The News
Dedicated to Austrian-Hungarian Burgenland Family History


THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 346
September 30, 2023, © 2023 by The Burgenland Bunch
All rights reserved. Permission to copy excerpts granted if credit is provided.

Editor: Thomas Steichen (email: tj.steichen@comcast.net)

BB Home Page: the-burgenland-bunch.org
BB Newsletter Archives: BB Newsletters
BB Facebook Page: TheBurgenlandBunchOFFICIAL

Our 27th year! The Burgenland Bunch Newsletter is issued monthly online.
The BB was founded in 1997 by Gerald Berghold, who died in August 2008.
Current Status Of The BB:
* Members: 3192 * Surname Entries: 9297 * Query Entries: 5924 * Staff Members: 14
This newsletter concerns:

1) THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER

2) HISTORICAL BB NEWSLETTER ARTICLES:
    - GRAPE SHORTAGE ON THE EISENBERG

3) ETHNIC EVENTS

4) BURGENLAND EMIGRANT OBITUARIES (courtesy of Bob Strauch)


1) THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER (by Tom Steichen)

Tom SteichenThis month's random bits and pieces (Article 1) begins with mention of the upcoming Delegation visit by the Burgenland government. We follow that with a final bit about our Vienna University student that members of the BB assisted. He summarizes his results and sends thanks! The next bit comes from Christine Rubba, who shares old tradition, Die Schürze. The third bit was also shared with us, this time from member Eva Maria Karall of Vienna, Austria. It is about a new digital biographical archive of significant Burgenland Croats. I follow that with two Burgenland political bits, the first about the partial retirement of old friend Verena Dunst and the second about the re-election of another person we know from delegation visits, Alexander Petsching. From there, we revisit the the commuter traffic kerfuffle in the Schattendorf area, before finishing these bits with yet another recording office change, this one affecting Günseck.

Our regular tidbits include the monthly BB Facebook report, book sales, and a word cartoon.

The remaining articles are our standard sections: A Historical BB Newsletter article, Ethnic Events and Emigrant Obituaries.



Burgenland Government Delegation Visit:
A Burgenland government delegation will visit four locations in North America in October: Toronto October 16-18, Chicago October 18-19, Allentown Oct 19-21, and New York Oct 21-23.

To date, the delegation consists of Hans Peter Doskozil, governor of Burgenland, and his wife Julia; Leonhard Schneemann, member of the government (Social and Economic councilor); Verena Dunst, former president of the Burgenland parliament, and husband Manfred; Christian Stiller, deputy office manager and press spokesperson for the office of the governor; Manfred Riegler, chief of protocol; Maria-Anna Slaby, member of the protocol office; Erwin Weinhofer, vice president of the BG; Klaus Gerger, BG and vice president of Burgenland-Bunch; and Paul Blaguss, from the Blaguss travel agency.

I've not been informed of what public events are scheduled in Toronto but I do know the delegation has requested a "meet Burgenländers" event for the evening of the 17th.

In Chicago, there will only be a by-invitation (private) dinner with the delegation.

Allentown will have a by-invitation dinner with the delegation and a public "meet Burgenländers" event on the 20th. The public event is a Gemütliches Beisammensein (a cozy get-together) to be held at 7 pm on Friday the 20th at the Coplay Sängerbund. The event is sponsored by the Sängerbund Heritage Committee and will give you an opportunity to meet the delegation members and your fellow Burgenländers while you enjoy music, singing, snacks and homemade baked goods.

In New York, the public (but not free) event will be a Katharinenball in the grand ballroom at the Plattduetsche Park Restaurant on October 22, 1 to 6 pm. This is also the 100th Anniversary Gala for the First Burgenländer Association of New York. Vanessa Sandhu provides more detail in her Facebook report.

As always, plans for some of these events remain fluid this far in advance of the visit. If I learn more, I will share the details.



Field Internship Impressions, Nikola Blagojevic: Over the course of this year, various BB members assisted a University of Vienna, Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology student by filling out a questionnaire and answering follow-up questions. This was for a credit-earning team ethnography course (for five Master's candidates) wherein students were also required to develop small projects independently of each other, all of which focused on the perception of nature by different groups of actors. The overall project was titled "Perception of Nature Around the Lake Neusiedl National Park - Seewinkel" and it included two field trips to the area, a one-week stay at the end of March and a two-week stay at the beginning of June. During the first stay, the focus was on getting to know the region and its institutions, and intensive discussions with experts. Empirical surveys were carried out in the second field visit. Our involvement was in Nikola's independent sub-project. I had asked Nikola to consider providing a short summary of his project, which he graciously did below.



