Germans of Croatia
Roman Catholicism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
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Germans · Austrians |
In Croatia, there are over 2,900 people who consider themselves German, most of these Danube Swabians. Germans are officially recognized as an autochthonous national minority, and as such, they elect a special representative to the Croatian Parliament, shared with members of eleven other national minorities.[2] They are mainly concentrated in the area around Osijek (German: Esseg) in eastern Slavonia.
Ethnology
The community traditionally inhabited northern Croatia and
History
With the dissolution of the
In 1922, they formed the
The Croatian German population reached 85,781 in the 1900 census, while this number plummeted after the
The historically predominantly German town of Čeminac built the parish Church of Sacred Heart of Christ in 1906–1907.[10] The German population in the town was forced to leave in 1945. After democratic changes in Croatia in 1990, former inhabitants of the town, mostly living in Germany, repaired the church. However, on April 10, 1992, the church was burnt by Serb forces as part of the Croatian War of Independence.[10] In 2001, various levels of the Croatian government contributed to its repairs, which were carried out by 2005.[10]
In 1996, Croatia and Germany signed an agreement to facilitate the marking of German graves from the World Wars in Croatia.
Demographics
According to the 2011 Croatian census, there are 2,965 Germans in Croatia.[1]
County | Number of Germans |
Percent of total |
---|---|---|
Osijek-Baranja | 813 | 27.4% |
City of Zagreb | 364 | 12.3% |
Primorje-Gorski Kotar | 237 | 8.0% |
Istria | 226 | 7.6% |
Split-Dalmatia | 220 | 7.4% |
Zadar | 176 | 5.9% |
Vukovar-Syrmia
|
137 | 4.6% |
Zagreb | 109 | 3.7% |
Geography
The main locations in Slavonia formerly settled by Germans include:
- Darda (Darda)
- Jagodnjak (Katschfeld)
- Josipovac-Kravice(Oberjosefsdorf-Krawitz)
- Kula (Kula-Josefsfeld)
- Osijek (Esseg)
- Sarvaš (Sarwasch-Hirschfeld)
- Satnica Đakovačka (Satnitz)
- Slavonski Brod (Brod)
- Harkanovci (Kawinz)
There were many German settlements in the adjacent region of Syrmia (Symrien); there is still a village called Nijemci which literally translates to "Germans". The main locations in the Croatian part of Syrmia formerly settled by Germans include:
- Vukovar (Wukowar)
- Novo Selo (Neudorf), now the western part of Vinkovci
- Opatovac(Sankt Lorenz)
- Lovas (Lowas)
- Jarmina (Jahrmein)
- Berak
- Tompojevci
- Tovarnik (Sankt Georg)
- Ilača (Illatsch)
- Svinjarevci
- Bapska (Babska)
- Orolik
- Banovci
- Novi Jankovci (Neu-Jankowzi)
- Ernestinovo (Ernestinenhof)
German settlements in Western Slavonia:
- Hrastovac (Eichendorf)
- Blagorodovac (Blagorodowatz)
- Filipovac
- Antunovac
- Dobrovac
- Mali Bastaji
- Veliki Miletinac
- Đulovac (Wercke)
- Novo Zvečevo (Papuck)
Culture
Organizations
The Germans and Austrians have created the Society of Germans and Austrians of Croatia.[14] There is a German culture centre in Osijek, and a small number of German schools in the area.
Since the fall of communism and Croatian independence, the minority has held an annual academic conference titled Germans and Austrians in the Croatian cultural circle.[15]
Anthropology
Surnames
Examples of Croatianized Germanic surnames in Croatia include Ajhner (Eichner), Bahman (Bachmann), Birer (Bührer), Ceglec (Ziegler), Cukerić (Zucker), Flajs (Fleiss), Fresel (Fressl), Goldštajn (Goldstein), Gotvald (Gottwald), Helfrich (Helfricht), Hohšteter (Hochstädter), Kunštek (Kunst), Majer, Majerić, Majerović (from Mayer/Meyer/Meier), Šmit (Schmidt), Šnidarić, Šnidaršić (Schneider), Špic (Spitz), Špicmiler (Spitzmüller), Šturmer (Stürmer), Šuflaj (Schufflei), Šuper (Schupper), Švarc (Schwarz), Tabajner (Tappeiner), Tišlarić (Tischler), Tunkel (Dunkel), Vinšer (Wünscher), Vitman (Wittman), etc.[16] Among surnames that have retained their original form, Mayer/Meyer, Schmidt, Hermann, Bauer, Wolf, Fischer, Schneider, Schwarz, Richter, Müller, Zimmermann, Wagner, are examples of those found in greater numbers.[16]
Notable people
- Ljudevit Gaj (1809–1872), linguist, from Krapina-Zagorje
- Adolfo Veber Tkalčević (1825–1889), philologist, Moravian German father
- Josip Stadler (1843–1918), Catholic archbishop, from Slavonski Brod
- Ivan Merz (1896–1928), Catholic lay academic and saint, from Banja Luka
- Pavao Štoos (1806–1862), Catholic priest and poet, from Zagreb
- Anton Geiser (1924–2012), Nazi, from Đakovo
- Rikard Jorgovanić (1853–1880), writer, from Krapina-Zagorje, Bohemian German father
- Vjekoslav Klaić (1849–1928), historian, from Slavonski Brod, German mother
- Pavao Ritter Vitezović (1652–1713), writer and diplomat, German father
- Velimir Neidhardt (born 1943), architect, from Zagreb
- Franjo Maixner (1841–1903), academic and professor, from Osijek
- Ferdinand Kulmer (1925–1998), painter, from Zagreb
- Ljudevit Jonke (1907–1979), linguist, from Karlovac
- Josip Hamm (1905–1986), Slavist, from Osijek-Baranja
- Željko Reiner (born 1953), politician, from Zagreb
- Josip Schlosser (1801–1882), physician
- Josip Seissel (1904–1987), architect, from Krapina-Zagorje
- Josip Juraj Strossmayer (1815-1905), politician, Roman Catholic bishop, and benefactor, from Osijek
- Ante Šercer (1896–1968), physician, from Požega
- Ivo Šlaus (born 1931), physicist, from Split
- Rajko Grlić (born 1947), film director from Zagreb
- Branko Schmidt (born 1957),film director from Osijek
- Radovan Fuchs (born 1953), scientist and politician serving as Minister of Science and Education in the Government of Croatia since 2020
- Željko Koenigsknecht (born 1961), film actor from Vukovar
- Inge Appelt (born 1943), actress
See also
References
- ^ a b "Stanovništvo prema narodnosti, popisi 1971. - 2011" (in Croatian). Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- ^ "Pravo pripadnika nacionalnih manjina u Republici Hrvatskoj na zastupljenost u Hrvatskom saboru". Zakon o izborima zastupnika u Hrvatski sabor (in Croatian). Croatian Parliament. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
- ^ a b Oberkersch 2006.
