Visiting your ancestral village can be one of the most memorable moments of your genealogy research. To walk down the streets where your ancestor walked … to see the house where your family once lived … to visit the church or school that your family attended … it’s something most of us want to experience at least once.

Most of the German villages in the Black Sea region now have Ukrainian names. Many of the cemeteries are gone, and many churches were destroyed or turned into community centers during the Soviet period following WWII. But most of the houses, and memories of our families, remain.

Several tour agencies, run by fellow German-Russians, specialize in planning tours to the Black Sea German villages. The books we’ve referenced can help you plan your trip.