^{The News}
Dedicated to Austrian-Hungarian Burgenland Family History

This newsletter concerns:

1) THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER

2) MEIN TAGEBUCH, 5-20 SEPT 1983, Part I (by Fred Schneidinger)

3) BOOK REPORT: "BORDERLAND" FOLLOW-UP

4) HUNGARIAN BADGES

5) FOLLOW-UP #2 TO "MARIA HOFFMANN HOTWAGNER"

6) HISTORICAL BB NEWSLETTER ARTICLES:
    - DONAU SCHWABIANS IN THE BURGENLAND

7) ETHNIC EVENTS

8) BURGENLAND EMIGRANT OBITUARIES (courtesy of Bob Strauch)

THE SMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL'S BIG DOG: The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, held Wed-Sun, June 26-30 and July 3-7, had Hungarian Heritage: Roots to Revival, as one of the featured programs. One curiosity related to that program is shown in the picture to the right.

It was a giant sculpture of a Puli dog, created by Hungarian artist Gábor Miklós Szoke using wooden slats, painted black.

Puli dogs have existed for 1,000 years and are a medium-sized breed of Hungarian herding dog, known for their long, curly coats, which are almost waterproof.

The National Mall's Smithsonian Castle can be seen at the far right, peeking above the temporary building in the background.



FESTIVALS IN BURGENLAND: Since we are talking of festivals (Stiftungfest, Smithsonian Folklife Festival), I might as well throw in something about the upcoming festivals in Burgenland.

In August, we have:

Golser Volksfest: Held in Gols in mid-August, it is a traditional fair... lots of entertainment... and lots of agriculture!

Burgenländische Weinwoche: Held in Eisenstadt, it is a wine fair and convention featuring the "Fest der 1000 Weine" (Festival of 1000 wines).

Medieval Festival Güssing: Held in Güssing's medieval fortress, it is a fair complete with jesters, knights and damsels in distress.

Sun Splash Festival: Held in Wiesen in late August, it is a music festival, this year featuring Caribbean tunes.

In September, there is the International Haydn Days: Held in Eisenstadt in the second week of September, it features concerts in the historic Haydn Hall in Schloss Esterházy.

In October, you'll find wine harvest parades and festivals most everywhere in the Burgenland wine regions. Probably the merriest time of the year!



German & Croat Minorities in Present-Day Vas County, Hungary: Staff member Margaret Kaiser shared an interesting, English-based link, http://www.vasmegye.hu/minorities/german, which speaks about the German minority in present-day Vas Megye, Hungary. The parent website is the official Vas County website, and it allows reading of most of its pages in either Hungarian or English. Where it differs from other bilingual sites is that the English version is truly well-written; one would never guess this was a Hungarian site based only on the quality of the English text.

One bit of text from the German minority page states that:

German communities in Vas County are as follows: Vaskeresztes (Grossdorf), Pornóapáti (Pernau), Kiszsidány (Roggendorf), Rönök (Radling), Rábafüzes (Raabfidisch), Alsószölnök (Unterzemming). Swabians established Kőszegfalva (Schwabendorf), and there is a significant minority in Kőszeg and Szentgotthárd as well.

The page goes on to note that most of these (and a few others) have "minority self-government" groups.

There are also Croatian, Slovenian and Roma minority pages on the site. With regard to the Croatian minority, the page says:

Croatian communities can be found alongside the western border: Peresznye (Prisika), Horvátzsidány (Hrvatski Židan), Olmód (Plajgor), Narda (Narda), Felsőcsatár (Gornji Čatar), Horvátlövő (Hrvatske Šice), and Szentpéterfa (Petrovo Selo).

Overall, this set of pages provides a Hungarian viewpoint on the ever-changing minority situation in Vas County. It seems well worth reading, especially if your family lines cross into present-day Vas County.



