BILDEIN: THE VILLAGE WITHOUT BORDERS

"The village of Bildein can be found in the northeastern part of the district of Güssing. Because of its secluded and peaceful location on the border of Hungary, the unspoiled landscape, the local traditions, the uncomplicated and friendly nature of the people have remained intact. The riverside landscape with its meadows and lush vegetation provide an ideal setting for rest and relaxation. Extensive forests and tranquil paths through fields beckon for leisurely walks. The young community of Bildein advocates quality of life and progress.” www.bildein.at

This past summer, my family and I spent a few days in and around Bildein and we can vouch for the accuracy of the description above. I would like to first acquaint my readers with this beautiful spot on earth, the village itself and the nice people that live there. My second purpose for writing this article is to highlight an event in the history of Bildein that was of great significance to my family and me 55 years ago.

During four long decades, the Iron Curtain divided the Pinka Valley that had been home to German, Hungarian and Croatian speaking people for hundreds of years. Bildein is one of the German-speaking villages in this valley. Since the removal of that infamous barrier, the people of Bildein have made it their goal to remove all barriers that exist in the mind. In 1993, Oberbildein and Unterbildein were merged into one single community. As a single community, they have dedicated themselves to the concept of “the village without borders.” They are resolved to strive for open-mindedness towards everything new, for openness towards guests and tourists of all ages, and for tolerance towards different ethnic groups, religions and languages. At the same time, Bildein wishes to draw attention to the history of the border, to life on the border, and to life with its Hungarian neighbors. Much has happened in this regard in Bildein, which distinguishes it from its neighbors.

From the events of the last few months alone, it is perfectly evident that the people of Bildein take their motto seriously and do not consider it merely an empty platitude.

From August 11–13 of this year, 2,500 rock music fans met once again on the grounds of the village center of Bildein for the annual “limitless” music festival Picture On. This spectacle of music is organized by the Kulturverein Grenzgänger of Bildein with the cooperation of KuKuK of Bildein, Novamusic Entertainment and Grandisce of Szentpéterfa, Hungary. The entire community is also actively engaged in the successful running of this huge event. Since the first concert in 2000, the festival has been expanded each year so that now there are two open-air bandstands and the number of attendees has grown tenfold. In the meantime, the festival has become part of a much wider EU project (see www.pictureon.at ).

Exactly one month later, on September 11, the Grenzerfahrungsweg—the border experience walk—was officially opened. This path, which is about five kilometers long, has a number of stations that bring to life the history of the village and the region since World War II and invites guests to actively participate in the experience. It is a singular tourist attraction, conceived and designed by the artist Andreas Lehner.

The first station is a giant labyrinth located in front of the Oberbildein cemetery. The Bildein website, www.bildein.at , describes it by saying, “With its convoluted paths it stands as a symbol to life’s journey. It invites adults to a meditative walk. For children it is a unique experience.”

Only a short distance west from it is the second station, with an original bunker from World War II and a panzer from the same war. This, and the next two stations, the pontoon bridge/walk over the old frog pond of Oberbildein and the station called Spiel ohne Grenzen—play without limits—offer lots of fun for children and young people.

From this point on, a new path, constructed with the help of the Austrian army, takes the visitors north along the Pinka River to the Austrian-Hungarian border, where a beautiful new bridge spans the river with views into Hungary. On the other side, the path returns south to the village and to a final station featuring a replica of a Hungarian border watchtower and a section of the old Iron Curtain. The walk offers much more than what I have described and I recommend a visit to Bildein if, for no other reason, than to experience this unique tourist attraction.

The Grenzerfahrungsweg is but the newest addition to Bildein; however, it is quite extraordinary how much more has been accomplished in the last 20 years. These things didn’t just happen by themselves, of course. They were made possible with financial support from the EU, the vision of a very capable and charismatic young mayor and Bundesrat delegate, Walter Temmel, the efforts of the man behind the scene who makes things happen, Emmerich Zax, and the dedicated determination of the people of Bildein.

In the center of Unterbildein is the Burgenländische Geschichte(n)haus—the history house/museum of Burgenland—that recounts and illustrates the history of Bildein as well as personal stories from the various phases of the border. A visit to this museum would be the perfect introduction, or even conclusion, to a walk along the Grenzerfahrungsweg.

