BB News No. 101 dtd 30 Nov 2001

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 101 DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G Berghold) November 30, 2001 ((c) G. J. Berghold-all rights reserved) !!! VIRUS ALERT. A NUMBER OF VIRUS EMAIL MESSAGES ARE BEING RECEIVED FROM EUROPE & THE USA. SOME CARRY THE WORD "BURGENLAND"-ONE MENTIONS OUR NEWSLETTER NO. 77 (MARCH 2000), ANOTHER NO. 95. ALL HAVE ATTACHED FILES-DO NOT OPEN. OUR TRANSMISSIONS ARE LIMITED TO ROOTS-L DISTRIBUTIONS OF CURRENT NEWSLETTERS-NO ATTACHMENTS! THEY ARE SAFE. !!! MERRY CHRISTMAS - HAPPY HOLIDAYS - HEILIGE WEIHNACHT; NEXT ISSUE DEC. 31 TO RECIPIENTS: If you don't want to receive these newsletters, email with message "remove". ("Cancel" will cancel membership, homepage listings and mail.) Send address and listing changes to the same place. Add your full name to email. Send NO ATTACHMENTS. To join, see our homepage. We can't help with non-Burgenland family history. Comments and articles are appreciated. Our staff and web site addresses are listed at the end of newsletter section "C". Introductions, notes and articles without a by-line are written by the editor and reflect his views. This first section of the 100th Anniversary edition of our section newsletter includes: * Editor's Files Destroyed By Virus * Taste Of The Burgenland - Roast Goose * Rohrbach an der Teich - Village Cross * Heiligenbrunn And Gasthof-Hotel Krutzler YOUR EDITOR'S FILES WERE DESTROYED I've operated the BB for over five years without a virus problem. I've taken normal precautions like deleting strange email, being cautious about opening email with attachments, and being super cautious about downloading. I've also used anti-virus software. As time passed, numerous changes to email appeared. Hyperlinks, graphics and attachments as well as HTML have made email more sophisticated. Some time ago, our newsletter distributor Root-L refused to accept such new email and restricted list owners, such as myself, to simple email in normal alpha configuration. Fortunately this protects those receiving newsletters from virus embedded in the new features. Unfortunately, I received email which had a vicious virus embedded in a Hyperlink. It was not detected by my anti-virus software, which had not been recently updated. I downloaded new member correspondence and then added the data to my master files. Thus I became infected. Fortunately, I'm fairly certain that I infected no one else. I had to reformat my hard disk and lost many current files. I also required professional help and had attendant expense. The resulting trauma was such that I seriously considered discontinuing my BB efforts. In retrospect; however, I will not give in to virus terrorism. The sick people who engage in such actions will eventually get their just desserts. I will continue with the Burgenland Bunch, but there will be some changes. Beginning immediately: * I will delete email with attachments, unless the sender is well known to me. Email that does not carry Burgenland Bunch or the letters BB in the subject line stands a good chance of being deleted unread. * I will not store email in my computer files. I will allow it to remain in my server's (AOL) files for ten days before it is removed. Thus if you refer to previous correspondence, I will not have a copy. * I will no longer maintain a membership master list. The Homepage will become the master list. It is your responsibility to keep your data up to date by notifying me as in the past. (Changes sent to me, will be forwarded to the appropriate list editors.) I will not store them. I will have no way of knowing you are a member short of your telling me or my viewing the Homepage. * I am updating my new anti-virus software weekly. I will reply to queries by using normal email as opposed to the more sophisticated types. This should offer additional virus protection to members. I urge you to do likewise. The above changes may result in your mail being ignored, delayed or unanswered. I am sorry for the inconvenience, but the alternative is for me to abandon the Burgenland Bunch. I am not the only list owner to suffer virus terrorism. It could well be that email lists such as mine may become a thing of the past. To preclude such a possibility, I strongly urge you to add anti-virus software to your computer system and update it frequently. I urge you to use only normal email and delete strange, unsolicited or unexpected email without passing it on to others. In addition, advise authorities to use the strongest possible means and penalties to uncover and punish those who perpetrate computer crimes. TASTE OF THE BURGENLAND - ROAST GOOSE (by Elfie Resch) (ED. Note: For the holiday season, we bring you Elfie Resch's article concerning the Austrian Burgenland holiday of Martinmass or Martini (no dear reader this is not a time to drink gin and vermouth). Goose is as traditional for this holiday as turkey is for Thanksgiving. I remember my grandmother Sorger buying goose for Christmas. She kept it in our alleyway and would feed it corn for weeks. My grandfather loved it. She used the feathers to stuff pillows. She also force-fed the goose to enlarge its liver. On our first trip to the Burgenland in 1974, we were staying at a Gasthaus in Mörbisch am See. We ordered chicken and were told they had none. They suggested goose. Molly and our children said it was the best bird they ever ate. I had Wienerschnitzel, not being fond of fowl. Molly now orders it whenever it appears on the menu. Geese are good at giving alarms. On our last trip, we were inspecting Castle Bernstein when an irate goose with goslings attacked Molly when she came too close - pecked her leg and pulled her slacks - we have a picture of the event. November 11 is also the day after which the previous year's vintage becomes old wine and the current vintage becomes new wine.) Elfie writes: Martini (Saint Martin) November 11 is the day of the national patron, Saint Martin. Pupils, teachers and officials of the Burgenland really enjoy it, because they then have a holiday. In several towns, like Eisenstadt, there will also be a "Martini-Kirtag" (Martini-Fair). St. Martin was born 316 AD in Savaria/Steinamanger and he became a Roman soldier. When he was 18, he became a baptized Christian. The legends tell us: Martin was riding on a cold day, saw a beggar and divided his coat with his sword, giving the beggar the other half. As he worked for the poor, the citizens of Tours (France) voted for him to become a bishop. Martin dreaded accepting this position and hid, but cackling geese divulged his hiding place. He went on to continue his good works and was eventually elevated to sainthood, becoming the patron Saint of Tours as well as of Austria. It is thus traditional to serve Martini-goose as dinner on this day. The geese stay six months at the farm; in the summer every day they are driven to the meadow. The geese reach a weight between four and six Kilos (8.8 to 13.2 lbs). A few days before Martini they are slaughtered, plucked and, in the name of St. Martin, roasted crunchy brown and consumed. The goose feathers (down) would on dark winter evenings be pulled out from the quills. This was a typical work for the farm wives. During this work, they would tell stories or sing folksongs, some of which are included in the songbook of the Burgenland Bunch (see Homepage). The following recipe was from my grandmother (she was not from the Burgenland, but she understands