Dear Tom,

I have finished my project and just wanted to share the overview and results if you find it useful. Also, our projects are located here if you would like to take a look at it: ksa.univie.ac.at/feldpraktika-impressionen/

Here's a short general conclusion for my project, and thank you once again for all the help:




By following the traces of people who left Burgenland a long time ago, I attempted to identify what kind of connection to the region’s nature they or their descendants fostered. Regarding emigration causes, it seems that economic reasons were the driving force behind the emigration of Burgenland residents to the United States, while their connection to nature was retained predominantly due to the fact that many of the original emigrants arrived from impoverished rural areas, and the knowledge of those areas and the surrounding environment was later passed down to their children in form of stories. In specific cases, some personally relived those stories by embarking on a journey to visit Burgenland and their family members who still live there. Therefore, by comparing the personal experiences of the interlocutors versus the narrated stories of their ancestors, I realized that there is a transcending bond to Burgenland heritage as well as nature nurtured across generations of Burgenland emigrants. Judging by the results, we can conclude that the nature of Burgenland for interlocutors mostly represents a form of sentimentality evoked through narration and nostalgia in the form of experience for those who personally visited the region. Nowadays, people retain their connection to Burgenland nature despite growing up in a different environment, predominantly through the aspects of culinary delights, gardening, forests, family members that currently live in the region, and expressing care and awareness about environmental conditions in Burgenland.

Ultimately, in addition to genealogical data, it is evident that the environmental link of the Burgenland Bunch members is yet another factor that only strengthens their bond to the region. I have listened to a plethora of colorful stories and felt immersed in those chronicles of the Burgenland Bunch narratives as if I were connected to them personally. Therefore, this project felt like an adventure, so I wish to express my thanks to everyone for sharing their stories and accompanying me on this journey.



Editor: I also wanted to include the text that described his sub-project from the web link Nikola provided above for the overall project. Here is that text:

In his digital ethnography project, Nikola Blagojevic explores the narratives and stories of Burgenland Bunch members regarding their connection to the nature and environment of Burgenland. The Burgenland Bunch is a history and genealogy group focused on developing genealogical data concerning Burgenland emigrants and assisting individuals of Burgenland descent in tracing their ancestral heritage. Notably, a significant number of Burgenland Bunch members are descendants of Burgenland emigrants who settled in the United States, and they maintain a link to the region’s environment through stories passed down by their ancestors and personal experiences.



The Story Of The Apron: Christine Rubba shared with me a story about an old tradition, Die Schürze in German, saying maybe some day you will write about old traditions that are no longer alive but were so endearing to all... that day has come. Here are the words Christine shared:



I don't think all of our kids know what an apron is...

The main purpose of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, as she had few. This was also because aprons were easier to wash than dresses and aprons used less material.

In addition, it served as a pot holder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears and was even occasionally used to clean dirty ears.

In the chicken coop, the apron was used to carry eggs, fussy chicks and sometimes half-hatched eggs that then finished hatching in the warming oven.

When company came, these aprons were ideal hiding places for shy children. And when it was cold, Grandma wrapped it around her arm. Those big old aprons bent over the hot wood stove and wiped a lot of sweat from foreheads.

In this apron, shavings and kindling were brought into the kitchen. It brought all kinds of vegetables from the garden. In the fall, the apron was used to gather apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the street, it was surprising how much furniture this old apron could dust off in a matter of seconds.

When supper was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waving her apron and the men knew it was time to get down from the fields to supper. It will be a long time before anyone invents anything to replace the "old apron" that served so many purposes.

Grandma put her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool; her granddaughters put theirs on the window sill to thaw. They would be going insane if they found out how many germs were on that apron. But I never caught anything off an apronexcept love.

Send this to those who want to know (and love) the story of grandma's aprons.



New Digital Biographical Archive Of Burgenland Croats: "Testimonium–Biographical Archive of the Burgenland Croats" is a new, cooperative project of the Burgenland Research Society (BFG) and the magazine Novi Glas, a publication of the Croatian Academic Club (HAK). Over the past year, Michael Schreiber (BFG) and Konstantin Vlasich (Novi Glas) video-interviewed 16 personalities from the Burgenland-Croatian ethnic group.

These 16 interviews are the initial ones for an ongoing and expandable digital video archive. These and future interviews center on well-known Croatian-ethnic personalities from Burgenland in the fields from art and culture to business and politics. The conversations, conducted in Croatian, ask interviewees to reflect on their lives and the central themes of their time, and range from first childhood memories to ethnic group political commitment to questions about the future of the ethnic group. The first four full interviews have been published at www.forschungsgesellschaft.at/testimonium and the rest will be published in the coming months.

In late August, the first four interviews were presented at a well-attended event at KUGA (Kulturna zadruga), which is a cultural association and center in Großwarasdorf. Interviewer Michael Schreiber noted, "What really pleased me was that everyone in the audience spoke Croatian very well and thus easily followed the event and joined in the discussion." He was pleased with the great interest within the ethnic group.



Verena Dunst Announces A Gradual Withdrawal From Politics: Verena Dunst retired in September from the roles of President of the state parliament (Landtag) and SPÖ district party chairman of Güssing. She continues to exercise her state parliament mandate as SPÖ pensioner spokeswoman and plans to run in the next state election (in 2025) for a fixed mandate on the state list. She also will continue to represent Burgenland in the federal SPÖ party Presidium.