Between Oberbildein and Unterbildein, there is a bio-fuel heating plant that provides heat, by burning woodchips, for every household in the village. The experts of Bildein freely shared their expertise when their Hungarian neighbors in Pernau built a similar plant.

Next to the village church is the most visible and most important achievement of Bildein’s renewal effort, the WeinKulturHaus, the village center. The former rectory is now the home of the wine repository, where the best wines of the local vintners are stored. The old parish barn was first remodeled into a performance and communications center then expanded to include a hall for events, a restaurant (Rosemaries Gasthaus) and a store (Kaufhaus Lendl) with a section for local products. To catch all these facets of this center in one word, the locals settled on WeinKulturHaus. My American family learned to appreciate the fine southern Burgenland cuisine in this Gasthaus and we can recommend it to all visitors to Bildein.

Fifty-five years ago, no one could have envisioned such a picture of Bildein. Back then, my family and I encountered a village that wasn’t all that different from ours on the other side of the border... except for some nicer barns, more farm animals, better farming equipment and a few individually owned tractors. The boot prints of the Russians, who had left Burgenland just a year before, were barely erased.

When the first Hungarian refugees crossed the border on November 4, 1956, the tolerant people of Bildein became concerned, fearing the Russians would come back. A nice man, who greeted and welcomed me at the border, urged me to move on as fast as possible because the Russians would appear with their tanks at the Pernau-Steinamanger road at any moment. However, from the radio reports on the Hungarian side, we knew that the Russians were too busy killing freedom fighters in Budapest to stop some poor refugees from escaping to Austria. The Hungarian border guards that we met on our way out of the country were contemplating their own escape and had no desire to stop us either.

In the following weeks, 200,000 people crossed the border and, in spite of some reservations, fear for their own security or concern about what to do with so many refugees, Austria welcomed every Hungarian in those unforgettable weeks with a spirit of generosity and treated each with dignity. What played out on a big scale all over Austria played out very tangibly for my family and other refugee families in Bildein.

With bundles slung over our shoulders and carrying whatever we could in our hands, we arrived at the first house of Oberbildein desperate and homeless. Behind us came other families who were also seeking refuge in Bildein. As we were directed towards the Zollhaus by the Austrian border police, the people came out of their houses and looked at us with pity. My father’s cousin, Godmother Luisser, hurried toward us and greeted us like long lost relatives, expressed her delight that we chose to come to Bildein and assured us that the Luisser/Eberhardt family had enough work for all: Father, Mother and seven children.

After almost a week in Graz, where we were processed and registered, we returned to Bildein to begin our new life. Father and Mother hoped to be able to return home very soon. However, conditions in Hungary only became worse in the coming years and the dream of returning home was never to be fulfilled.

Our first year in Bildein was a struggle for survival. Without the help of the Luisser and Eberhardt families, life would have been much more difficult. They saved us from the worst consequences of our situation and were always very generous to us. For four years, they let us stay in their spare house, for example, and never asked a penny for it.

However, they were not the only ones in the village who stood by us and all other refugees with words and deeds. During that first winter of 1956-57, the local school children went from house to house to collect food in a wheelbarrow for the refugees. The mayor found odd jobs for my father so he could earn some money. My youngest sister, my brother and I were still in grade school but, from the first day, our new classmates accepted us and looked at us not as children from a foreign country but merely from the neighboring village.

The one setback was our Hianzish dialect that was somewhat inadequate for the German used in the classroom. Within the first year, my brother and I were put on the list of altar servers and the parishioners honored my father with the request that he collect the offertory contributions at Sunday masses. At their urging, he also opened a shoemaker shop. The people of Bildein accepted us, incorporated us into their village, and looked upon us as relatives and friends from the other side of the barbed wire fence.

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank the community of Bildein for what they did for me personally, for my entire family and for all other refugees during a very difficult time 55 years ago.

In the hearts and minds of the people of Bildein, there never existed any borders.

A more detailed description of the above events may be found in Emmerich Koller’s memoir: Good Dogs Do Stray or its German version: Über die Grenzen. For purchasing details, check the author’s website: www.emmerichkoller.com

by Emmerich Koller

2011.12.05