Burgenland/Hungary Cross-Border Transportation Projects: Margaret Kaiser also shared a note about a recent agreement between Burgenland and Hungary. On July 17, the Hungarian Foreign Trade Secretary, Péter Szijjártó, and the Burgenland Governor, Hans Niessl, signing a declaration of intent to develop more/better transportation ties. The document they signed will provide for the creation of feasibility studies for such projects, which potentially include both road and rail improvements. Money to support this effort would come from European Union funds available in the 2014-2020 budget period.

The article indicates that there are 29 border crossings currently along the 336 km Burgenland/Hungary border (I find only 11 in Klaus Gerger's maps, which represent the time period before the border was opened). Hungary is advocating many more crossings while Burgenland leans toward making the current crossings more attractive and barrier free and only adding 1 or 2 new crossings. The current agreement calls for only ~30% of the funds be used for new roads; the rest apparently intended for improvement of current roads and adding rail connections.

Two recent articles about this are:
- Budapest Business Journal (in English)
- Burgenland ORF.at (in German)



Burgenland Recipes: We continue with recipes reprinted by permission of the Austrian Donau Club in Connecticut. Our thanks to Dennis Kern, President of the club, and to Linda Poglitsch, who provided this recipe!



BEEF GOULASH  (from Linda Poglitsch)
(Hungarian Goulash)

5 Tbsp. fat              1 Tbsp. vinegar
4 medium onions          Caraway seeds to taste
3 lb. beef, chuck        Marjoram to taste
1 tsp. paprika (or more) 1 to 2 c. water or soup stock
Salt and pepper          1 tsp. flour

Heat fat; fry sliced onion rings until yellow. Cut meat into 2 inch cubes; add to fat. Add paprika, vinegar, caraway seeds, marjoram, and salt. Add 1 cup water or soup, or more, gradually as needed. Simmer until meat is tender (2 1/2 to 3 hours). Add flour; blend well and boil a few minutes. Serves 5.



As for past recipes, Beebe Hoffman wrote to say: "Keep those recipes coming. Never have I ever tasted such delicious Red Cabbage. Chicken Paprika will be served this week. Can't wait for raves. It's not that I'm a new cook, I am 90 years old and still can learn from others who are younger."



Silliness of the Month: BB Member Kathy Middendorf shared the following:

  

Sounds like too many of my days, as I work on my own projects but get distracted by research of (or for) new BB members. Hey, but now I have an "illness" to blame it on!
 

Thus, for those of us of ethnic-German Burgenland stock, we must assume that the earliest our ancestors arrived was later in the 1100-1526 time period.

Later this past month, I also received comments from Wilhelm Schmidt, of Allentown, PA, about my review of Burghardt's book. Wilhelm chose to comment on three topics, two of which coincide closely with the comments of Bob Schatz. I present Bob's comments and our discussion first below, then those of Willi, as that is the order I received them.



Bob Schatz writes: Hi Tom, wonderful to read your outline of Burghardt's Borderland in the latest newsletter! I read this book when I was in high school in the '70s. The Public Library in Allentown, PA had a copy, and it was my first foray into Burgenland history.

If I may, I'd like to add a few historical notes elaborating on your statement: "...for those of us of ethnic-German Burgenland stock, we must assume that the earliest our ancestors arrived was later in the 1100-1526 time period."

It is conventionally believed by European historians that German settlers initially arrived in the Burgenland area in the 12th century, very likely with the brothers Wolfer and Heidrich von Héder, who are thought to have been members either of the family von Wildon in Styria or of the counts of Hainburg (according to a 14th century chronicle, now in the National Library in Budapest, they were related to the counts of "Hemmburg"). These two brothers offered their services to King Geza II of Hungary (reigned 1141-62). In return, in 1157 Wolfer was granted the lordship of Güns (Köszeg) and Güssing (where he built a wooden fortress and the first cloister). His descendants, the "Herren von Güns", became very powerful in West Hungary, carving out a domain that extended over the entire territory south of the Danube and west from the Austrian and Styrian borders to Lake Balaton. During the interregnum of 1301-08, Heinrich von Güns (Henrik Köszegi) was one of the seven oligarchs in control of the kingdom.

