Budingen Castle
The Emigration to Russia for many Germans started off with Budingen Castle as a gathering point. The count of Isenburg, in power in Budingen in the 1760s, was apparently very sympathetic to the recruiting agents of Catherine the Great of Russia. The recruiting agents were not looked upon favorably by many other local princes and rulers. This also helps to explain the large number of German immigrants from the Isenburg region.
The first appearance of the Lords of Budingen was in 1131, with a water castle under construction by 1200. Ludwig von Ysenburg, of the ancient aristocracy of the Rhine, appears in 1258 amongst the heirs of the Lords of Budingen. The castle and court came into sole ownership of the Ysenburgs (Isenburgs) in 1323 and has remained in the family line for more than 700 years. The political developments of the 18th century prevented Budingen Castle from being rebuilt in the baroque style that was so popular at the time. This helped to retain the castle architecture in a stage much earlier than many other restored castles.
Many German couples were also married in Budingen Castle before departing for Russia. A transcribed list in German of these Budingen Marriages has been obtained from the research library in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany.
During a research trip to Germany in 1997 many pictures were taken of Volga German ancestral villages in the Budingen area including Budingen Stadt & Castle Pictures.