good cooking) and from GRETE TAUBER, a woman from Oberpullendorf. Martini-Goose with chestnut-filling, potato dumplings, fork-cabbage or red cabbage (for 6 - 8 Persons) Some hints for the method: Today we buy the goose in a store and there are quills left in the goose; pull them out with a tweezers. For every Kilogram of weight, roasting time will be 1 hour. A goose weighing 4 Kilograms needs 4 hours to roast, at a temperature of 200-220 degrees Celsius (400-425 degrees Fahrenheit). It is necessary to plan the time so the cook can also enjoy the result. A goose is a very fat bird, and it makes sense to remove all fat. Pour away the fat (save it) as it comes into the pan and during the roasting pierce the skin under the legs and wings for the fat to flow out. Goose-fat tastes good spread on bread or can be used for roasting the goose-liver (but this is another story). For a crunchier skin: 1) clean the goose with boiled water before roasting and then pat dry. 2) 10 minutes before the roast is finished, coat it with honey. Ingredients: 1 plucked, cleaned and drawn goose, 4-6 Kilograms Salt, pepper, paprika, marjoram (to taste) 1/8 Liter red wine some honey for the stuffing: 200 Grams cooked, chopped chestnuts 1 medium onion 2 water-soaked bread rolls (like Kaiser Semmeln) rosemary, marjoram, salt (to taste) 2 tablespoons cooking oil Stuffing: Break the rolls into a bowl of water and then squeeze dry. Cook the chestnuts for 20 minutes, then peel and chop. Chop the onion and brown in oil, add the chestnuts, then the softened rolls, salt and seasonings, mix and brown a little. Wash and dry the goose, salt inside and rub with marjoram. Then put in the stuffing and sew it up. Add cooking oil to the pan and roast 20 minutes, then pour away the oil. Baste with water and red wine and continue roasting. Occasionally baste the goose with its own juice. The more often it is basted, the juicier is the meat. 10 minutes before the roast is finished, pour some honey over the bird. When finished, turn off the heat and let the goose rest 10-15 minutes in the closed oven. Potato dumplings: 1 Kilogram potatoes (a little over 2 1/4 lbs) 200 Grams coarse-grained flour 50 Grams semolina 2 eggs 50 Grams melted butter salt Cook potatoes, then peel and put through a ricer or mash. With the other ingredients knead into a dough and form dumplings (like a golf ball or walnut in size). Let rest 15 minutes. Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil, add the formed dumplings (not too big) and reduce the heat. After 10 minutes take one of the dumplings and cut it in two. If the knife doesn't stick, the dumplings are finished. Remove the dumplings and keep warm in a bowl. Gabelkraut (Fork-cabbage) 1 Kilogram sauerkraut (a little over 2 1/4 lbs) 1 raw potato 1 onion salt, pepper, paprika, sugar, caraway seed (to taste) some cooking oil or some goose fat Cut onion in small pieces and brown with cooking oil till golden, mix in the sauerkraut, salt, pepper and caraway. Add a little water and a little sugar. Grate the raw potato over the mixture and stir. Let it cook 10 minutes. Add a little water (if needed). Done when cabbage is soft. Red cabbage 1 Kilogram red cabbage 2 big apples 1/8 Liter red wine salt, pepper, sugar a little goose-fat Chop the red cabbage fine. Peel and chop the apples. Put the goose-fat in a pot with the red cabbage, apples, salt and other ingredients. Add the red wine during cooking and cook until the cabbage is soft. Stir and add a little water (it can burn very fast). When the cabbage is soft, keep it warm. Now serve it all. The best drink to this would be a red wine from the Burgenland (maybe a Blaufrankisch or even a Uhudler). I wish you much fun by the cooking and by the eating. Enjoy the Martini-Gansl. Elfie Resch ROHRBACH AN DER TEICH - VILLAGE CROSS (by Albert Schuch) (ED. Note: Albert posted the following on the Burgenland GenWeb Query Board. It lists emigrants, who contributed funds for the erection of the cross, and their former house numbers. It is one example of how they maintained ties with their homeland by supporting their former local village affairs.) Quite a number of inhabitants of this village [Rohrbach an der Teich in today's southern Burgenland] emigrated to the US prior to 1906, as a stone cross still tells us today. It was built in 1906 and was paid for by donations from Rohrbach emigrants. The inscription says: "Zur größeren Ehre Gottes. Gespendet von den rohrbacher Amerikanern. 1906" - Names inscribed are: Vinz. Jos. FREY 22, Joh. u. Johanna OSVALD 5; Maria HEFLER und Tochter 11; Ant. OSVALD und Cecilia 16; Mich. und Aloisia OSVALD 23; Joh. und Anna OSVALD 23; Jos. und Maria OSVALD 80; Mart. und Ther. OSVALD 77; Ant. WOLF 70; Anna OSVALD 75; Joh. und Ther. OSVALD 65; Ant. OSVALD 82; Ther. ERNST 87; Georg KANTHAUER 31; Joh. REICHSTÄDTER 36; Jos. RADAKOVITS; Jos. SCHUH79; Franz KNAR 37; Jos. HALPER 69; Ign. OSVALD 49; Joh. LAKINGER 59; AloisiaSCHUH 45; Fanni CSEBITS 76; Fanny und Rosa KROLIK 17; Franz OSVALD 81; RosaOSVALD 50; Anton OSVALD; Josefa OSVALD; Mich. und Ther. OSVALD; Mich. undTher. KAPPEL; Ign. OSVALD 33; Josefa BRODL 65; Paul SCHUH 47; Mich. undMaria PLANK und Sohn 12; Vinz. und Ther. OSVALD und Tochter 23; Franz undKath. KULOVITS 30; Franz, Maria und Fanni OSVALD 21; Joh. Franz und PaulineGRAF 90; Franz und Maria MAYERHOFER 12; Joh. und Ther. KAPPEL 84; Franz undJohann FREY 48; Vinz. und Aloisia SCHUH 45; Joh. PUTZ 24; Mich. WOLF 27;Joh. OSVALD 9; Jos. OSVALD 13; Mich. und Ther. STEINER 4.(Numbers following surnames are house numbers in Rohrbach an der Teich) HEILIGENBRUNN AND THE GASTHOF-HOTEL KRUTZLER Since my first visit to Burgenland, I've always found a Gasthaus to be good accommodation. They are unique in the hotel-motel world. Clean, friendly, well-appointed, serving good food and drink, they are invariably village focal points and good value. On our last trip, we had special requirements as to location in the south of Burgenland. These were admirably met by the Hotel-Pension Krutzler in Heiligenbrunn, Bezirk Güssing, southern Burgenland. I made reservations via the internet and was not disappointed. We were given a large comfortable room with bath, sitting area and balcony; food was excellent. As a senior citizen, I don't require the large amounts of food generally served and I found that I could order soups, sandwiches, Mehlspeisen (flour desserts like Palatschinken - jelly pancakes, and Tschwetschen Knödel - plum dumplings) and other smaller dishes at any time. Breakfasts were buffet style, with cooked breakfasts available. Wine cellar and ice cream bar were first class. Family run and larger than your normal Gasthaus, they have an indoor sauna, an outdoor pool with well appointed grounds, flower decorated balconies, good parking and even a small attached grocery store if you need something. They also rent bicycles. I had occasion to invite guests for meals and was not disappointed. Herr Krutzler can manage English, and his family will make your stay an enjoyable one. Some credit cards are accepted and prices are competitive. I'd be happy to return. Reservations in season are suggested. Heiligenbrunn (Holy-Spring) is an ancient village (1198 AD) and the church, holy-spring chapel and old hillside thatched wine cellars are well worth a visit. Just east of Güssing, to the south of Rt 56, it is a good spot from which to tour southern Burgenland. A village history can be purchased from the town office. Email address of the Hotel