Dunst, now 65, is a former teacher and school director, and she became the first female president of the state parliament in Burgenland in 2019. She previously held positions as a member of the National Council and Provincial Council. Since 1982, she has been a member of the SPÖ state party executive committee and, since 1997, a member of the state party presidium.

In a recent interview, Dunst was outspoken about a lot of topics, including the recently-elected Federal SPÖ party leader, Andreas Babler. "I think a lot of things are good about him, but he has to find majorities for his ideas and I don't see that at the moment," Dunst said. "The chance would have been a hundred times greater with Doskozil, because he solves problems in such a way that he has the approval of the people. I'm afraid Babler won't be able to do that." Verena is also pushing for the implementation of a millionaire's tax: "It's high time. I don't see why an employee burns like a chandelier but the 'rich and beautiful' shy away from it. They should contribute something."

She stated that she was against another membership survey on party goals, noting that Doskozil and his ideas had won against Babler at the federal level before he was defeated at the party congress, and seemingly implied that the congress reflected more its own desires than those of the full Austrian SPÖ membership.

She also does not wish to give advice to her successor as president of the state parliament, noting that she will sit as a member of the state parliament in the future and wants to take on a spokesperson role for the "older generation."

Verena was also more explicit about her reason for retiring from these several political functions, wishing to be able to spend more time with her granddaughter: "The decision was not easy, but there was no other way," she says, referring to the balancing act between family and career. She noted that milestones have been reached in childcare and the women's employment rate but argues there is still a lot to do. Specifically, she would like to see the implementation of all-day school in order to create equal opportunities for females.

As expected, Verena's retirements prompted a reorganization of SPÖ Burgenland by party leader and governor Hans Peter Doskozil, who noted that all personnel decisions were unanimously accepted by the state party executive. The new president of the state parliament will be previous SPÖ club chairman Robert Hergovich. His successor as club chairman will be current Burgenland SPÖ managing director Roland Fürst. Fürst will be replaced by two individuals, current Doskozil spokeswoman Jasmin Puchwein and Kevin Friedl, deputy mayor of Rohr. They will work closely with SPÖ district organizations and the municipalities "to deepen the relationship." It was also announced that ex-SPÖ federal secretary Max Lercher will head the Karl Renner Institute Burgenland.

As expected, opposition parties used the changes to comment negatively about the Doskozil and the SPÖ. Green Party leader Regina Petrik criticized Doskozil for "slowing down" women in the SPÖ Burgenland, pointing out that men have taken over as president of the state parliament and as head the Renner Institute (also formerly led by a woman). Petrik discounted the promotion of Jasmin Puchwein, saying that was not evidence to the contrary. FPÖ state secretary Rudolf Smolej implied that the appointment of Marx Lercher was simple nepotism, as Lercher is a friend and supporter of Doskozil. ÖVP state secretary Patrik Fazekas characterized the appointment of two individuals as dual SPÖ managing directors as "mega personnel costs," suggesting Doskozil is too free with party money.



Alexander Petschnig Re-elected As FPÖ State Party Chairman: Some of you may recall that Alexander Petschnig was part of the last Burgenland delegation visit to the US (in May 2017). That is because Burgenland had a coalition government six years ago and the SPÖ shared some power with the FPÖ. As such, the FPÖ was given representation in the delegation. In a subsequent election, the SPÖ obtained an absolute majority and sole control of the Burgenland government. Alexander was forced to move into the opposition and a different role. He ran and was elected as the FPÖ state party chairman and, this past month, was up for reelection. Petschnig was again confirmed as state party chairman with 91.4 percent of the yes-no votes, as there were no opposing candidates this time.

In his acceptance speech, Petschnig identified a spirit of optimism in the FPÖ in Burgenland. He said that the FPÖ is the challenger to the SPÖ's absolute majority in Burgenland and that his party is the thorn in the flesh of this state government and the alternative to it. He did not spare criticism of his former government partner. "I think it's important to keep an eye on the powerful – and that's what we're doing here," Petschnig said. He criticized, among other things, the Burgenland transport company, the ORF household levy, and the state energy supplier. "There is no end to the ideas of throwing money away. This debt mania must be stopped," said Petschnig. The "asylum mania" must also be stopped. It is a "security policy sham." Petschnig felt that initiatives against the number of illegal migrants in Burgenland were lacking.

SPÖ state secretary Roland Fürst congratulated Petschnig on his reelection. He said that, in contrast to other parties, the SPÖ does not comment negatively on personnel decisions by other parties.



Schattendorf Border Pedestrian Zone And Demonstrations: Last month I wrote about the issues with Hungarian commuter traffic crossing the border on small farm roads and going through the small towns of northwestern Burgenland. Schattendorf, in the district of Mattersburg, installed a pedestrian zone with bollards to stop vehicular traffic. According to the Schattendorf mayor, this measure was necessary to reduce traffic in Schattendorf where the church, the kindergarten and an old people's home are located, calling it the busiest side street in Burgenland.

