During World War I, many wealthy residents of the city of Kharkiv and the province took it upon themselves to provide financial assistance to the state by donating funds for the needs of the army or the civilian population. Unfortunately, today the deeds and names of these people—who deserve our admiration and the remembrance of future generations—have been forgotten. It is a paradoxical situation: we know almost every detail of these people’s lives before 1914, but practically nothing about their lives afterward. Take, for example, the Koenig family, which is very well known in our region. Surely many of you reading these lines will immediately think of sugar and the beautiful estates in Trostyanets’ and Sharivka. However, not everyone is aware of just how much good the members of this family did for the people between 1914 and 1916.
So, in the summer of 1914, as soon as the war began, Julius Leopoldovich Koenig was one of the first in the Kharkiv Governorate—to use modern terminology—to be considered an “oligarch” who supported the army not only in words but also in deeds. Although things were quite difficult for him at that time. Riding the wave of patriotism, some people reminded Julius Leopoldovich that he was the son of a Saxon subject who had taken Russian citizenship as recently as 1869, and that he was, after all, German by nationality. So, alas, there was no shortage of denunciations to the police at that time accusing him of being an “enemy of the people” and a “spy for the enemy army.” However, be that as it may, in August 1914, thanks to Julius Koenig, the following was done.
In order to alleviate the plight of the families of those called to war who had previously been employed on the Trostyanets’ and Huty estates, an order was issued to provide a monthly allowance:
— to employees: 75% of their salary and the same amount of provisions;
— to clerks: 50% of their salary and provisions worth up to 4 rubles;
— to skilled workers: 5 rubles in cash;
— Laborers: 3 rubles in cash.
In addition, the families of craftsmen and laborers were provided with firewood for heating on a monthly basis. Furthermore, to fully understand the financial situation of the mobilized soldiers’ families, special committees were established from among the employees themselves—who were familiar with local living conditions and ways of life—and these committees were entrusted with all assistance functions related to the distribution of rations and firewood. Thanks to this, as early as mid-August, the Sharivka estate began distributing rations—consisting of flour, millet, lard, and salt—to the wives of soldiers from nearby villages and hamlets.
The employees of the Trostyanets’ main office, as well as its administration, not only purchased underwear for wounded soldiers with their own money but also decided to donate 3% of their monthly salaries to the army’s needs until the end of the war. A donation of 10,000 rubles was made to the Kharkiv Provincial Committee, which provided financial assistance to the families of those drafted into the army. The Committee for Collecting Donations for Wartime Needs, established under the “Sugar Manufacturers’ Society,” resolved to donate one-fifth of a kopeck per pood of sugar produced by the company for the domestic market.
And to ensure that employees’ children would not be left homeless if anything were to happen to their mothers, special shelters were established in Trostyanets’ and Huty, where the children could live and be fed until their fathers returned home.
Hospitals were set up on the estates for the wounded. The one in Trostyanets’ had 30 beds, and the one in Guty had 60. The company covered the cost of the facilities, the purchase of medical equipment and supplies, the salaries of medical staff, and, of course, meals.
All of this proved to be extremely necessary. By early September 1914, the hospitals on the Gut and Sharivka estates—established and maintained at the expense of Julius Koenig—were already housing 129 wounded soldiers.
In the summer of 1915, following the defeat of the Russian Empire’s troops and the onset of their retreat, thousands of refugees began arriving in Kharkiv. They were housed, among other places, in a building quite familiar to many residents of our city. Indeed, newspapers of that time reported that “…the owner of the Trostyanets estate in the Akhtyrsky District, Y. L. Koenig informed the commission for refugee relief at the Mussuri Circus of his desire to take 70 refugee families under his care, who would receive provisions, housing, heating, and lighting from the estate. At the same time, it was stipulated that each family must have at least one able-bodied member. Those working on the estate would receive not only food but also monetary compensation.”
When several trains carrying refugees arrived at the refugee food distribution point near the Balashosky railway station in mid-August, Julius Koenig once again did not stand idly by, offering to house about 240 families—numbering up to 1,200 people—on his estates.
We can gauge the public reaction to this latest noble act by a man who had already donated a considerable amount of his personal funds to the war effort from a letter of thanks published in the press on behalf of the head of the refugee evacuation effort.
Mr. Koenig, the manager of the Oridinsky District of the Huty Estates, L. V. von Bering, with the energetic and truly wholehearted efforts of his representative, V. N. Serga, completed the reception of 700 refugees, whom they had sent to work and settle on their patron’s estates. Since Mr. Koenig was guided primarily by humanitarian considerations in accepting the refugees, he chose those among them who were burdened with large families. He required only one thing: that each family have at least one working member. Now, 700 hungry and destitute people have found shelter and can face the approaching bad weather and cold with peace of mind. In addition to the aforementioned 700 people, the Trostyanets’ estate in the city of Koenig also decided to take in about 800 refugees and even accepted 144 people, but following a subsequent order, the intake has been temporarily suspended. With a deep sense of gratitude on behalf of the unfortunate, I am writing, through your esteemed newspaper, to Mr. Koenig himself as well as to his worthy staff, who can take joy in the knowledge that, thanks to them, much great human suffering will find consolation and relief.
However, the war, which initially seemed so short and victorious, was becoming increasingly protracted. So by the end of 1916, quite predictably, the funds of many of those who had voluntarily taken the initiative to provide financial assistance to the state had run dry, and a certain weariness began to set in. But not so for Julius Leopoldovich Koenig, whom many held up as an example. By that time, the situation on his estates, located in the Kharkiv Governorate, was as follows:
— In Huty and Trostyanets’, field hospitals had been set up for wounded soldiers, with their own railway spurs (that is, built at Koenig’s expense) running “almost to their doors.” Thanks to this, upon the arrival of medical trains, the wounded were quickly carried on stretchers from the train cars directly into the wards.
Highly qualified doctors worked in all of these military hospitals, and the wards were equipped with superbly furnished dressing rooms and operating rooms. There was also no shortage of medications in these facilities. Over time, soldiers with severe injuries who were unable to move on their own began to be sent to these field hospitals. Despite this, thanks to the exceptional professionalism of the medical staff—and unlike in other places—by the end of 1916 (you won’t believe it), only two amputations had been performed on soldiers in Koenig’s private field hospitals.
In addition to the infirmaries, medical stations were also set up on Koenig’s estates. There, in addition to the workers and employees of his estates, refugees and local residents received care. As a result, in 1915 alone:
— outpatient and home care were provided in 25,115 cases.
— 638 patients were admitted to the hospital
— throughout the war, approximately 200 major and 400 minor surgeries were performed annually.
Julius Koenig was particularly generous in providing financial assistance. Unlike many others, he provided financial aid not only to the families of those who had worked for him before the war but also to the families of peasants from the surrounding villages.
The wealthy industrialist also spent a considerable sum on donations to various institutions and individuals involved in assisting the wounded and the sick. Special barracks were built for refugees, and they were not only provided with work but also received a monthly food ration, as well as separate allocations of kerosene and firewood.
Today, the Sharivka Estate is recognized as one of the major tourist attractions in the Kharkiv region. It can be seen in videos and featured on tourist itineraries. And the current government is once again trying to attract patrons from all over Ukraine to help restore this beautiful estate. But when you come to admire it—or Trostyanets’, or Huty, places so closely linked to the memory of the Koenig family— I would very much like you to remember not only the “sugar kings,” but also the thousands of people whom the last owner supported or saved during the Great War. After all, your distant ancestors might very well have been among them…