Krutzler is: post@hotel-krutzler.at; Pictures can be seen at www.hotel-krutzler.at; Address: Hotel Restaurant Krutzler, 7522 Heiligenbrunn, Süd/Bgld-Austria Newsletter continues as no. 101A. THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 101A DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G Berghold) November 30, 2001 (c) G. J. Berghold-all rights reserved This second section of our 4 section newsletter contains: * Old Burgenland On The Way To Köszeg * Cantas Felix Choir Visits Holy Trinity Church * Rummaging Around the Records In Burgenland * Visits To Szt. Emmerich's Kirche OLD BURGENLAND ON THE WAY TO KÖSZEG I often write that the Burgenland of our immigrant ancestors is no more but, on every trip, I still find fragments. On our last trip I wanted to visit parts of the Hungarian border region. My cousin Klaus Gerger mentioned this to BB member Heinz Koller from Güssing and, before I was aware of it, Heinz arranged a day trip to Köszeg (Güns), the ancient city of the Counts of Güssing. While the Counts had their seat at Castle Güssing, they spent much time in the city of Köszeg, a short distance to the east, which they established before 1274. An even earlier castle existed on the site. Today, among other attractions, it is widely visited for its superb historical churches and buildings, fine restaurants and magnificent medieval center. As an added attraction, Heinz also arranged a luncheon meeting with Dr. Istvan Bariska, noted Hungarian author and historian, who is Chief Archivist of Köszeg. A most interesting visit, but this article covers events before and after that visit, whose story must await another time. Our group spoke a mixture of German, Hungarian, French and English with varying degrees of skill, so Albert Schuch's sister Inge graciously offered me her assistance as an interpreter. She was staying at her parents in Kleinpetersdorf at the time, so Heinz, his wife, and daughter visiting from France, drove there to pick her up. Klaus in turn came to Heiligenbrunn to pick us up. We all planned to cross the border at Rechnitz and meet at Köszeg. It was a typical golden Burgenland morning as we drove north along the border highway (Rt. 56) via Moschendorf, Gaas, Kulm, Winten, Edlitz, Höll, Deutsch Schützen, Eisenberg, Burg and Schandorf. We passed through these well-maintained, flower-decorated villages. The road was in perfect condition with little traffic. Fields were either harvested or bursting with growth and there was little to remind us of earlier days. Then just north of Schandorf on the way to Schachendorf, we caught a glimpse of old Burgenland. She was at least 90, dressed all in black, with black stockings and shoes and a black scarf on her head. She was trudging along the left side of the road carrying a large string bag of produce. Klaus remarked that we had to give that poor old soul a lift, so he pulled over, walked back and asked if she'd like a ride. It turned out that she had a 4:00 PM doctor's appointment in Rechnitz, and that she was walking to a friend's house there to await her appointment time. While we didn't know how long she had been walking, it was about 10 kms to Rechnitz from where we picked her up. She was most appreciative and talked freely of her journey after wishing us "Grüss Gott." The produce was a gift from her garden for her friends. She spoke in a German dialect and I don't remember if it was Hianzen or a Croatian-based dialect. It was difficult for even Klaus to understand her. Two old Burgenland vignettes struck me. One was her black clothing, exemplifying the old custom of wearing black for varying periods of mourning depending on the relationship to the deceased. The other was the way in which she thought nothing of walking a great distance at her age. In older times, she would probably have managed a ride on a farm cart. We dropped her off near the border crossing at Rechnitz and, the last we saw, she was headed toward the village with great strides. After a fine day at Köszeg with the Koller party, we headed toward the cathedral of Jak, via Szombathely. This 12th century fortified and virtually windowless church is an imposing pile, and must look the same as it did when our ancestors viewed it. What is different, is the modern visitors' center located nearby, complete with modern rest rooms and a gift shop. In the gift shop, I acquired a book (in German and Hungarian) containing post card views of border villages in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Lovely views of old Burgenland. Leaving Jak, we headed south for Pinkamindszent (village of my great grandmother Julianna Tarafas), and couldn't help but notice that the Hungarian side of the border was not as well maintained as the Austrian side. It looked older and one still saw old straw-thatched cottages. At the village of Nagykölked, we began seeing old windlass wells in front of the homes. Klaus wanted pictures so we stopped. The inhabitants came out and greeted us and spent some time in discussion. When they discovered we were from America, they wanted us to come in and have some wine. I wish we had had the time, but with another stop planned, we had to leave. Two more vignettes, old village wells and that old Burgenland hospitality. At Pinkamindszent we had trouble finding the cemetery. Looking for it, we traveled dirt lanes linked to old farms. One in particular had a massive masonry barn that may have been an old Batthyány horse farm, as it was still being used for raising horses. One dirt road, over the Pinka, headed for the border and had we continued, we may have ended up back in Austria, being chased by border police. There must have been many such roads in my grandfather's time. Our final view of old Burgenland were the wine cellars located in the hills around Heiligenbrunn (now an Austrian national treasure). We ended the day with that fine old Burgenland custom of a stop at the local Gasthaus, but unlike our ancestors, we had ice cream instead of wine. CANTAS FELIX CHOIR VISITS HOLY TRINITY CHURCH (from Bruce Klemens) As I mentioned in my last email, my parents (in their eighties) saw the performance of the Cantas Felix Choir from Burgenland at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Passaic, NJ. I prevailed upon my father to write a short review for the Burgenland Bunch (attached). Holy Trinity was founded in 1900 to serve German-speaking Catholics, many from Burgenland, and has been at its present location at the corner of Harrison Street and Hope Avenue since 1924. Of course, as with other inner-city ethnic churches, the German speaking parishioners are dying out and are being replaced with new ones, mainly Spanish speaking. So there are now masses in three languages: English, German and Spanish. Monsignor Morris, mentioned in the article, baptized me in 1949! BURGENLAND CANTAS FELIX CHOIR VISITS HOLY TRINITY CHURCH (by Herman Klemens) August 26, 2001 will forever be fondly remembered by the parishioners of Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Passaic, NJ. On that Sunday morning, at the 10:00 AM German mass, we were treated to a performance by the CANTAS FELIX CHOIR from Burgenland, Austria. From the opening notes, we were held spellbound by the beautiful voices, and more so when it became evident that they were singing the same hymns (in German) that we always sing at mass. But not a single parishioner raised their voice in song, less we should miss the polished sound from this well-rehearsed