The Swedish Village of Zmiivka

Zaporizhzhya Television, 2001. The program "Where Mom Picked Grapes" is dedicated to the Swedish village of Zmiivka in the Kherson region.

In the video: views of the village; the history of the Swedish diaspora in Zmiivka is told; Swedish folk songs are heard; a resident of the village, Lilly Hansas, shares memories of her life; the daily life of the residents, animal husbandry and the economy of the Swedish community are shown.

Host — Olena Revenko.

Reference: the village of Zmiivka is a unique settlement in the Kherson region, where the heritage of the Swedish diaspora, founded by immigrants from the island of Dage (Gijumaa), who created a colony called Staroshvedske, has been preserved since the 18th century. Despite deportations, migrations and Soviet repressions, the village is still home to a small Swedish community, whose descendants speak, sing and pray in the Old Swedish language, which has almost disappeared in its historical homeland. An important center of their religious and cultural identity is the Lutheran church, restored at the expense of the community, where pastors from Sweden periodically serve.