Neu-Halbstadt, a village in the northwest of the Molotschna Mennonite settlement in Ukraine, at the eastern end of the Halbstadt district, was founded in 1843 by Johann Cornies, and admitted only craftsmen at that time. It covered 550 acres of land, whereas the village of Halbstadt, founded in 1804, owned 5,500 acres. Both villages prospered. Shortly before World War I "splendid buildings arose, especially in Neu-Halbstadt, built by retired farm owners and village residents, which would be an ornament to any city" (Blank, 106).

Thus Neu-Halbstadt developed into the intellectual and economic center of the Mennonite villages of the Molotschna territory. Here the volost management had its seat, which was responsible for fire protection and the orphanage; here were several educational institutions and industrial establishments. The oldest school was the Halbstadt Zentralschule, founded in 1835, which transferred its headquarters to Neu-Halbstadt and added a two-year normal course, where Mennonite teachers received their training. The course was later enlarged and in 1914 the school was attended by 150 students. A small private experiment in Neu-Halbstadt resulted in the Girls' School in Halbstadt, the oldest secondary school for girls among the Russian Mennonites. It developed into a Gymnasium for girls. Also the deaconess house Morija was founded here in 1909, which gave the deaconesses their training and cared for them in their old age.

Two industrial concerns that should be mentioned were the Franz and Schroeder farm machinery manufacturing company and the Raduga Publishing Company.

Braun, Abraham. "Neu-Halbstadt (Molotschna Mennonite Settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1957. Web. 22 Sep 2018. http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Neu-Halbstadt_(Molotschna_Mennonite_Settlement,_Zaporizhia_Oblast,_Ukraine)&oldid=145933