Neuland Colony

Neuland Colony (Plautdietsch: Nielaunt /ˈnilɔnt/) is a Mennonite settlement in Paraguay. After thousands of Plautdietsch-speaking Russian Mennonites fled the Soviet Union during the Great Trek of World War II, many were left displaced by the war. In response to this need, land in Boquerón Department was purchased by the Mennonite Central Committee in 1947 and settled by these same Mennonite refugees from Europe. As of 2008 the colony had about 3,400 residents.

Neuland
Nielaunt, Newland
Neuland
Location in Paraguay
Coordinates: 22°38′59″S 60°7′48″W
Country Paraguay
DepartmentBoquerón
FoundationApril 26, 1947
Area
  Total36,367 km2 (14,041 sq mi)
Elevation
122 m (400 ft)
Population
 (2008)
  Total3,400
Time zoneUTC-04 (AST)
  Summer (DST)UTC-03 (ADT)
Postal code
9100

The site is near Filadelfia, the capital of Boquerón, and not far from neighbouring Presidente Hayes Department. Neuland is within the Gran Chaco and hosts among other things a museum of colonisation history and a monument remembering the Chaco War.

The monthly newspaper, Neuland – Informiert und Diskutiert, is one of several German language newspapers in Paraguay.

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