As you probably already know, it was during the reign of the same King Geza that Germans were formally invited to settle in Transylvania and in the northern Carpathians -- the origin of the long-standing German communities in those areas (the "Siebenbürger Sachsen" and the "Karpentendeutsche"). Even though there is apparently no documentation of a formal "invitation" to settle West Hungary, Geza's immigration policies and the overlordship of the von Héder make it very likely that Germans began settling there during Geza's reign. The Habsburg Dukes of Austria also had an ongoing interest in this area. Mattersdorf-Forchtenstein was mortgaged to them for a time (if I remember correctly, Burghardt mentions that), and they also held Güssing for several years beginning in 1291, after defeating Johann I von Güns (Ivan Köszegi) in a war called the Güssinger Fehde - the Güssinger Feud).

All this is to say that there would have been many opportunities in the years between 1100-1300 for Germans to move to West Hungary, either as settlers or soldier-occupiers. This was true for the noble class as well, as evidenced by the von Ellerbach, lords of Eberau, who originally came from Swabia. (An interesting side note: the counts of Mattersdorf-Forchtenstein were of Spanish origin.)

From a linguistic point of view, there is apparently a strong similarity between Hianzisch and the dialect of northern Bavaria that is spoken in the Fichtelgebirge and around Regensburg. This seems to suggest a possible migration from that area to West Hungary during the early Middle Ages.

All-in-all, I suspect that Germans moved to (and possibly from) the Burgenland area throughout the entire 1100-1526 period. I'm not sure if any of this history has been outlined previously in the BB newsletters. It certainly stands outside of Burgenland "genealogical time", which, as we know, unfortunately begins only in the late 1600s.

With my best regards, Bob Schatz



I replied (in part): Hi Bob, thanks for adding some detail to that ‘Germanic’ blank 1100-1526 time period. I suspect that, because I’m not a historian at heart, I tend to quickly forget what I know of these earlier times… It turns out I had discussed Wolfer and Heidrich von Héder just last July, in an article titled “Köszeg (Güns), Hungary” (see http://www.the-burgenland-bunch.org/Newsletter/Newsletter223.htm#02). However, Burghardt does not fill in this gap (with respect to German settlers) so, added to my lack of historical memory, we get the statement I wrote.

Interestingly, most sources are inclined to say that the pre-1157 history of Wolfer and Heidrich is unknown, though the possibilities you mention are usually listed. Clearly, though, they were Germanic and the Hianzisch dialect is said to be named after grandson Henry I of Wolfer.

Since Wolfer’s line controlled Güns and Güssing for many centuries, and Heidrich’s line controlled Györ, that provides a reasonable expectation that they brought Germanic settlers into most of the Burgenland region to work their lands. Some of these settlers likely were the troops that traveled with them in 1157. The rest? They could have come from anywhere [in the Germanic world] but your comment concerning the similarity of the dialect to that spoken in the Fichtelgebirge and around Regensburg suggests this region for at least the southern (Wolfer) settlers. Interestingly, another of my “great-eight” lines, Fruth, comes from the middle of this Bavarian area (near Amberg)!



Bob followed up: Hi Tom, the history of Hungary in the early Middle Ages is very interesting because it was a time when the Magyar nation was being integrated into the European community (perhaps a polite way of saying "Europeanized"). This created both opportunities and problems. Certainly there was the establishment of trade and cultural exchange, but there were also frequent challenges to Hungarian borders (from the East AND the West -- the Holy Roman Emperors in vain tried to assert that Hungary was a constituent member of the HRE [Holy Roman Empire]). Internally, there were the typical problems associated with the adoption of feudalism, basically the issue of centralizing forces (royal authority) vs. decentralizing forces (aristocratic authority). The decentralizing forces ("our" Köszegi for example) reached their apogee during the interregnum between the extinction of the Arpads and the accession of the Anjous.