group of angels from the Heimatland. Our 5-year-retired Monsignor, John Morris, came from his distant home to participate in the mass with Father Mark Olenowski, and that, in itself, was a pleasure to see. The Monsignor had a life-long affection for classical and choral music so I guess we should not have been surprised to see him. After the mass, we were invited to the school hall next door for a hot buffet, honoring the visitors from Burgenland (7 boys and 7 girls, plus their male leader). He was a real gentleman and introduced each choir member, mentioning their hometowns. This drew gasps from many parishioners, who recognized the town as their own hometown (or their parents). Next they treated us to a concert of German, English, Hungarian and Croatian songs, some popular, some operetta favorites. Wonderful! The choir leader brought his group down to our tables, to converse (many in English), which we thought was a very nice touch. And then, sadly, aufwiedersehen! RUMMAGING AROUND THE RECORDS IN BURGENLAND (by Frank Paukowits) This past summer, I visited Burgenland with my wife, whose family also comes from there. Most of our ancestors come from the village of Glasing, which is right next to Güssing and belonged to that parish. Before our visit, I got in touch with the diocese office in Eisenstadt and arranged to visit them to review whatever Güssing records they had. We met a man named Paul Lehrner from the diocese office who was very helpful and brought us all the records he had for Güssing, which included the following: Birth: 1690-1774; Marriage: 1690-1745; and Death: 1725-1780. The records were not indexed, which complicated the review process. Also, since the records at the Family History Center for Güssing begin at 1826, it was difficult to identify lineage because of the gaps in time. As part of our visit, we also spent some time in the Güssing area, and we took the opportunity to visit the monastery where the church records are retained. The records they had covered the intervening period between those in Eisenstadt and the ones I had reviewed on microfilm at the Family History Center in New York City. Moreover, the birth records in Güssing were indexed (that is, cross-referenced to the entry page) by alphabet letter of the surname. For example, when we looked for the name, "Bodisch", we found the birth entry references for all of the "Bodisches" that were born from 1775 forward. This significantly facilitated the process and reduced the research time required to identify ancestors. If you're planning a trip to Burgenland and want to review church records, my suggestion would be to start at the parish level. The records in Eisenstadt tend to be older records and are often more limited. For example, in addition to the records for Güssing, I also asked to see the records for Gaas and Deutsch Tschantsendorf. The birth, marriage and death records for Gaas covered the period 1709 through 1746, and the only records they had for Deutsch Tschantsendorf were death records from 1788 through 1877. Moreover, none of these records were indexed. I believe that none of the records in Eisenstadt are indexed. If the records at the local parish are not indexed, you can spend a lot of time reviewing them to find what you're looking for. This might not be what you want to do with your precious and limited time in Burgenland. However, at a minimum, a visit to the local parish might be worthwhile just to take stock of what would be involved to do your research. SZT. EMMERICH'S KIRCHE Member Margaret Kaiser has been a faithful BB correspondent for some time. In addition to various questions which led to newsletter articles, she has been most helpful in answering queries concerning her area of research, Rönök, Hungary, and nearby Burgenland villages. As I was preparing for my recent trip, she sent me the following (edited): I know you are getting ready to leave but please give my email a quick read before you leave. First, I must say I enjoy and learn so much from the BB. I opened up BB 97, and I learn about the Eisenstadt Archives, the Military Regiment find, AND the disinguished and well-earned honors to be awarded to you. Congratulations! I read you are going to Eltendorf, Rönök and to the Emmerichskirche, and so may I please request your indulgence? In the 1990s, a German relative found a gravestone in Emmerichskirche Friedhof (the stone does not stand close to the Church, but is in a wooded area that they said took them time to locate). This location is probably a good thing, as the stones standing close to the A-H border and Church were cleared post war for a "no man's land." I do not know if the stone is within easy sight today. What I wish to know is what is inscribed on the gravestone? FRANZ GYÖRI was born January 3, 1898 and died April 9, 1946 from injuries suffered while he was a member of the Hungarian Army. I believe I saw a photo of his stone, and think it was of substantial size; at least waist high or higher. The surname GYÖRI was written in large letters, but nothing further was readable in the photo. Franz was illegitimate; his mother's name was Julianna (her parents unknown); his father unknown. He had a sister, name unknown, who married and was deported to Germany. Franz Györi married Maria Spirk (my grandmother); although he was not my grandfather. She and most of their children were deported in 1946. If you pass any remaining SPIRK stones, I would be grateful for their information as well. I don't want to intrude on your pursuits, but you will be in just the perfect location to look at the stones. From what I understand my greatgrandfather John Spirk (1860-1932) was an official of some kind in the Church, maybe recordkeeper? I hope all goes well, safely and happily for you all. Subsequent events from my (GJB) trip: Szt. Emerich's Kirche was destroyed during WW-II. Since it lies just a few feet from the border between Austria and Hungary, it was in the path of the Iron Curtain dead zone established shortly thereafter. A farm road connects the village of Inzenhoff, Austria with the church. Just short of a heavily wooded area, the road becomes unpaved. Today, one can drive on this road to a parking area on the Austrian side of the border, walk acoss to Hungary and gain admittance to the church, which also has a cemetery. While the road is blocked to prevent vehicle passage, pedestrian crossing is rarely challenged. Szt. Emerich's was subequently rebuilt through the efforts of local volunteers aided by donations from former parishioners, including those in the US. The church is now frequently used for joint Burgenland-Vas Megye cultural affairs. Prior to our trip, BB members Heinz and Hilde Koller had arranged a concert in Szt. Emmerich's as an adjunct to the annual Güssing Burgspiel in which they are very active. The concert featured noted violinist Toni Strickler. Cousin Klaus Gerger and I, with our wives, were the Kollers' guests for this sunday morning affair. Driving through the woods, we noted dozens of cars parked among the trees, with people wending their way toward the border. Seemed like a pilgrimage. The beautifully-restored church was packed, but Heinz led us to reserved seats in the very front. The audience was a who's who of southern Burgenland and I recognized a number of notables. Toni Strickler's haunting renditions of Hungarian and Austrian musical themes were unforgettable. During the intermission, Klaus and I set out to locate Margaret's family