Krasna was a village founded in 1814 by German colonists from the Palatinate, Saarland, Alsace, Baden and Württemberg in the south of Russia, in the governorate of Bessarabia. The inhabitants of Krasna lived 126 years among people of Eastern European peoples. During this time they have cultivated and preserved their own culture. In 1940 they were resettled to West Prussia (today in Poland) in the course of the separation of interests between Hitler and Stalin. At the end of the Second World War at the beginning of 1945 they had to flee from the Red Army again. Most of them fled to West Germany, some remained in the area of the later GDR. Many of the last generation born in Krasna settled in northern Rhineland-Palatinate, not very far from their original emigration regions. The circle has closed, so to speak. The German Krasna no longer exists. Today the place is called Krasnoe, its inhabitants are predominantly Moldovans and Ukrainians.

In the following, the history of the village will be traced. In doing so, we will try to describe the circumstances as they were. The presentation is based on information that has been filtered out from various sources. Many things others have collected before me in single representations (see hints in the text). It was only on this foundation that it was possible to tackle this work. Some things must remain in the dark, because (so far) sufficient documents are missing. It would be nice if people who might still have authentic material would make it accessible. This could further refine the image of Krasna.

Photos can illustrate some things better than many words. Therefore I have integrated a number of photographs into the text, although their quality is often not overwhelming. They are often prints of photos from old calendars or books. Privately owned photos have been resettled and escaped, which many people see.

I would like to thank all those who have contributed to this chronicle, in particular

• Ted Becker
  He provided the lion's share of documents and photos. He has always helped with words and deeds. Without his support my project would not have been possible. The descendants of the Krasnaer must be grateful to him for many documents and photos, which he collected, archived and stored in years of work.
• Max Riehl
  He contributed his enormous knowledge about Krasna then and now.
• Josef Erker
  His book¹⁾, his film and his living memories were very helpful.
• Ernst Schäfer
  He helped with writings and numerous photographs.
• Paul Wingenbach
  He evaluated old documents and put handwritten documents into readable form.
• Olaf Schelski
  He designs and organizes the website Krasna History.

I owe a lot of information to older former Krasnaers (I cannot list their names in detail), who gave me valuable hints in conversations. Last but not least, I would like to thank my wife Maria, who has been very considerate of me the whole time when I put other things on hold because of the work on the Krasna Chronicle.