After the Battle of Lechfeld (995CE), when the Magyars "settled down" and stopped their raids on the Holy Roman Empire, Germans began to play a role in the Europeanization of the country -- culturally, politically and spiritually. King Stephen's wife was Bavarian and brought many of her countrymen to the court. Eventually, when we reach the time period you and I are discussing, German settlers came to be seen as instruments of urban development and economic advancement (much like immigrants were by the industrialists of late 19th century America), as well as a means to boost population in sensitive and under-utilized areas.

The story of the von Héder/Köszegi definitely fits with several of the patterns described above: German nobles who found position and place within a young(ish) kingdom, entrusted by its monarchs with high office and (in their case) the development and protection of borderlands. Like their feudal peers, the Köszegi had power ambitions of their own, and they were not unique in attempting to carve out a principality for themselves at the expense of the royal authority.

I believe Burghardt is very probably correct in saying that the western borderland was initially kept empty. There must have been some people there, remnants perhaps of the pre-Magyar invasion -- in the DNA group we find a cluster of Y haplogroup E, an older European group associated with the Balkans and Pannonia. But it seems likely that the area was relatively unpopulated and therefore ripe for settling. We must also remember that human populations in general were much, much smaller than today. I would be very curious to know an estimate of Magyar numbers in the early Middle Ages, and it is interesting to me that population-wise they didn't displace the populations they conquered, except perhaps in parts of central Pannonia. In general, I suspect the pattern was very much that of a military elite ruling over an indigenous population.

As far as Hianzisch, I have also read that it has many elements borrowed from the Styrian dialect. This indicates to me that there must have been crossing and re-crossing of the Lafnitz, both as economic activity and migration. Among my own ancestral lines, there is a couple who moved from Leibnitz in Styria to Strem in the mid-17th century (and then possibly back because no death records have been found for them in Güssing Bezirk), and also a couple who moved to Gläsing from Fürstenfeld in the early 19th century. I suspect this pattern wasn't unique to the 18th and 19th centuries.

Of the three medieval Hungarian German "communities" (West Hungarian Germans, Karpathendeutsche, Siebenbürger Sachsen), it is interesting that the Carpathian and Transylvanian communities were granted a high degree of self-rule (they followed the Law of Magdeburg, not Hungarian law) while the West Hungarian Germans were not. This may be because the first two were Crown initiatives and (if I remember correctly) those Germans were legally "Königsleute" -- direct subjects of the king. They were also a more urban population. The fact that the medieval West Hungarian Germans did not have self-rule would indicate to me that their settlement was indeed encouraged by the local landlords (the Köszegi and their vassals) seeking farmers to work their domains.

Well, I've rambled on here, thinking out loud mostly. My sincere apologies for "talking your ear off" (or straining your eyes).



Wilhelm Schmidt writes: Several years ago, when I began research on the history of my home village, Pernau/Pornóapáti, I found a copy of Andrew Burghardt's Borderland in the Lehigh County community college library. As a resident of the county, I was able to obtain (for a fee of $20.00) a library card, check the book out and read it at my leisure. The book is very authoritative and well written. But it is not without flaws. Some assertions made in it cry out for clarification.

For one, Burghardt identifies the western Hungarian borderland—most though not all of which became the province of Burgenland—with the gyepü. This word, of Turkish origin, means palisade and refers to a kind of stockade that ran along the Amber Road. The land between it and the border, some twenty to thirty miles west of it, was called the gyepüelve, literally “beyond the gyepü.” This land was intentionally left in its natural state, in order to thwart an invasion. But it was not entirely unpopulated or uncultivated. Border guards, serving as lookouts, were stationed about midway in it and patrolled it on horseback. They were not professional soldiers and had to provide for themselves by farming the land around their posts. Also, they were not Hungarians, but Pechenegs, Szekélys and Bavarians. Hungarians manned the forts along the gyepü itself.