No surprise, this continues to heat up tempers. Hungarian commuters are especially angry because they now have to take a longer route from Sopron... and they have been demonstrating against it. There have now been two demonstrations on the Hungarian side of the border crossing, with many participants carrying signs saying the border pedestrian zone is a violation of EU law.

Last month, I was unsure whether the proposed "automotive exemption" system was implemented; now I know it has. So, anyone wishing to cross the state border at the border crossing between Schattendorf and neighboring Agendorf must apply for an exemption from the Schattendorf municipal office. The cost of the exemption is 160 euros, of which holders get 140 euros back in the form of shopping vouchers redeemable in Schattendorf. The bollards ensure that only cars with a special permit can drive through. As soon as the system detects the vehicle, the bollards go down and the car can pass through the border crossing.

But the permits are not easy to get... an applicant must have a personal and significant interest, such as a walking disability or personal economic interest (well beyond reduced commuting costs). The Schattendorf municipality requires a written application and only then will decide if an exemption will be granted.



Yet Another Recording Office Change: Patrick Kovacs sent me a note this past month saying that he had discovered references to Günseck (Gyöngyösfö) in the Unterkohlstätten (Alsószénégetö) civil records, and he shared links to a couple of such records, one in 1917 and the other in 1920. Those references indicated that births occurring in Günseck had been recorded in Unterkohlstätten... no big deal, except that we showed Bernstein (Borostyánkö) as the recording location for Günseck for the full extent of civil records.



Patrick inquired, "Maybe another case of changing administrative borders?" My answer is an emphatic "Yes"!

Further research indicated that Unterkohlstätten became the recording location for Günseck at the start of 1907 (when there were a lot of other "changing administrative borders"). Somehow, this one slipped by us and, as we have few members with ancestors from Günseck, no one inquired as to why they could not find records.

Regardless, our FS Films page and our Villages page have now been updated with the correct information. As always, should you discover "missing" records (if you can do such), please notify me so we can make corrections.



The Facebook Bunch (from Vanessa Sandhu):

Greetings, Burgenland Bunch!

We had a fantastic month in our Facebook group. We welcome our 16 new members! Our group now is 2082 strong!

Member Fred Knarr was in Burgenland for nearly a month and took us all on a whirlwind tour with his photographs and videos. Fred traveled to cemeteries all over Burgenland and photographed memorials for many of our members. He shared a detailed daily travelogue which has many members hoping to book their own trips, too. We are so grateful to Fred for all of his efforts to help out our members, and share the beautiful culture and people who live in Burgenland. If you haven’t joined us in the group, please do. You are missing out on lots of great content! facebook.com/groups/TheBurgenlandBunchOFFICIAL/

As mentioned above, Member Fred Knarr took us on a virtual tour of Burgenland. His tour lasted 4 weeks and covered an astounding 1950 miles! He visited many popular attractions, such as the Freilichtmuseum (open air museum) in Bad Tatzmannsdorf, the Oberschützen Hianzenverein and Musikmuseum, Burg Schlaining, and Schloss Rotenturm. Fred got to meet up with many wonderful people, including BB staff member Patrick Kovacs and member Christian Saurer. Fred photographed cemeteries in Neuhaus in der Wart, Eisenberg an der Pinka, Woppendorf, St. Michael Friedhof, Mischendorf, Moschendorf, the Lutheran cemetery in Jabing, Inzenhof, Tschanigraben, Güttenbach, Kirchfidisch, Kohlfidisch, Deutsch Tschantschendorf, and Kémesmal, Hungary. A million thanks to Fred for taking us all along on his incredible journey!

Member John Ruiss shared lots of great photos from his trip to Gerersdorf bei Güssing and Vienna.

Member Martha Orlovits added a new album with over 200 photos from the cemetery in Reinersdorf. Martha also added photos from St. Emmerich church and the small old cemetery near the church.

Member Brigitte Kurz shared more than 50 photos of the memorials found in the cemetery at Kroatisch Ehrensdorf.

Member Angelika Richter added an album featuring nearly 60 photos of the memorials at Großbachselten including the war memorial of the village. The photos are mostly Schuh and Unger and some other graves. Thank you, Angelika!!

Member Heidi Frank shared some touching photos of the WWI cemetery in Bovec, Slovenia. In the cemetery rests the remains of more than 600 Austrian-Hungarian soldiers.

Thank you to all of our fantastic members who have been taking all of these helpful photos. They really do help a lot when you are building your family tree!

Member Sylvia Matis-DeLuca shared some great recipes for many delicious Burgenland delicacies that she found from German-Austrian Day, hosted by the now-defunct Hess’ department store in Allentown, PA.

Member Catherine Polenz-Stallone shared photos of her first attempt at Zwetschgen Kuchen and Zwetschgenknodel. Both recipes looked delicious and inspired quite a few others to try making them.

