Spat, a Mennonite village in the Crimea. The land for this village, 23,500 acres, was purchased in 1881 by a group of Mennonites from the Molotschna settlement and was located near the station Sarabus. Two villages were established on this land, the larger named Spat and the smaller, about five miles distant, Menlerchik. Spat consisted of 31 settlers, among whom the most influential were Johann Langemann and Cornelius Wall. Economic difficulties were overcome by means of a loan from Molotschna private sources. By 1912 the land, which had been purchased from Anna Semyonova, had been paid for. The villages were established on the usual pattern used by the Mennonites of Russia. Soon Spat became a prosperous center of the Mennonites of the Crimea in agriculture, industry, and education. Langemann had an agricultural implement factory, and there were two large mills owned respectively by Langemann and Janzen and Langemann and Unrau, besides numerous other businesses.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 592. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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