Also, Burghardt refers to the traditional inhabitants of Burgenland as Heinzen. The only official use of this word is in the name once proposed for the province, Heinzenland. Burghardt unequivocally claims that Heinzen means Heinz's men – Heinz being Heinrich II, the overlord of the western counties of Hungary in the 13th century. Commonly, however, the Burgenländer are known as the Hianzn. By ignoring this appellation, Burghardt avoids the issue of their arrival—possibly as “guests” early in the 11th century, the formation of their distinctive dialect—first documented early in the 14th century, and the very name itself—which first appears in writing late in the 18th century. The possible derivation of Hianzn from Heinzen is linguistically questionable. The High German diphthong “ei” becomes “oa” in Hianzisch; “ia” is the equivalent of the umlaut “ü.”

Finally, Burghardt accounts for Pernau's inclusion in Hungary in 1922 by repeating the canard that “under the direction of the pastor, who organized a demonstration, [the village] declared itself for Hungary.” The only known demonstration was a show of support for annexation to Austria on the day on which the border commission came to Pernau, March 9, 1922. An archway built across the street held a banner with the inscription “Hoch Österreich.” It expressed the sentiment of the majority of the population. At the public meeting of the commission, the Richter, the notary, the estate farm manager and the innkeeper spoke in favor of remaining in Hungary. The pastor at the time, Kalman Keleti, is not mentioned as a participant in the proceedings. His assignment in Pernau was temporary, and he seems to have kept a low profile. His predecessor, Ferenc Pataki (Franz Schnellbach) had been murdered on Oct 5, 1921, by Freischärler (Hungarian free corps) for espousing annexation to Austria. His successor, György Illes, a Hungarian nationalist, did not arrive until July 1, 1922. A demonstration at this point in time would not only have been unproductive, but would have been discouraged by the presence of Austrian gendarmes in the village. In the end, neither the villagers' nor the pastors' desires mattered. The inclusion of Pernau in Hungary was based on two principles: that an existing jurisdiction (village) remain intact, and that diverse land under one ownership remain in that ownership. Prince Franz, the owner of the estate property of Pernau relied on the second of these principles. He had submitted a memorandum to the commission arguing that Pernau was an adjunct to his major land holding, the castle of Sarvar and its surroundings. Hungary became a regency after World War I, and he was in no danger of losing the castle. Had Pernau been attached to Burgenland, however, his estate in Pernau would have been confiscated by Austria. The award of Pernau to Hungary was a gift to Prince Franz.



I replied (in part): Hi Willi, thanks for your comments on my review of Borderland. Bob Schatz has also commented, choosing to speak on two of the three topics you mention, though his first is a slight variation on your first topic. I thought you would enjoy reading Bob’s comments and, conversely, that he would enjoy your thoughts, so I’ve copied him on this message.

Concerning your comments, I agree with much of your clarification on the gyepü / gyepüelve. In trying to keep my review compact, I shortchanged this distinction, though I was aware of it. But, I did note that the strip was not totally unpopulated, saying in my review that “The only people allowed to live in this strip were military observation and defensive forces.” These, of course, were collectively the peoples you refer to when saying “But it was not entirely unpopulated or uncultivated. Border guards, serving as lookouts, were stationed about midway in it and patrolled it on horseback. They were not professional soldiers and had to provide for themselves by farming the land around their posts. Also, they were not Hungarians, but Pechenegs, Szekelys and Bavarians. Hungarians manned the forts along the gyepü itself.”

I also have heard that these observation forces were “Pechenegs, Székelys and Bavarians” though I must say it seems odd that Pechenegs and Bavarians would be included in this group. Were not the Bavarians part of the Western Europe that the Hungarians created a defensive zone against? If so, why would they use such people along their defensive border? Likewise, I thought the Hungarians were actively at war against the Pechenegs on their Eastern border at that time… so why would they use them on their Western border? I’m sure there were mercenaries of all ilk who could be “hired” to defend borders, but these seem odd choices. As for the Székelys, these seem more Magyar than anything else. I’ve read various arguments that they were “in-law” tribes or, contrarily, just Magyars assigned to border-guard duty… the name Székely is said to be derived from an early Magyar word for border guard (though I could see the possibility that the Magyar word was derived from the name of the people doing it… hard to say whether it was the egg or chicken that came first here!) Anyway, I’d be interested in your thoughts (you too, Bob) on the nature of these observation forces and my concerns about their composition. As I said originally, one would expect that the people used were considered trustworthy by the Magyars… putting your enemies there seems counterproductive.