grave sites. The cemetery had not been restored and was overgrown with fifty years of brush and trees. Nonetheless, we found the graves on the very edge of the cleared site and were able to take pictures. Someone was obviously tending them. We returned a few days later and took more pictures, which we forwarded to Margaret along with some brochures and booklets. It was quite an experience and helping with Margaret's request added to a most memorable adventure. Newsletter continues as No. 101B. THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 101B DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G Berghold) November 30, 2001 (c) G. J. Berghold-all rights reserved This third section of our 4 section newsletter contains: * Burgenland Trip Report - Barbara Groh * Winter Park, Florida - American Hungarian Society * Agendorf (Agfalva, Hungary) Lutheran Pastors & Script * Austrian Museum NYC Opens BURGENLAND TRIP REPORT - SUMMER OF 2001 (from Barbara Groh) Recently I was fortunate enough to visit the homeland of my 4 grandparents from Burgenland. We also visited southern Germany, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna and Prague (with a quick morning trip to Hungary). Our friends, Romy and Lee, traveled with us, and since Romy was born in Germany, she was a HUGE help in translating. I don't think we could have managed without her. We arrived in Heiligenkreuz, Burgenland at Edith Gibiser's Gasthof (my cousin) on a Friday around noon. She and her niece greeted us for lunch in their outdoor area. They had reserved two cottages for us which had thatched roofs and were over 200 years old. They were brought to her property from another area years ago and were beautifully decorated. Each cottage had a typical Burgenland breakfast nook (a table with benches on 2 sides and chairs on the other sides). We soon discovered that every family we visited had this type of table arrangement. We enjoyed a delicious lunch and then visited August and Helga Nikles in Neustift. August is a cousin on my father's side. They were happy to see us. We went up to their apartment and, through Romy, our translator, introduced ourselves and visited with them. They brought out old pictures and served us wine, cheese, tomatoes, and pastries, including a traditional Burgenland biscuit called kleinheppach. They took us to the local Catholic church, which August had helped remodel. We visited the cemetery. They took us to my great grandfather, Josef Nikles' gasthaus nearby. It is now used by the Austrian government as a guard station since it is located very close to the Hungarian border. We had dinner at Edith's and she joined us afterwards for wine and cocktails. Through Romy, we were able to converse and talk about our families. Saturday we enjoyed a huge breakfast buffet. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that my Ertl cousins were going to pick us up and escort us to their home in Bocksdorf. These are cousins on my mother's side. Through correspondence we had arranged to spend an entire day with them. Franz and his son, Rainer, showed up at 8:30 a.m. Rainer spoke English so this gave Romy somewhat of a break. They took us to their village. Rainer rode in our car and explained several things along the way. We arrived at my cousin Louise's. They have a beautiful home with lovely gardens and fruit trees. Despite the fact that we had just eaten a huge breakfast at Edith's, out came food and the traditional kleinheppach biscuits. By 10:00 Franz brought in a bottle of schnapps and some wine. We were soon clicking our glasses and saying "Prosit". Louise brought out pictures. Louise said we had to be at the church by 10:30 a.m. I didn't know at the time but the organist was at the church and was going to play for us. I think he felt honored to do this. Romy ended up singing a hymn with him as we gathered around the organ up in the choir loft. The church was very old but very well maintained. The original altar is gone. We walked the main street of Bocksdorf, where Rainer told us about the various buildings. We then headed to the cemetery. As in the Neustift cemetery, it was decorated with flowers and small shrubs. Afterwards we went to the home of Hedwig, Louise's mother. Her eyes lit up with a sparkle when she met me. Also here were other cousins. We ate lunch at Hedwig's home, which happens to be the home of my grandmother, Marie Ertl. Most of the original building is gone except for the back portion. This back portion is where they had set up the two tables for us. They served us a huge dinner including mushroom soup and liver dumpling soup, salad, chicken, roast pork, dumplings, vegetables, and rolls. Out came more schnapps, wine and beer and clicking of glasses followed by dessert. We went to a chalet outside the village, which sits amongst orchards and vineyards. At this house were more relatives. Out came more drink along with another dessert. Later came more food, more drink, while everyone presented me with gifts. Franz and Louise gave us home-made schnapps in two beautiful glass bottles in the shape of a mermaid and a horse. They also gave us 2 bottles of wine. Hedwig (or Omah as we all were calling her) gave me a framed picture of my grandmother's house where she was born, in front of which were standing my great-great-grandfather, his daughter and her son. Rosie and Johann gave us a beautiful book on Burgenland and 3 bottles of wine. Another cousin, Johanna, gave me two glasses from their village and some postcards of Bocksdorf. We took pictures and, between Romy and Rainer, tried to converse as much as possible. I wish that I would have been able to converse directly with them. We drove back into Bocksdorf and then back to Edith's. I hated to say goodbye. They were so hospitable and kind and made us feel right at home. Sunday morning at breakfast we were told that cousin Eduard, would be picking us up to escort us to his home in St. Kathrein. He brought his daughter, Daniela, who spoke English. We drove to St. Kathrein, near the Hungarian border. Their house is just outside the village. It was the home of grandfather, Stephen. As with the house in Bocksdorf, most had been rebuilt, however, the back portion was still original, as were the outbuildings. We had pastries and then visited the church and cemetery. Shortly afterwards we went to a restaurant in a nearby village. We then returned to Eduard's house and visited and took pictures. He showed us the property behind the house which was farmed at one time. We were going to travel to Hungary to Szentpeterfa, the village where my great-great-grandfather was married, but time was short. They promised to go there in the near future and take some pictures and send them to me. They said the church was surrounded by scaffolding at present. Later that afternoon, we arrived in Tobaj and visited with the Richter family. Julianna is the daughter of my grandmother's sister. We also met her son, Franz and wife, Hildie. They were so happy to see us. They served us dinner and we walked to the church and cemetery. We also saw the home of Theresia Dergosits Nikles, my grandmother, and visited a friend's farm. We had a long visit that night with the Richter family. We also visited a cousin, Elsie, next door. During the visit with the Richter's we heard some World War II stories from Rudy, Julianna's husband. Rudy was a former burgermeister of Tobaj. The following morning Rudy told us he wanted to take us to Hungary. We