Member Carole Pammer-Hamric shared some cool photos of what appears to be a tradition called “blochziehen.Blochziehen happened when there was no wedding in the town for an entire year. Villagers would drag two wooden mannequins down the streets and dress them up in wedding costumes. Member Moritz Wagner and Florian Marlovits were very helpful in revealing what was happening in these photos. Florian shared a link describing the tradition, and said that the reason masks are used is because there were fixed roles in this ceremony to fulfill (the witch, the soldier etc). uibk.ac.at/geschichte-ethnologie/.../blochziehen.htm

Member Helga Harter shared: “If you live in the NY area, the First Burgenländer are celebrating their 100th Anniversary with a Gala to be held on Sunday, October 22, 2023 from 1 pm to 6 pm, in the Grand Ballroom of Plattdeudsche Park Restaurant, 1132 Hempstead Turnpike, Franklin Square, NY. Tickets include full cocktail hour, sit-down dinner, dessert and open bar. $125.00 p/p. For further information please contact Peter Drauch at 917-887-2244.

On a similar note, The Burgenland Government Delegation will be visiting the Coplay Sängerbund on Friday, October 20th. The Heritage Committee cordially invites you to attend a reception in honor of our esteemed guests. Burgenland’s Governor, Hans Peter Doskozil will be in attendance, as will other government officials and Burgenland Gemeinschaft members. The reception will begin at 7:00 pm. There will be snacks and baked goods, along with musical entertainment. The event is free and open to the public.

I shared lots of photos and videos from the Coplay Sängerbund’s Oktoberfest celebration. There are some nice videos of Burgenland music, a Masskrugstemmen competition, and the Auerhahn Schuhplattler dancers.

It has been a very fun month. I hope that October brings us all good health and happiness. Until then, take care!

Vanessa



Book coverUpdate for book "The Burgenländer Emigration to America": Here is this month's update on purchases of the English issue of the 3rd edition of Dr. Walter Dujmovits' book "Die Amerika-Wanderung Der Burgenländer."

Current total sales are 1737 copies, as interested people purchased 4 books during this past month.

As always, the book is available for online purchase at a list price of $8.89 (which is the current production charge for the book, as we purposely choose not to make a profit so we can avoid dealing with the income tax consequences and so you can obtain the book at as low a cost as possible!), plus tax & shipping. Unfortunately, the price above is somewhat higher than in previous months, as our on-demand publisher, Lulu, recently raised is printing prices by 9.5%, meaning we must charge more. See the BB homepage for a link to the information / ordering page and for information about current discounts (there is at least one discount on price or shipping available most of the time... if not, wait a few days and there will be one!).

The book is an excellent read for the Burgenländers in your family.



Burgenland Recipes: none this month...



Note: Our recipes sortable list has links directly to the recipes or food-related articles published in our past newsletters. You can access the list by clicking our recipe box (to the right). Thanks to the contributions of our members over the years, we have quite a collection of Burgenland recipes, some with several variations.

However, whenever we use up our unpublished recipes, this recipe section will become dormant. So, if you have a favorite family recipe, please consider sharing it with us. We will be happy to publish it. Our older relatives, sadly, aren't with us forever, so don't allow your favorite ethnic dish to be lost to future generations.

You can send your recipe to BB Recipes Editor, Alan Varga. Thanks!



Words For Thought:
Franz Zeltner, 1911-1992, was a poet who was born, lived and died in Brennbergbánya (just over the border near Sopron). He wrote in both Hebrew-German dialect and standard German. This poem is a loving commitment to bilingualism, but also a confession: that of his Germanness. I give you my translation and his original...


My Two Languages
    - Franz Zeltner, 1981

As a person, I am a German,
As a citizen, a Hungarian;
we spoke, sang, dreamed in German,
because it was the mother tongue.

As children when we played,
we didn't care about language;
we argued and fought,
we reconciled again.

It is to me that in these years
as if I didn't have a language problem,
But when I sat in the school desk,
it was often difficult and uncomfortable.

There I learned to write and read
in national language only;
the dialect wasn't fine enough,
applied only in the schoolyard and hallway.

As a young man and as a suitor,
with girls hand in hand,
there is no need for words,
the language applies in every country.

I speak two languages today
sometimes German, sometimes Hungarian;
when things get hurried or heated,
It's often a funny mixture of words.

The one for telling,
the second spoke in office;
if it's not quite right,
so help! and don't scoff, damn it!

As a citizen, I am Hungarian,
as a human being, just as I was;
I live with both languages,
but I can do one better, of course.
 

Meine zwei Sprachen
    - Franz Zeltner, 1981

Als Mensch bin ich ein Deutscher,
Als Bürger ein Magyar;
wir sprachen, sangen träumten deutsch,
weil es die Muttersprache war.

Als Kinder, wenn wir spielten,
war uns die Sprach egal;
wir stritten und rauften uns,
versöhnten uns auch wieder mal.

Mir ist, in diesen Jahren hatt ich kein Sprachproblem,
Doch als ich in der Schulbank saß,
wars oftmals schwer und unbequem.

