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Memorial to a German Colony

  The former Roman Catholic colony of Münchenthal (officially Mużyłowice Kolonia) was settled in 1784 by 26 German and 14 Moravian families at the invitation of Austrian Emperor Josef II. The large Jesuit estate and monastery in Mużyłowice had been closed by the Emperor in 1773. The estate land was used to divide into properties for the colonists.

Münchenthal was part of the Austrian crown land of Galizien (Galicia) prior to WWI. Between WWI and WWII, it was part of Poland. The village was in the Soviet Union from 1940 until the independence of Ukraine in 1991. Today the village is part of western Ukraine and known by its Ukrainian name Muzhylovychi.

An estimated 350 colonists emigrated to Canada, USA, Australia, Austria (Vienna), and other countries between 1894 and 1939. Münchenthal ceased to exist as a German colony in January 1940 when the remaining Germans were resettled to the "Wartegau" and other General government lands (now part of Poland) as a result of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact. The houses, gardens, and land that made up the German colony were settled by Ukrainian families displaced from Poland during and after the war.

Church

Colonists and descendants started to visit the former colony after 1991. In 2002, Edward Rozylowicz (United States) and Brian Lenius (Canada) visited this village and made a decision to explore the idea of restoring the Roman Catholic church to its former state or, minimally, arrest the decay and prevent its collapse. This ultimately proved prohibitive and thusly attention was turned to the unrecognizable cemetery. After years of intensive work the cemetery was cleared and a fitting monument erected on the cemetery grounds. For complete and detailed information with photos of the church and cemetery projects please look at ... Memorial Page

MemorialOn September 20, 2018 in Muzhylovychi, Ukraine - formerly the German colony of Mużyłowice Kolonia (Münchenthal) the cemetery and monument were re-sanctified and blessed. The service was conducted by a Roman Catholic priest from the L'viv Curia and 3 Ukrainian (Greek Catholic and Orthodox) priests from the village. The ceremony was followed by a full day of activities arranged for the German descendants that attended, including a Ukrainian meal in the village, display of German colony books, maps, and photos, and a walking tour of the former colony. A professional video made of the full day activities can be viewed here ... Link to Official Dedication Video on YouTube

Full additional information about the cemetery blessing day is also available on the dedication page ... Dedication Page

Check for any current updates here: ... Latest News as of date

For further Münchenthal information or to find out how to make a donation to the on-going projects, please Contact the Cemetery Committee Chairman at ...
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