squeezed in his car and off we went. We visited the city of Szombathely. The homes and property in Hungary are not as well kept as in Austria and Germany. They had some good bargains there, but we did not have time to shop. We also stopped in Szentpeterfa and saw the church where my great-great-grandparents were married. It indeed was surrounded by scaffolding so I was not able to get a good picture of it. We returned to the Richters for a huge lunch. That afternoon we tried to visit the Güssing Burg, but it was closed, so we walked around town and also visited several nearby villages. The next day we had to leave Burgenland and everyone had tears in their eyes since we knew we may never see each other again. WINTER PARK FLORIDA - AMERICAN-HUNGARIAN SOCIETY (from Nadine Hardin) On October 21, I went to an Hungarian dinner-dance held by the American-Hungarian Society of Winter Park, Florida at St Peter and Paul Church. It was wonderful, especially when I heard Andras Farkas, a very good vocalist. There was food and I purchased some real paprikash seasoning for cooking and salami. This Hungarian Society has been in existence for about 10 years. Preceding them from the 70's through the 80's was another Hungarian Society that held their functions at the same church. Although the current society has more American-Hungarian mixtures, the older one consisted mostly of older Hungarians focusing on history. Of course, both societies shared a focus on food. This is the first time I was privileged to hear such a wonderful Magyar singer in Florida. In South Bend, Indiana, more than 45 years ago, I attended Magyar functions with my parents. In South Bend, they had a Hungarian music hour, sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Lucas and Hungarian pastry and meat shops. In the early 1900's, corporations such as Bendix, Studebaker, and Oliver drew Magyars to the area and, along with them, came their culture. It was there that I was privy to Hungarian dancers, singers, violin music, and that good Magyar food. In my brief meeting with Andras Farkas, he told me his family was from Transylvania. He sang special requests from the audience and I asked him to sing the Magyar version of the Wedding Song (my father frequently sang it to my mother). Some women who wore embroidered clothing, and one gentleman wore an Hungarian outfit. I took advantage of the moment and took a snapshot of him. I also have a snapshot of Andras Farkas and myself. Near the end of the function, we sang the National Anthems of both America and Hungary. This is the first time I ever heard of Andras Farkas, so I am wondering if he is a well-known singer in Hungary. As I write, I am listening to one of his tapes (I bought three), and I'm surprised at how many of the words I can remember. AGENDORF (AGFALVA, HUNGARY) LUTHERAN PASTORS & SCRIPT (from Albert Schuch, Fritz Königshofer, Mary Carmody) (ED. Note: Agendorf, (Agfalva, Hungary) is now part of Sopron Megye. It is located just below Schattenndorf and had a large Lutheran community - 1169 Lutherans as opposed to 260 Catholics at the turn of the last century. This is a rather unique situation and those with ancestors from the area may find the following of interest.) Albert Schuch writes to Mary Carmody: Mary, Karl Fiedler's book about Lutheran priests and teachers of Burgenland and Western Hungary (published in Eisenstadt in 1959) provides the following information on the pastors mentioned in your email: There was a pastor named Matthias Harnwolf for many years starting in 1783, Matthias HARNWOLF, born July 10th 1747 in Agendorf, son of Magister Michael Harnwolf. Pastor of Agendorf (plus Loipersbach and Wandorf) 1783-1805. Died 1805. then Joseph Gamauf in 1833 Josef GAMAUF, born February 23rd 1772 in Ödenburg, son of Samuel Gamauf, pastor of Ödenburg. Taught in the Ödenburg High School. Became pastor of Mörbisch in 1810. Pastor of Ragendorf 1814-1819, of Agendorf 1819-1847. Died 1847. and Karoly Fleischhaker starting in 1847. Karl FLEISCHHACKER, born July 22nd 1821 in Ödenburg; son of a master furrier. Pastor of Agendorf 1847-93. Died 1893. Married Amalia ROTH from Güns (Köszeg). Fiedler's book provides information on other Agendorf pastors as well. Please advise if you need it. For example, Matthias Rosner (born February 12th 1637 in Ödenburg, son of Johann and Magdalena Rosner) was pastor of Agendorf 1664-1676. He studied in Wittenberg 1658-62, wrote several books, including a description of Ödenburg (1660), was pastor of Loipersbach in 1663, then 1664-76 of Agendorf. Married Regina MAURER. Had to emigrate in 1676, went to Königshafen near Jena. Became court preacher of Duke Friedrich of Saxonia in Altenburg (in 1679). Fritz Königshofer then writes concerning script: As to your questions on the handwriting, the Germans used a particular longhand called German (or "Kurrent") script when writing in German. I was born in 1944 but still learned this script at school, though only as an alternative, and only during one grade. In former times, Kurrent script was the main way of writing German. Today, only the oldest living generation is still fluent in reading this script. However, "Kurrent" was only used for writing German. Latin words, for example, were always written in the so-called Latin script which is the one everyone uses today. To my knowledge, the Hungarians never used the German script. They always wrote in the one we call Latin (and which you called "American"). It is the most internationally used script today, effectively the only one (with small variations) for writing the letters of the so-called Latin alphabet. Germans in Western Hungary may have used the German script. However, Hungarian church records were, in my experience, rarely written in German using the German script, except older records (pre-1850 and much earlier) and then only in German-speaking parishes. Until the so-called "Ausgleich" (compromise) of 1867, Hungary was ruled by Austria, and the Hungarian language could only be used in rather brief periods for writing records. In other periods, Latin had to be used. After the compromise, Hungarian soon became the only language for records. Emperor Joseph II not only established religious tolerance (which allowed the re-emergence of Lutheran parishes and schools), but he also made the parish priests legally responsible for recording births, marriages, and deaths. Before this, the recording had been purely a church matter. However, Joseph II mandated that the parishes be the record keepers on behalf of the state. Later, civil recording was introduced in Hungary from October 1895, after a bitter fight with the Catholic Church. In Austria, civil recording did not take over until the 1930s. Either the Hungarian government between the two world wars, or the communist government after WW-II, declared all church records national public property and had them collected at the National Achives in Budapest. This is where the Mormons were able to film them. Priests did not record for archival purposes. Rather, they made them at the order of the church until Joseph II, and at the order of the State from then onward. In about 1826/27/28, the recording of duplicates was mandated in Hungary. These duplicates had to be sent, at the end of each year, to the next higher administrative church entity, i.e., to the Diocesan Ordinariate in the case of the Roman Catholic Church. In Austria, mandatory duplicates were introduced a bit later, in the mid 1830s. AUSTRIAN