Da lernt ich schreiben, lesen
in Landessprache nur;
die Mundart war nicht fein genug,
galt nur am Schulhof und im Flur.

Als Jüngling und als Freier,
mit Mädchen Hand in Hand,
da braucht man keine Worte nicht,
die Sprache gilt in jedem Land.

Zwei Sprachen sprech ich heute,
mal Deutsch, mal Ungarisch;
wenns eilig oder hitzig wird,
ists oft ein lustig Wortgemisch.

Die eine zum Erzählen,
die zweite Sprach im Amt;
sollts einmal nicht ganz richtig sein,
so helft! und spottet nicht, verdammt!

Als Bürger bin ich Ungar,
als Mensch, so wie ich war;
ich leb mit beiden Sprachen zwar,
doch kann ich eine besser, klar.
 

One might not know how problematic such a confession would be today, when political correctness in Hungary labels a commitment to Germanness in Hungarian nationals as something completely absurd. What was true for Zeltner's education in the 1910s and 20s is still true for the Germans of Hungary today: education in Hungarian schools is provided solely in Hungarian. However, it is only fair to note that only 1.8% of Hungarian nationals claimed German ethnicity in a 2016 census, down significantly from its historical high of over 11% in the 1880 census. Also, to note that the US makes only limited efforts to provide education in other languages (Spanish comes to mind, of course, given the Hispanic heritage of nearly half of current immigrants to the US).



Editorial correction (30 Sep 2023): The above paragraph prompted BB member Patrick Vlaskovits to immediately comment, and he was blunt: "your assertion is completely off the mark." But, blunt or not, he was also correct. Still, he was kind enough to posit that it was "something you may be unaware of," and, thankfully, that was correct too.

Patrick went on to tell me that the ethnic German minority in Hungary can indeed receive education in German in special schools around Hungary (as can other historical minorities). He pointed out that "In the academic year of 2008/2009, there were 198 bilingual kindergartens, 270 German primary schools and 21 German secondary schools (including 8 bilingual secondary schools) in Hungary. In the academic year of 2009/2010, there were 204 bilingual kindergartens, 242 German primary schools and 17 German secondary schools in Hungary."

He noted that a prominent Fidesz politician, Imre Ritter, is the head of the National Self-Government of Germans in Hungary (German: Landesselbstverwaltung der Ungarndeutschen, LdU; Hungarian: Magyarországi Németek Országos Önkormányzata, MNOÖ), which is the nationwide representative organization of the German minority in Hungary. Ritter was re-elected MP for the German minority in the 2022 Hungarian parliamentary election. Ritter also represent the interests of twelve "historical" national minorities that sent advocates to the parliament but were ineligible to elect their own MP due to not reaching the required minimum quota.

Patrick stated that "today many Hungarians have German roots and wear them proudly. To be 'Sváb,' the catch-all term given by Hungarians of all types of German ethnic heritage has a strong positive connotation and implies thrift and a penchant for hard work. No Hungarian is considered less Hungarian because of their German heritage.

"Yes, the prestige of Germany identity has ebbed and flowed in Hungary historically—obviously during WW2 and the expulsion of ethnic Germans it was at a low point. But your characterization of the contemporary Hungarian political milieu and its stance toward a German identity in Hungary has missed the mark."


3) HISTORICAL BB NEWSLETTER ARTICLES

Editor: This is part of our series designed to recycle interesting articles from the BB Newsletter of 10 years ago.

This time, I pick a short tidbit from the September 2013 newsletter and will expand on it a little. My reason for picking this one is because I reported last month on the flooding damage in southern Burgenland and the resulting agricultural concerns. This tidbit talks about hail damage 10 years ago in the southern Burgenland "Eisenberg DAC" wine region.

DAC are the initials for the Latin words, Districtus Austriae Controllatus... in English, Austrian Controlled District. There are 13 DACs in Austria. Such an appellation signifies wines which are regarded as being particularly typical of the named region, and the wines must meet specific criteria to be allowed to carry it.

I'll let you read the tidbit from the past, then continue below:



THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS No. 235
September 30, 2013


GRAPE SHORTAGE ON THE EISENBERG:

Burgenland ORF is reporting a severe shortage of white wine grapes in the Eisenberg DAC region in Oberwart. This is a result of two violent hailstorms in the early summer that destroyed almost 100 percent of the crop in places. The growers are anticipating a shortage and, for certain quality wines, hoarding. With the main harvest began on the Eisenberg near the end of September, it is expected to be very short season. The mature grapes remaining on the vine are damaged and other grapes are a month delayed and unlikely to sufficiently mature.

According to Mathias Jalits, chairman of the Eisenberg DAC Association, the prime locations for grapes of the Eisenberg DAC wines were most affected by hail, thus "There will be little Eisenberg DAC wines on the market in the 2013 vintage." Countering this somewhat is that the 2011 and 2012 seasons provided large, excellent vintages and some remains available in cellars.

