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Pilgersdorf
Village of 550 residents in the Oberpullendorf district.

Middle Burgenland, on route 55, 6 km northwest of Lockenhaus. Combined with Kogl, Bubendorf, Deutsch Gerisdorf, Lebenbrunn, Salmansdorf, Steinbach im Burgenland. Total pop. 1749, houses 752. Municipal office, post office, school.

Bürgermeister names from 1911, Schlögl, Renner, Reinhofer, Fasching, Puhr, Reidinger, Schwarz.

Family History Library microfilms:
Catholic: Római Katólikus Egyház, Pörgölény [FHL INTL Film 700715]
Civil: Pörgölény (Vas). Anyakönyvi Hivatal [FHL INTL Films 700472 - 75]

North of Deutsch Gerisdorf. First mentioned in 1225 as "villa Pylgrim"; in the times of the Güssing quarrels (late 13th century), the castle of "Pilgreimsdorf" was taken by Duke Albrecht (of Hapsburg); from around 1390 Pilgersdorf was owned by the noble family Kanizsay, 1447-88 they rented it out to the family von-Pottendorf, the owners of Kirchschlag and Krumbach (both in Lower Austria); in 1535 Pilgersdorf (and the whole domain Lockenhaus) came under the rule of the noble family Nadasy by way of marriage; a report of 1528 counts 26 farmers in Pilgersdorf, with 8 of them being 'libertini', i.e. 'freed men' - this meant they didn't have to give money and/or agricultural goods to the domain owner, nor did they have to work ("robot") for him (on his fields); usually one could become a 'libertinus' by paying a large sum of money to the domain owner.

In 1528 Martin MOLNAR was "Richter" (kind of a mayor) of Pilgersdorf. In 1597 Martin REISNER was Richter, and the village was inhabited by 29 farmers and 7 "Söllner" (people without farming land).

The NADASDY family (the local aristocrats) was pro-Lutheran so, from 1596 onwards, Lutheran pastors like Benedikt PYRUS, Veit ALTENMARKTER, Matthias KAPPELMANN, Johann SUMMERAUER, Gregor GERBER and Wolfgang LANGFELDER were active in this area (the NADASDY returned to the Catholic faith in 1643). Several exiled Lutheran noblemen, who had to leave Styria in 1629, settled in this area. They 'rented' villages or parts of villages from Count NADASDY. Names of these Styrian/Carinthian aristocrats are: Sigismund SPEIDL, Bartholomaeus MENSDORFF, Sigismund HOHENWARTH, Karl PREINBERGER, Tobias PREINBERGER, Alban GLOBITZER.

A document ("Urbar") of 1661 lists around 40 farmers. Among these were: 3 LOIBL (LEIBL), 2 RAUHOFER, SCHLÖGL, SCHERMANN, ZETTL, SCHREINER, GROSSINGER, FRÜHSTÜCK, BRUNNER, KRENN, PAUSS, KORGER, SCHWARZ, PAMPER, POSCH.

The "Visitation" (kind of a church inventory for a whole church district) of 1697 mentions a church made of stone, consecrated to Holy Aegidius (Egyd). A house for the priest exists but, at this time, the teacher lived in it. The priest, a monk, lived in the monastery in Lockenhaus. A schoolhouse also exists, but it is not used (in 1697).

In 1720, 28 farmers and 16 Söllner are counted in Pilgersdorf. In 1731, twelve inhabitants still were Lutherans, in 1780, ten.

Catholic church records started in 1720 (baptisms) and 1758 (weddings, deaths), but were destroyed during the great fire of 1855. Probably in 1789, but definitely in 1804, Kogl left the Pilgersdorf parish and became a parish of its own (including Lebenbrunn). In 1807, the Catholics of Redlschlag were added to the Kogl parish (formerly they had also belonged to the Pilgersdorf parish).

In 1820, the monastery in Lockenhaus ceased to exist. But from 1801-1821, Pilgerdorf already had a priest who was not a monk; this priest was Paul HAFNER. His successors were: 1821-1838, Josef Nepomuk Johann HESSE (from Prague); 1838-54, Josef KISS; 1854-74, Franz POPP (from Lockenhaus); 1874-88, Michael SCHLAMADINGER; 1888-95, Vinzenz PEHAM (from Pinkafeld). From 1917-21, Anton KNÖCZL was priest. He was pro-Hungarian (wanted the Lockenhaus area to stay a part of Hungary), so he went to Koszeg (Güns) in Hungary in 1921. His successors were Stefan PORITS (1922-35) and Josef WOHLMUTH (1935-51) ...

A wooden school house is reported in 1780 and, in 1815, mentioned again as very well built; in 1858, it was enlarged. In 1928, a new school house was built. Known names of teachers in Pilgersdorf are: Johann GREINER (1652, from Nürnberg, Germany); Johann Michael PLÖZ (1769-1815, from Litzelsdorf); Johann FRÜSATZ (1815-1836, from Rohrbach); Josef LEHNER (1836-1887); Josef EKAMP (1887-1903); Johann HOLZER (1903-17); Rupert WENINGER (1918-38); Josef WIESINGER (from 1938 onwards).

"Kreisnotar" (this is a civil servant, his name may appear on civil documents) were: SZENTGYÖRGYI (1874-86), Josef KOFALVI (1892-1921), Stefan FARKAS (after 1923); in Austria the "Kreisnotar" was (is) called "Oberamtmann."

A post office exists in Pilgersdorf since 1870. First telephone was installed in 1921; in the same year, a police ("Gendarmerie") station was opened. Electricity was provided for some houses from a local mill after WW-I; in 1950-51, for the rest of the village.

Statistical data: 1833 - 68 houses, 621 inhabitants; 1842/43 - 712 inh.; 1863 - 646 inh.; 1896 - 113 houses, 625 inh.; 1900 - 116 houses, 637 inh., among them 4 Jews; 1910 - 118 houses, 604 inh. (5 Jews); 1923 - 638 inh. (2 Jews); 1934 - 642 inh.; 1951 - 125 houses, 620 inh. (of these 428 worked in the agricultural sector).

Taken from Josef Loibersbeck: "Um Pilgersdorf und Kogl" (translated extracts from: "Volk und Heimat," 1961, #'s 8 - 15/16); summarized and translated by Albert Schuch.

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