- ISBN 978-973-37-0167-5.
- ^ Zoran Janjetović. The ethnic Germans in the political life of Yugoslavia (1918-1941) Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Vladimir Geiger. Njemačka manjina u Kraljevini Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca/Jugoslaviji (1918.-1941.) Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Emigration of Italians and Germans from Croatia during and immediately after the Second World War
- William R. Shepherd: "Distribution of Races in Austria-Hungary", Historical Atlas, 1911 [1]
- ^ a b c d e Vladimir Geiger, Povratak slavonskih Nijemaca nakon Drugoga svjetskog rata iz izbjeglištva / prognaništva u zavičaj i njihova sudbina
- ^ a b c "Sacral heritage". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ "Zbirka međunarodnih ugovora". Archived from the original on 2012-11-07. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
- ^ KRATKE VIJESTI IZ HRVATSKE Archived 2009-08-31 at the Wayback Machine, Croatian Radiotelevision
- ^ Eduard Šoštarić (6 December 2005). "Diplomate razbjesnio povrat imovine Austrijancima" [Diplomats angered by restoration of property to Austrians] (in Croatian). Nacional (weekly). Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- ^ Austrians in Croatia Archived 2008-12-21 at the Wayback Machine, Croatian Radiotelevision
- ^ 16. Znanstveni skup 'Nijemci i Austrijanci u hrvatskom kulturnom krugu'
- ^ a b Ščukanec 2010.
Sources
- Oberkersch, Valentin (2006). Danube Swabians... DVHH.
- Geiger, V. (1991). "Nijemci u Hrvatskoj". Migracijske i etničke teme. 7 (3–4): 319–334.
- Geiger, V. (2001). "Nijemci u Đakovu i Đakovštini". Scrinia Slavonica. 2 (1). Hrvatski institut za povijest: 570–572.
- Geiger, V. (2006). "Folksdojčeri u Hrvatskoj 1945". 1945.-Razdjelnica Hrvatske Povijest. Hrvatski institut za povijest: 271–287.
- Richembergh, G. B. (2010). "Nijemci, Austrijanci i Hrvati: prilozi za povijest njemačko-austrijske nacionalne manjine u Hrvatskoj i Bosni i Hercegovini". Synopsis.
- Škiljan, F. (2014). "Nacionalne manjine u hrvatskoj Baranji između čekića i nakovnja-slučaj baranjskih Nijemaca". Srpsko-hrvatski politički odnosi u 20.
- Ščukanec, A. (2010). "Njemačka prezimena u Zagrebu i okolici i načini njihova prilagođivanja hrvatskom jezičnom sustavu". Folia Onomastica Croatica. 18: 149–169.
- Geiger, V., 2008. Josip Broz Tito i sudbina jugoslavenskih Nijemaca. Časopis za suvremenu povijest, 40(3), pp. 789–818.
- Mira Kolar-Dimitrijević, Skrivene biografije nekih Nijemaca i Austrijanaca u Hrvatskoj 19. i 20. stoljeća, Osijek, 2001.
- Kolar-Dimitrijević, M., 1994. Nijemci u podravini. U: GB Richembergh (prir.), Nijemci u Hrvatskoj: Jučer i danas (Zbornik). Zagreb: Volksdeutsche Gemeinschaft, pp. 43–50.
- TRADICIJSKI ŽIVOT MAĐARA I NIJEMACA U RETFALI, DIJELU OSIJEKA; Vlasta Šabić ; Muzej Slavonije, Osijek, Hrvatska str. 105-120
- Osvrt na važnije radove o Nijemcima u Požegi i Požeškoj kotlini; Vladimir Geiger str. 296-307
- Migracije njemačkog stanovništva na hrvatskom području tijekom Drugoga svjetskog rata i poraća; Marica Karakaš Obradov str. 271-294
External links
- Community of Germans in Croatia Archived 2011-10-05 at the Wayback Machine
- Representation of the German national minority of the City of Zagreb
- Slađana Josipović; Filozofski fakultet Osijek (October 2008). "Odnos komunističkih vlasti prema svećenicima njemačkog podrijetla na primjeru daljskog župnika Petra Fischera" [Relations of the communist authorities towards priests of German background by the example of Petar Fischer]. Society of German National Minority Yearbook (in Croatian). 15 (1). Society of German National Minority - Association of Danube Swabians Croatia, Osijek. Retrieved 2012-02-27.