Nonetheless, the Buschenschank (wine tavern) owners remain concerned "because in most taverns white wine is drunk" and only 15 percent of the Eisenberg vines are of white varieties like Riesling.



There are actually two separate Eisenberg DAC designations. The Classic ("standard") category of Eisenberg DAC wines was created in 2009. These wines must reach 12.5 percent and have little or no use of oak. They may be released from September 1 in the year following the harvest. They are often described as being suitable for slight chilling.

The Eisenberg DAC Reserve category was created first, in 2008. These reds are made from late-harvest Blaufränkisch grapes and/or fruit from warmer sites. The wines must attain a minimum 13 percent alcohol, are expected to be aged in oak barrels, and must wait an extra six months before release compared to the Classic DAC wines.

The Eisenberg DAC region stretches about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from north to south, from Rechnitz in the north to Güssing in the south. However, the vineyards in the region are mostly located on the southeastern slopes of the ridges rising out of the Pannonian plain, so the region only has around 515 hectares (1270 acres) of vines in total. In the image to the right, the dark green areas are the forested upper regions of the ridges... the vineyards tuck in tight along the lower/right edges of the forest line and usually extend well less than a mile into the valleys.


4) ETHNIC EVENTS

LEHIGH VALLEY, PA


Sunday, October 1: The Jolly Bavarians at the Coplay Sängerbund. Info: www.coplaysaengerbund.com

Friday-Sunday, October 6-8: 50th Anniversary Stiftungsfest of the Alpenrose Schuhplattlers at the Lancaster Liederkranz. Info: www.lancasterliederkranz.com

Friday-Sunday, October 6-8: Oktoberfest at SteelStacks in Bethlehem. Info: https://www.steelstacks.org/festivals/oktoberfest/

Sunday, October 8: The Jolly Bavarians at the Coplay Sängerbund. Info: www.coplaysaengerbund.com

Sunday, October 8: MSC Sisters Oktoberfest at the Reading Liederkranz. Music by the Josef Kroboth Orchestra. Info: https://mscreading.org/oktoberfest/

Sunday, October 8: Oktoberfest at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Coopersburg. Music by Glenn Miller. Info: https://www.stjoescoopersburg.org/calendar-upcoming-events/

Friday, October 13: Kermit Ohlinger at the Reading Liederkranz. Info: www.readingliederkranz.com

Friday-Sunday, October 13-15: Oktoberfest at SteelStacks in Bethlehem. Info: https://www.steelstacks.org/festivals/oktoberfest/

Sunday, October 15: Weinlesefest at the Coplay Sängerbund. Music by the Emil Schanta Band. Info: www.coplaysaengerbund.com

Sunday, October 22: The Josef Kroboth Orchestra at the Coplay Sängerbund. Info: www.coplaysaengerbund.com

Friday, October 27: Kermit Ohlinger at the Reading Liederkranz. Info: www.readingliederkranz.com

Sunday, October 29: Maria & John at the Coplay Sängerbund. Info: www.coplaysaengerbund.com


NEW BRITAIN, CT

Friday-Sunday, 1-8 pm: Biergarten is open. Austrian Donau Club, 545 Arch Street.


ST. LOUIS, MO

Sunday, Nov 5, 1-5 pm: St. Louis Burgenländer Gathering at the Community Center Cafeteria of Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, 10235 Ashbrook Dr, St. Louis, MO. Contact: tmacwms@sbcglobal.net


UPPER MIDWEST

(none)


5) BURGENLAND EMIGRANT OBITUARIES

Theresia Trobits (née Mayer)

Theresia Trobits was born in the small village of Urbersdorf in Austria on December 16, 1934, to Alois and Hedwig Mayer. She was the third of six children. She married Eduard Trobits in May 1955, and emigrated to the United States in May 1956. They had two daughters, Monika and Linda.

Theresia lived most of her life in New York City and worked in food service her entire career both cooking and serving food. She spent the last 20 years of her life working in Building #2 of the World Trade Center retiring in October 1999. She relocated to Arizona to enjoy her retirement soon after. Theresia moved to Sun City West in 2006, and she loved going to the gym, playing cards with friends, playing bunco, and attending social dances. Theresia loved taking care of her home. Gardening was her passion. She was also an excellent cook and baker. Theresia loved to organize parties for friends and was a very fine hostess. She also was talented with her hands and could sew, crochet and knit very well. Theresia also enjoyed animals and loved her beloved dog, Shasta, with all her heart.

She passed from congestive heart failure on August 28, 2023, and is survived by her daughter, Monika Trobits; daughter, Linda Scholler; and son-in-law, Klaus Scholler.

The funeral and celebration of Theresia’s life will take place on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, at Sunland Memorial Park located at 15826 N Del Webb Blvd in Sun City, Arizona. 10:00 a.m. Visitation, Catholic Blessing, Eulogy, 11:00 a.m. Light Meal and Photo Slideshow, 12:00 p.m. Burial with family.

