens has one or two wells for watering the plants. The location of the gardens and vineyards on both sides of the colony makes it an attractive sight. The soil in the valley is rather stony, but very productive; higher up the black earth begins. The two streets are joined to each other by small bridges built across the river.

The eastern street, in which the church is located, called the Russian street, runs from north to south, is 2 versts long and has 115 houses in 2 rows. The western street, which has the bathing establishment, called the Jewish street, is 2 versts and 40 Faden long and has 140 houses in 2 rows. The number of people in the village is 2347. The most common occupations of the inhabitants are grain-farming, wine-growing, livestock-raising, and vegetable gardening. The important buildings in the colony are a church, two schoolhouses, a parsonage, a municipal office and a bathing establishment.

The houses in the colony are all built according to the same plan, usually with the gable to the street. They generally have two rooms and a kitchen, along with an entrance or porch. The front room with the window facing the street is the parlor. The back room is the bedroom. The house is usually 8 faden long, 4 faden wide and l/2 faden high up to the roof. The roof is usually covered with reeds, which are skillfully flattened. Behind the house, commonly under the same roof, are the barns for the livestock and farther back, near the threshing place, the barns for chicken and geese. Opposite the house there is a cellar and often also a well or cistern and a baking kitchen. The farmyard is surrounded by a stone wall about 5 feet high. Behind the farmyards, on both sides of the village, are the vineyards, of which 1 dessatine belongs to each farmer. On the east side the vineyards stretch about 300 faden down to the liman. In front of the white-washed walls along the street side there is a beautiful row of acacia trees, extending from one end of the village to the other, which gives the colony an exceptionally picturesque appearance.

Kleinliebental was settled in 1804 by immigrants from various regions of Germany. When the settlers first arrived at the site where the colony now is, there were five houses and four clay huts, owned by a Russian nobleman. Sixteen families destined for this colony had arrived in Russia in 1803, but because the land had not yet been purchased for them, they had to be quartered in Odessa. Two families, Johann Senger and Adam Schleich, came to this site in 1803 and can therefore be called the founders of Kleinliebental.

In March 1804, 48 families arrived and settlement was begun. There were 50 lots measured out, 25 on the east side and 25 on the west side of the river. The lots were all in a row from the site where the hydrotherapy institute is now located northwards to the Kunanz lot. On every lot a reed hut was built as a shelter for the people and the meagre belongings that they had brought with them. So Kleinliebental came into existence. In 1805, 20 more families arrived; in 1807, one; in 1808, four; and in 1809, seven, making a total of 82 households. The plan for the colony of Kleinliebental was made by Duke Richelieu, who also gave it its name."

Source: "The German Colonies in South Russia 1804 to 1904" by Conrad Keller, translated from the German edition by Anthony Becker, second edition with some revisions by Adam Giesinger

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© 1998 Peter Mock
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