MUSEUM OPENS - NYC (from Kitty Sauber) The NY Times 10/31/2001 has an article on the Austrian Museum. It is called: Neue Gellerie-Museum for German and Austrian Art; 1048 Fifth Ave. at E. 86th St. Gallerie hours: W-Sat and M: 8am-7pm/ Tues-closed, Sundays 1-6pm Cafe hours: Mon, Wed-Sat 8am-7pm Sun:1-6pm Bookstore & Design Shop: 8am-7pm, Sundays 1-6pm Admission Price: $10, Students & Seniors: $7 Exhibitions include Mr. Ronald Lauder's (prior US ambassador to Austria) personal collections. Newsletter continues as no. 101C. THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 101C DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Issued monthly by G Berghold) November 30, 2001 (c) G. J. Berghold-all rights reserved CHECK THE BB INTERNET LINKS (URLS), MAINTAINED BY INTERNET EDITOR ANNA KRESH, VIA HOMEPAGE HYPERLINKS OUR SONG BOOK HAS BEEN EXPANDED. GO THERE FROM THE HOMEPAGE. This fourth section of our 4 section newsletter contains: * Welgersdorf - New Member Questions (includes translation help) * Burgenland Books (In German) * Eastern European History Publications * Hotel Burgenland - Eisenstadt * Vienna (Schwechat) Airport To Burgenland * Rot-Weiss-Rot Carries BB Articles * BB Staff Email Addresses WELGERSDORF - NEW MEMBER QUESTIONS (from Tom Steichen) Robert Joseph Pum, near Green Bay, Wisconsin writes: My father, Josef Pum, was born in Welgersdorf, Burgenland, Austria, Nov 22, 1897 and came to America after World War I (the late 1920's). His two brothers, Samuel and Alois Pum also came to America and lived and worked in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area most of their lives, where some Pum desendents still live. My question ...is Welgersdorf still a village in Burgenland, and can you send me any information about such, plus travel information, etc, or any visitors who have been there recently? I'm also interested in the 2002 picnic, should it be held in the Midwest next summer? Tom Steichen replies: Welgersdorf is still a thriving village. You can see some pictures of it (and its volunteer fire department) at http://www.land.heim.at/podersdorf/220087/Welhauptseite.htm. Also, http://stadt.heim.at/hongkong/150380/gemeinden/w/welgersdorf.htm. The text is in German but the pictures speak for themselves (you can click for a larger image). You can also use AltaVista's translation service at http://babelfish.altavista.com/translate.dyn to provide a poor but still useful translation of the text. (Go to AltaVista's page, put the Welgersdorf URL's from above into the webpage box, tell it you want to translate from German to English and, in a moment, you will see the page in English. You can then follow links like always and the new pages will be translated.) I don't know anything more about the village but a number of BB members, including myself, have toured parts of the Burgenland in recent years. I found it no more difficult to travel there than someplace new in the US. I rented a car and made lodging reservations through the internet, but I'm sure you could get a travel agent to arrange everything too. The BB Newsletter frequently has trip reports about member visits. If you check the newsletter archives (http://www.rootsweb.com/~autbur/bbnlarchx.htm), you will find useful, interesting reports. The Midwest BB Picnic seems to have become an annual affair and is usually announced well ahead of time in the newsletter. If you get that, you will receive the information as it becomes available. Perhaps, though, one of the other BB Editors (I have copied them on this message) will respond with more information. BURGENLAND BOOKS IN GERMAN (from Hannes Graff) (ED. Note: Hannes sent me this list some time ago and I delayed publishing it thinking there were few members interested in books in German. Some of you may wish to add these to your Burgenland bibliographies.) (Author-Title-Publisher-Village (if subject) -Year Of Publication-No. Of Pages) (Verfasser Titel etc Verlag, Ort, Erscheinungsjahr Seiten), k. A. means no author. Barb Alphons A. E.spätrömischer Burgus b.St.Margarethen, Burgenland Ö.Archäolog.Inst., oJ 12/3Bd Brandstätter Christian Burgenland Molden, Wien-München, 1976 120/F/Il div. A. Unser Burgenland v.jungen Menschen gesehen Maulwurf, Sieggraben, 1985 132/Bd/F Döner Ludwig Sieben Sagen aus dem Burgenlande Zora, Wien, 1930 72 Fritsch Gerh., Zachs Joh. Das Buch vom Burgenland Belvedere, Wien, 1969 159/F/Bd Golsch M. Rosaria Des Kneippers Kur Abtei Marienkron, 1993 84/F Hajszan Robert Zur Geschichte von Neuberg im Burgenland Literas, Wien, 1989 61/ Heger Franz 50 Jahre Burgenland - Werbeschau - mit Sonderstempel 1.ö.Arbeiter-Bmver., Neufeld, 1971 16 Keiszler Karl Die Pflanzenwelt des Burgenlandes - Heft 1 Naturh.Mus., Wien, 1924 16/5Bd Kirsch Karl Burg Forchtenstein - Geschichte u. Beschreibung Selbstv., Wien, oJ 32/Bd Koenig Otto Das Buch vom Neusiedlersee Wollzeilen, Wien, 1962 272/138Bd Lininger Peter Rollumbus - Entdeckungsfahrten im Burgenland - Teil 1 Burgenland, Wien, 1952 98/Bd Lindeck-Pozza Irmtraut Urkundenbuch des Burgenlandes 3.Band H.Böhlaus Nfg., Wien-Graz, 1979 338 Löger Ernst Heimatkunde Mattersburg Burgenland Jugend u. Volk, Wien, 1931 348/Bd Mayer Eugen Miteinander aufgewachsen Edit.Rötzer, Eisenstadt, 1981 272/Bd Paul Hans Mattersburg - 50 Jahre Stadtgemeinde Stadtgem. Mattersburg, oJ 407/Bd/F Pflagner Margit, Marco J. Burgenland Frick, Wien, 1970 160/80F Pfleger Ludwig Ödenburg - das verlorene Herz des Burgenlandes Eckartschriften, Wien, 1971 103 Schmeller-Kitt Adelheid Dehio - Burgenland A.Schroll, Wien, 1976 346/Il Sebestyén György Unterwegs im Burgenland Roetzer, Eisenstadt, 1973 112/ Semmelweis Karl Eisenstadt - Führer M.Rötzer, Eisenstadt, 1950 114/Bd k.A. Wanderbuch Burgenland Burgenl., Eisenstadt, 1975 78/Kart k.A. Burg Forchtenstein Kolorit, Wien, 1968 24/Bd k.A. Burgenländische Festspiele - Forchtenstein-Mörbisch Rötzer, Eisenstadt, 1975 83/Bd k.A. Burgenland - Frauenkirchen (3.Aufl.) St.Peter, Salzburg, 1965 24/Bd k.A. Burgruine Landsee (2.Aufl.) Landsee, 1975 16/11Bd k.A. Marktgemeinde Mogersdorf - 800 Jahre Mogersdorf, oJ 371/Bd k.A. 700 Jahre Neckenmarkt 1279-1979 Marktgem. Neckenmarkt, 1979 203/Bd k.A. Neusiedl am See - 50 Jahre Stadt Stadtgem. Neusiedl a. See, oJ 194/Bd/F k.A. Rust - Weinstadt am Neusiedler See Rust, 1975 128/Bd k.A. Die Stadt Oberpullendorf Stadtgem.Oberpullendorf, 1975 235/Bd/F k.A. Freistadt Rust Kolorit, Wien, 1987 32/12F k.A. 170 Jahre kath. Pfarre Stadtschlaining Pfarre Stadtschlaining, 1976 52/Bd k.A. Reiseführer durch das Burgenland Kath.Bildungswerk ,Eisenstadt, oJ 48/Bd HOTEL BURGENLAND - EISENSTADT After reading my article about Gasthof Krutzler in Heiligenbrunn, extolling the virtues of the Gasthaus, you may ask yourself why I'm now writing about this large modern hotel. One reason is that I find it necessary at times to patronize the larger establishments in the larger towns in order to acquire the appointments necessary to do the work I wish to do. Work space, comfortable sitting areas for reading, etc. Eisenstadt is an example, since I spent much time at the Dioscean and Landes Archives. In addition, when traveling in Europe, I like to leaven our travel experience with a little super luxury on occasion. This has resulted in stays at large hotels in Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz, Baden, etc. We also like to enjoy an occasional Spa like Bad Gleichenberg, Styria. I had asked Albert Schuch to suggest a hotel in Eisenstadt and he referred my request to