Nach einem erfüllten Leben, nehmen wir Abschied von unserer Mutter und Schwiegermutter.
Frau THERESIA TROBITS geb. MAYER
Geb. 16. Dezember 1934 Gest. 28. August 2023

„Und am Ende meiner Reise
Hält der Ewige die Hände
Und er winkt und lächelt leise
und die Reise ist zu Ende.“
- Matthias Claudius

Wer Sie gekannt, weiß was wir verloren haben.

In stiller Trauer:
Monika Trobits, Tochter
Linda Scholler, Tochter
Klaus Scholler, Schwiegersohn

Published at https://www.dignitymemorial.com



Josef Pelzmann

Josef Pelzmann, 81 of Lawson, Missouri passed away September 13th at North Kansas City Hospital surrounded by his family.

Joe Pelzmann, also known as "wheels" among his friends, was born on April 1, 1942 in Nemesmedves (Ginisdorf), Hungary to Josef and Julianna (Marx) Pelzmann. His mother did not want an April Fools baby, so she gave his date of birth as April 2, 1942. Joe was born in the home which sat on the Austrian-Hungary border with the front door being in Hungary and the back door in Austria.

At the age of 5, the Russian Military gave Joe's family the choice to move to Germany to survive the war. They left with the clothes on their back, relocating to Neuler, Germany. His father was being held as a POW in Siberia. Joe, at the age of 5, started his first job as a sheep herder; in exchange he was given food and shelter. As he grew older he was given more responsibilities and soon was transferring the milk to town on a horse drawn wagon, stopping along the way to pick up the children to take them to school. After school he went back to town to get the wagon and empty milk cans, picking up the children and taking them home.

After six years his father was released from Siberia, but was in rough shape. With no place to call home, they made the decision to follow other relatives to the United States. Joe was 15 years old at the time and they stayed with relatives in Haledon, New Jersey.
All had to have a job, so Joe was given a shoe shine kit and taught to say, "shine Mr. shine". It didn't take Joe long to learn that the best money was in the bars.

Joe graduated from High School and was drafted into the Army and served in Vietnam. The first day home from Vietnam was his 1st day with Ford Motor Company. He retired after 36 years. Joe was working in Edison, New Jersey when it was shut down, and he was sent to the Claycomo Ford Plant in 1984. Joe and Kathy met in 1987, and have been together ever since, marrying in 1999. Joe was a lover of all animals and very family oriented. He didn't know a stranger and loved being a grandfather to his grandchildren.

Joe was preceded in death by his father Josef Pelzmann, mother Julianna Pelzmann, and brother Anton Pelzmann.

He is survived by his wife Kathryn Pelzmann and sister Marianne Pelzmann of the home. Three children; Sherie Robb (Dave Mansell) of Kearney, MO, Brian Adkins (Lisha Camburako) of Olathe, KS, David Adkins (Janie) of Kansas City, MO. Six grandchildren; Michael Adkins (Crystal), Kaitlyn Grindstaff (Mike), Samantha Woods (Elijah), Stratton Baird, Joseph Adkins (Hanna), Trenton Adkins, and two great-grandchildren Avery Adkins, Weston Adkins with an additional great-grandson on the way.

Visitation will be held Thursday, September 21, 2023 at 10:00 am, with the Funeral Services following directly after at 11:00 am at Hidden Valley Funeral Home 5951 MO-10, Excelsior Springs, MO 64024. Graveside Services to be held at 2:00 pm at Missouri Veterans Cemetery of Higginsville, MO 20109 MO-13 Bus, Higginsville, MO 64037.
Memorial Contributions may be made to the Ray County Humane Society of Richmond, MO or Meet-the-Need in Excelsior Springs, MO in Memory of Josef Pelzmann.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Obituary published on Legacy.com by Hidden Valley Funeral Home of Excelsior Springs on Sep. 17, 2023



Erna Raubold (née Panny)

On Friday, September 22, 2023, heaven was awarded another angel. Erna Raubold of North Cape May, NJ, (previously of Clifton, NJ and Hawthorne, NJ) was born on December 8, 1939 to Agnes and Julius Panny in Tudersdorf, Austria.

Erna was a beautiful, kind and giving person. She was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother and Oma. Erna was employed as a home health aide for 20 years and was loved and cherished by her patients. She cared very deeply for everyone.

Erna is predeceased by her mother and father. She leaves behind the broken hearts of her family: husband Heinrich, daughter Linda (Eric) Hammer, and granddaughter Jennifer, daughter Anita (Robbin) Wilson, and grandchildren Chance and Alexa, and daughter Janet Raubold and her fiancée Robert Raymond. She is also survived by her brother Johann Panny and family of Austria and many extended family members in Austria and Canada.

There will be a memorial service to honor Erna at the Evoy Funeral Home, 3218 Bayshore Rd., North Cape May, NJ 08204 on Friday, September 29, 2023 from 1:00 - 3:00 for anyone who would like to honor her and celebrate her. To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Obituary published on Legacy.com by Evoy Funeral Homes, Inc. on Sep. 23, 2023
 
END OF NEWSLETTER (Even good things must end!)


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