Nizhnyaya Dobrinka, the settlement in Kamyshinsiy district of the Volgograd region, is a place where the history of the Volga Germans began. On the 29th of June 1764 seventeen German families founded the first German colony on the Volga river – Moninger.
There was a steam mill of E.I. Borel, water mills, saw mills, production of milling and threshing stones, first aid center, parochial school, and municipal school in the settlement. Weaving and corn-trade were also developed. The Volga Germans produced buttons and smoking pipes, raised corn and kept cattle.
The oldest building in the settlement is parochial school, which was built in 1780. It's amazing that education process at this school has been carried out for 230 years and was interrupted only in the war period when it was turned into a military hospital.
Walking along the narrow streets of the settlement, one cannot miss a beautiful Lutheran Church. Its construction began in 1845 and continued up to 1864, when the church opened its doors for parishioners. Unfortunately, the church was badly damaged by fire in 1918. The roof, porticos and magnificent columns were burnt. The town hall is also well preserved up to now and used as a psychoneurological dispensary.
In the first half of the 20th century the population of the settlement exceeded 5000 people, most of whom were the Germans. However, due to the deportation in 1941, the majority of them were resettled to other regions of the country. Very few deported Germans moved back to their native land.
Visiting the settlement, which is called "the cradle of the Volga Germans", you will be amazed not only by the oldest and most beautiful samples of the Volga Germans architecture but also enjoy the splendid views of the Shcherbakovskiy Nature Park ".