I have a piece i have started work on. it is not complete, but i was
thinking that maybe i could do like a chapter type thing on it. I was
also thinking that it could be put into the Magazine, maybe chapter by
chapter. please let me know what you think of it so far, and if i should continue to write more. Here it is:
A History of The Danube Schwabians.
The history of the Danube Schwabians, or The
Donauschwaben as they are called in German, begins roughly around the
mid to late sixteen hundreds, when the Ottoman empire invaded Europe
and laid siege to Vienna. Prince Eugene of Savoy was dispatched to
Austria to defeat the Turks, and drive them back to their homeland.
After the Ottomans were driven from the lands they had once occupied,
the ruling family of Austria and much of Europe at the time, the
Hapsburgs, called for a large migration of peasants to come and settle
the newly acquired land, and to protect it from possible Ottoman
attacks. The Hapsburgs offered large incentives for families willing to
undertake this great migration: free land, and also tax breaks. Many
German citizens took up this offer and left their former homeland to
travel down the Danube river, and to cultivate the lands. These
citizens included people from Switzerland, Bavaria, Alsace-Lorraine,
and The Rhineland-Palatinate, but most came from Schwabia (a Province
most closely related today with Baden-Wurtemburg). They settled the
Danube Basin, which is now Northern areas of Yugoslavia(Croatia, and
Serbia, along with a few areas in Bosnia & Herzigovina,
South-Western Hungary, and South-Western Rumania) The Schwabian
migrations were in 3 waves:
1. The "Karolinische Ansiedlung," or Caroline colonization, which
occurred from 1718 to 1737;
2. The "Maria Theresianische Ansiedlung," or Maria Theresian
colonization, which occurred from 1744-1772;
3. The "Josephinische Ansiedlung," or Josephine colonization, which
took place under Joseph II from 1782 to 1787.
Of the first wave of immigrants approximately 15,000 died as
a result of Turkish raids, and the bubonic plague. The second wave was
successful in rebuilding the settlements, but encountered much toil and
hard work. The third wave however was able to transform the land into
what was referred to as the bread basket of Europe. The labors of the
three waves of immigrants are recorded in the following poem:
Der Erste hat den Tod,
Der Zweite hat die Not,
Der Dritte erst hat Brot.
This translates as: The first has death, the second has need, and the third has bread.
The Donauschwaben people kept their culture,
language and traditions alive in this new land by settling with other
Germans and forming German schools, and other German organizations so
that they would not loose their identity in the land where they had
settled.
(editted, included the areas where they settled)
Edited by Achilles - 04-Jun-2006 at 12:35
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