As for the Heinzen / Hianzn, I can’t claim much knowledge. As I told Bob, I don’t consider myself much of a historian and I’ve never more than superficially explored this question. Being of northern Burgenland descent, the question has never entered into my personal research. Bob, though, did comment on it and I presented a few comments in reply. Your thought on those joint comments would be appreciated, Willi (and Bob, you may wish to address Willi’s comments).

As for your third topic, Pernau. I avoided Burghardt’s general discussion of the 1921 border setting and, at this point, can’t recall what he said about the Pernau region. I’ll include your discussion in my follow-up article so our BB readers know that Burghardt may not have been accurate in all his border-setting comments. Nonetheless, I thought he tried to be sensitive to local feelings in what he wrote. Do you disagree?

Thanks for writing, Willi!



Willi replied: We think of the buffer zone only in western Hungary. But it encircled the entire Pannonian Plain. In 1241, the Mongols had to hack their way through it in northeastern Hungary to be able to enter the plain. Both the Pechenegs and the Székelys were pacified by the Hungarians (I don’t know when), and some of them were resettled.

Just east of Wiener Neustadt, there is a village named Pötsching, attesting to their presence in Moson county. The Székelys were resettled in the Upper Pinka Valley, in the so-called Wart, in Vas County. The border defense of Sopron County was assigned to a family by the last name of Osl, supposedly of Bavarian origin. I have not been able to determine who was in charge of the defense of the area west of the Lower Pinka Valley. The valley actually formed a pocket between the gyepü and the buffer zone, administered first (c. 1000 to c. 1250) by the Counts of Ják and then (c. 1250 to 1848) by the Counts of Eberau. The gyepüelve extended from the South Burgenland Swell, just west of the Lower Pinka Valley, to the Lafnitz. Within it, the villages of Kohfidisch (in Hungarian Gyepüfüzes – füzes meaning scrubland) and Raabfidisch [Rábafüzes], as well as Güssing (near which there is a Fidischberg and a Fidischwald), seem to have been lookout posts.



Notes:

Regarding the Pecheneg people, Wikipedia (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pechenegs) states that:

Regarding the Székely people, Wikipedia (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Székelys) states that:

It is now generally accepted that they are descendants of Hungarians (or of Magyarized Turkic peoples) transplanted to the eastern Carpathians to guard the frontier, their name meaning simply "frontier guards". The Székelys have historically claimed descent from Attila's Huns, and believed they played a special role in shaping Hungary.

Given the above, is seems reasonable that the Székelys were incorporated into the Magyar peoples early in the Magyar movement into the Carpathian basin, thus would also have been available in year 1000 to serve as frontier guards in the west.

Conversely, the Pechenegs were active enemies of the Magyars until at least ~1100, so it seems illogical that they were used in the west as frontier guards some 100 years before. However, it is known that the Pecheneg survivors were later incorporated into the Magyar coalition and by the mid-1200s were serving as border guards.

Interestingly, Wikipedia and the web provides some confusing information about the Family Osl: Quoting Wikipedia (though slightly rearranging the order of the text; see original at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osl_(genus)):

Osl (Osli, Osth or Ozsol) was the name of a gens (Latin for "clan"; nemzetség in Hungarian) with Pecheneg origin in the Kingdom of Hungary, based in today's Gyor-Moson-Sopron County. The village of Osli was named after that clan. The ancestor of the clan was Osli I, who lived around between 1200 and 1230.