Elizabeth Zalka, who suggested the Hotel Burgenland (while now living in Vienna, her parents' home is in Eisenstadt). We were not disappointed. A superb establishment with large, well appointed rooms, good service and fine food. Their breakfast buffet was magnificent. I also remember a delicious Erdbeeren Knödel. Like a plum dumpling but containing immense strawberries with a strawberry sauce, presented "nouvelle cuisine." What has the homely dumpling come to! We did not eat all meals there, as Albert and Elizabeth, joined by Fritz Königshofer (and on one occasion by BB member Ingrid Linhart), wished us to try some of the other Eisenstadt restaurants. Fritz was visiting relatives in Styria at the time and joined us for a few days. He provided much help at the archives. Ingrid lives in Eisenstadt. The Gerhard Lang's (from Eisenstadt) also treated us to a "Heuriger" meal in Rust. This hotel is centrally located and a car is not necessary; the main thoroughfare prohibits automobiles. One can easily walk everywhere, although we had occasion to use a taxi to carry large book purchases. The hotel provides a locked car park @ Ös 100/day. This type of car park is becoming common in auto-crowded Austria. One pulls up to a speaker, provides name and hotel and the barrier raises automatically. You then drive in and park. When you leave you must buy a special ticket or coin provided by your hotel. Room rates are on the high side @Ös1650/double, but the convenience and good value are worth the price. You can make it up by staying at a Gasthaus later. Hotel Burgenland is one of the "Austria Hotels" group. The Hotel De France in Vienna is another with which I am familiar. They have hotels in Vienna, Baden, Eisenstadt, Prague and Brünn. Their address is Hotel Burgenland, Schubertplatz 1, A-7000 Eisenstadt, Austria. Email burgenland@austria-hotels.co.at. All credit cards are accepted and reservations can be made via the internet. Since Eisenstadt is flooded with visitors during vacation season and the Haydn and other Festivals, reservations are necessary. EASTERN EUROPEAN HISTORY PUBLICATIONS The Scholar's Bookshelf, 110 Melrich Road, Cranbury, NJ 08512 provides mail order catalogs. Their email address is books@scholarsbookshelf.com. They have a secure website at www.scholarsbookshelf.com/history/ I buy many books from them. Their Fall 2001 History catalog lists a half page (page 41) of East European Monographs/Columbia University. These are scholarly books (in English) on the history and civilization of Eastern Europe. This list contains among other items, Ivan Parvev, Habsburgs And Ottomans Between Vienna And Belgrade, György Györffy, King Saint Stephen Of Hungary, both @ $6.95 as well as Z. J. Kosztolnyik, Hungary In The Thirteenth Century @ $9.95, Vardy, Grosschmid, Domonkos, Louis The Great, King Of Hungary And Poland @ $19.95. Prices are discounted, the latter was published @$79.50. VIENNA (SCHWECHAT) AIRPORT TO BURGENLAND Trans-Atlantic travel via air is no picnic, even without terrorists. The eight or nine hour flight from NYC or Dulles is wearisome (even if you can afford first class). If you change planes at Heathrow or Frankfurt, it's worse. Even with Austrian Airlines direct flights, you arrive beat, having spent the better part of 24 hours on a portal to portal journey, along with the time change. Then the hassles of security, customs, money exchange and auto rental. Language and a different culture add to the confusion. You'd like to get some sleep but it's early in the morning in Europe and you must stay awake to combat jet lag. There is a hotel across from the terminal at Schwechat. It is comfortable but it is also VERY EXPENSIVE, providing a champagne breakfast. You leave, who wants to spend their first day in Austria in an airport! You're soon in your rented (and unfamiliar) auto (reverse may require pushing the shift lever down while in neutral). You wonder how to leave the airport (beware of those one way streets - the Gendarmes will fine you Ös 500). There are many routes to the Burgenland, none of them direct. Fastest is the Autobahn, the E59 south to the E66 crossing into the Burgenland at Fürstenfeld-Rudersdorf. Pick up the Autobahn via Rt 11 south out of Schwechat. If you aren't experienced with 100 mph traffic, don't go this way. If you do, stay out of the passing lane! Most Austrians are very aggressive drivers. Also using Rt 11, one can pick up Rt 16 at Achau and follow it to the Eisenstadt area. One can also take Rt 9 east out of Schwechat connecting to the A4 at Fischamend-Markt. If your destination is north Burgenland, you can continue on to Bruck an der Leitha using the A4. If you wish to go to middle or southern Burgenland, take Rt 60 at Fischamend, go south to Götzendorf where you can pick up Rt 15 to Eisenstadt and then Rt 50 which will take you deep into Burgenland. I like this route because it has little traffic except around Eisenstadt, but it does swing through the Leitha Gebirge (low mountains - lots of curves). If you have lots of time, I might suggest an overnight stop to recover your breath at Götzendorf. Here you'll find Gasthof Paus (Ursala Gubier), A2434 Götzendorf/Leitha, Hauptplatz 14; one of many good Gasthauses in the area. Food is excellent and you can relax and continue your journey in the morning. They have comfortable rooms with bath or shower and a nice outdoor dining area. Reservations not necessary except in August. It is a good place to stay on your retun trip if you have an early flight home, allowing time for last minute chores like filling your rented auto gas tank and returning it. I hope someday to try flying into Graz to reach southern Burgenland. The drive from Graz to Rudersdorf on Rt 65 via Gleisdorf and Fürstenfeld is much easier. ROT-WEISS-ROT CARRIES BB ARTICLES (courtesy Fritz Königshofer) Edition III/2001 of RotWeissRot (RedWhiteRed), the magazine for Austrians in foreign lands, features two BB articles on page 28. The first, Winchester/USA, carries the story of the BB. It mentions me and Hap Anderson. The second, Güssing (Moschendorf)/ Burgenland, covers the Burgenländische Gemeinschaft picnic and my recent awards. A picture of me, Waler Dujmovits and Governor Hans Niessl, with BB member Heinz Koller in the back ground photographing the event, is included. END OF NEWSLETTER BURGENLAND BUNCH STAFF (USA unless designated otherwise) Coordinator & Editor Newsletter (Gerald J. Berghold) Burgenland Editor (Albert Schuch; Austria) Home Page Editor (Hap Anderson) Internet/URL Editor (Anna Tanczos Kresh) Contributing Editors: Austro/Hungarian Research (Fritz Königshofer) Burgenland Co-Editor (Klaus Gerger, Austria) Burgenland Lake Corner Research (Dale Knebel) Chicago Burgenland Enclave (Tom Glatz) Croatian Burgenland (Frank Teklits) Home Page village lists (Bill Rudy) Home Page surname lists (Tom Steichen) Home Page membership list (Hannes Graf, Austria) Judaic Burgenland (Maureen Tighe-Brown) Western US BB Members-Research (Bob Unger) WorldGenWeb-Austria, RootsWeb Liason-Burgenland (Charles Wardell, Austria) BB ARCHIVES (can be reached via Home Page hyperlinks) facility (enter date or number of newsletter desired) at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~autbur/bbnlarchx.htm Burgenland Bunch Newsletter distributed courtesy of (c) 1999 RootsWeb.com, Inc. P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798 Newsletter and List Rights Reserved. Permission to Copy Granted; Provide Credit and Mention Source.