...the clan was from one of the 108 original genera during the Hungarian Conquest of the Carpathian Basin. According to the legends, the forefather of the genus was Súr, a commander in the Battle of Lechfeld and a possible descendant of the Árpád dynasty.

Thus, the first part above indicates Pecheneg origin for the Osl family (not Bavarian) and a time period (1200s) consistent with the main incorporation of Pechenegs into the Magyar coalition. Other websites also clearly document the Osl family presence in the Sopron area in the 1200s. However, it is the second section above that is confusing. It indicates a much earlier presence of the clan in the Hungarian coalition (the Battle of Lechfeld was in 955) and a descent from the Árpád dynasty, though I do not understand the distinction meant by forefather in the second section versus ancestor in the first section. One conjecture of mine is that, perhaps, the Osli clan was propagated by a male from the Pecheneg side with a female descendant of the Súr mentioned above. None of the other websites I found go back beyond Osli I.
 

My understanding is that these four [listed in first paragraph above] are also recognized on a 1991 monument in Rechnitz, though I do not know if the death date is included.

John also mentioned the death of his grandfather's brother-in-law, Stefan Arth, but I had no information about that.

It was my quote about the 1991 Rechnitz monument that prompted Austrian BB member, Thomas Seltsam, to write and for me to do a little more research...



Thomas Seltsam writes (slightly edited by me to insert the pictures or links): Dear Mr. Steichen, I visited Rechnitz in March 2012 to take pictures of my ancestors houses, wineyards and graves. During my visit I also took pictures of the monument you mentioned in Newsletter No 233. Find them attached.

[The first] picture shows all of the monument:



On the left stone you can find four plates:

[The Front (Resistance Fighters) Plate is shown to the right. Thomas gives the German text and his translation (for both this and for the other plates)]:
- Zum Gedenken an jene Rechnitzer, die Widerstand leisteten und hingerichtet wurden.
- To commemorate those Rechnitzer who contributed resistance and were executed.

[Ed: for the remaining images that Thomas shared, I include only links to the images, as they are not directly relevant to the current discussion]

Rechnitz Jewish plate
- Zum Gedenken an die Rechnitzer Jüdinnen und Juden, die ab 1938 vertrieben und ermordet wurden.
- To commemorate the Rechnitzer Jews who were expelled and killed since (or maybe from?) 1938.

Rechnitz Kreuzstadel plate
- Zum Gedenken an die ungarisch-jüdischen Opfer des Kreuzstadelmassakers im März 1945.
- To commemorate the Hungarian-Jewish victims of the Kreuzstadel massacre in March 1945.

Rechnitz Nazi Victims plate
- Zum Gedenken an die Opfer der nationalsozialistischen Herrschaft ... erfragt unser Schicksal und vergesst uns nie!
- To commemorate the victims of the Nazi regime ... ask for our destiny and never forget us!

Feel free to publish or forward the pictures. Best wishes, Thomas Seltsam



A quick review of the above Rechnitz Resistance Fighters plate should make it clear that my understanding of what was on it was wrong; only one of the four who were listed as executed on 18 Dec 1942 (in the Nazi notice further above) is on the Rechnitz monument: Emmerich Kiss. Interestingly, Joseph Hotwagner is one of the four on the Rechnitz monument, and he died in 1945 (but was not truly "executed", as the monument claims).

A closer examination of the Nazi notice likely explains why: only Emmerich Kiss is listed as being from Rechnitz. The other three in the notice were from "Markthodis" (Markt Neuhodis now),  Dürnbach and Schachendorf, which are the three nearest Austrian towns to Rechnitz. Apparently the Nazi's chose to use a "regional" notice rather than a village-specific notice. Rechnitz's monument only includes her citizens.

Regardless, the monument confirms that Emmerich Kiss died in 1942, which is consistent with the Nazi notice.



But I did do a little more research... as I wanted more confirmation about Michael Balogh.

Webpage: http://www.kpoe.at/uploads/media/Freies_Burgenland_2010-11_01.pdf contains a pdf of the Nov 2010 edition of "Freies Burgenland" and Pages 6 and 7 therein contain a reprint of a list of Burgenland "communist partisans" who were "murdered by German fascism." The list was first published on 3 Nov 1945 by KPÖ Burgenland in the first edition of "Freien Burgenland," the forerunner to Freies Burgenland. (FYI: KPÖ Burgenland is the Burgenland Communist Party and "Freien/Freies Burgenland" is their political newsletter, which is why this list is restricted to "communist" partisans.)

That list includes these entries:

Aus dem Bezirk Oberwart:

Balogh, Michael geb. 14.2.1887, Schachendorf, Straßenaufseher in Oberwart, hingerichtet am 18.12.1942 im LG I, Wien

Balaskovits Johann, geb. 11.10.1894, Dürnbach, Schneider in Oberwart, hingerichtet am 18.12.1942 im LG I, Wien

Untenecker, Johann, geb. 20.10.1994, Markthodis, Maurer in Wien, hingerichtet am 18.12.1942 im LG I, Wien (? gestorben im KZ Dachau 1941)

Kis, Emmerich, geb. 28.12.1897, Güns, Rauchfangkehrer in Oberwart, hingerichtet am 18.12.1942 im LG I, Wien

Arth, Stephan, geb. 26.12.1897, Straßenaufseher in Oberwart, gestorben 1943 im Zuchthaus Bernau am Chiemsee

Translated as:

From the district Oberwart:

Balogh, Michael born 14 Feb 1887, Schachendorf, road overseer in Oberwart, executed on 18 Dec 1942 in LG I, Vienna

Balaskovits Johann, born 11 Oct 1894, Dürnbach tailor in Oberwart, executed on 18 Dec 1942 in LG I, Vienna

Untenecker, Johann, born 20 Oct 1994, Markthodis, mason in Vienna, executed on 18 Dec 1942 in LG I, Vienna (? Died in Dachau 1941)

Kis, Emmerich, born 28 Dec 1897, Güns, chimney sweep in Oberwart, executed on 18 Dec 1942 in LG I, Vienna

Arth, Stephen, born 26 Dec 1897, road overseer in Oberwart, died in 1943 in prison Bernau am Chiemsee

As in the Nazi notice, Michael Balogh is listed as being from Schachendorf, Johann Balaskovits from Dürnbach, and Johann Untenecker from Markthodis, though Emmerich Kiss is listed as from Güns, and all were executed 18 Dec 1942. (I also copied the Stephen Arth listing, as he was mentioned by John Rajkovacz when he wrote to me.)

What is inconsistent with my previous thinking is that Michael and the other three apparently died in "LG I, Wien" rather than Graz (it seems that John Rajkovacz also thought Michael, and likely Stephen Arth, died in Graz).

Some further research reveals that "LG I, Wien" is code for Landesgericht 1, Wien = Regional Court 1, Vienna. This court had a nearby guillotine room, to quickly execute those convicted by the court.

Webpage http://www.nachkriegsjustiz.at/vgew/1080_landesgerichtweihestaette.php contains a list of the 536 people executed by guillotine after being convicted by "LG I, Wien" (it also has a picture of the guillotine). Our four "conspirators" are on this list too.

Most victims were convicted for "conspiracy to commit high treason"; a much smaller number for "desertion"; "aiding the enemy"; "illegal weapons possession"; "listening to foreign radio stations"; "demoralizing"; or "anti-German remarks". Most were buried in the Wiener Zentralfriedhof (Vienna Central Cemetery), though not all; and some buried there were later exhumed and moved to family plots elsewhere.



So, this seems to clarify when and where the "conspirators" died. It also corrects my erroneous presumption about what was on the Rechnitz monument and it provides information to John Rajkovacz on the fate of Stephen Arth. My thanks to Thomas Seltsam for providing documentation of the text on the monument and, therefore, for prompting me to do further research.

It is my sincerest wish that our BB membership does not find more family members on either of the lists of victims provided above. But, if so, please consider sharing their stories.