Franzjosefsfeld
Encyclopedia
Franzjosefsfeld was a German language
Danube Swabian settlement in northern Bosnia.
occupation of Bosnia Protestant Danube Swabians
from Banat
set up Franzjosefsfeld in 1886 near Bijeljina
. "The government looked favourably on these farmers and gave them tax concessions; and in 1890 is passed a special law on 'agrarian colonies', offering up to twelve hectares per family, rent-free for the first three years and then on a low mortgage which would end after ten years if they took Bosnian citizenship.
These colonists named their settlement after the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria
. After World War I, now part of the new state Yugoslavia, the village was officially renamed to Petrovopolje and after the Nazi occupation in 1940 it was renamed to Schönborn.
The colonists introduced modern farming methods and were very successful and prosperous. Consequently the village grew into the second largest German
-speaking community in all Bosnia, after Nova Topola (Windthorst)
. By 1931 there were 1130 Danube Swabians
; by 1942 there were 1600.
Following the collapse of internal security during World War II
the Nazis decided to evacuate the Volksdeutsche
(ethnic German) population from Bosnia and a treaty to this effect was signed with the Croatian
Ustaše
regime on 30 September 1942. The Hauptamt Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle organised an SS commando from Belgrade
under Otto Lackman and "...went from village to village, accompanied by the military."
The village was repopulated after 1945 with Serbs
and the Communist authorities destroyed or obscured all evidence of German
history and heritage here.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
Danube Swabian settlement in northern Bosnia.
History
Over a decade after the AustrianAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
occupation of Bosnia Protestant Danube Swabians
Danube Swabians
The Danube Swabians is a collective term for the German-speaking population who lived in the former Kingdom of Hungary, especially alongside the Danube River valley. Because of different developments within the territory settled, the Danube Swabians cannot be seen as a unified people...
from Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
set up Franzjosefsfeld in 1886 near Bijeljina
Bijeljina
Bijeljina is a city and municipality in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city is the second largest in the Republika Srpska entity after Banja Luka and fifth largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is situated on the flat rich plains of Semberija...
. "The government looked favourably on these farmers and gave them tax concessions; and in 1890 is passed a special law on 'agrarian colonies', offering up to twelve hectares per family, rent-free for the first three years and then on a low mortgage which would end after ten years if they took Bosnian citizenship.
These colonists named their settlement after the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
. After World War I, now part of the new state Yugoslavia, the village was officially renamed to Petrovopolje and after the Nazi occupation in 1940 it was renamed to Schönborn.
The colonists introduced modern farming methods and were very successful and prosperous. Consequently the village grew into the second largest German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
-speaking community in all Bosnia, after Nova Topola (Windthorst)
Nova Topola (Windthorst)
Nova Topola is a large village, originally founded by German settlers, in the municipality of Gradiška, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nova Topola currently has about 7000 inhabitants.-History:...
. By 1931 there were 1130 Danube Swabians
Danube Swabians
The Danube Swabians is a collective term for the German-speaking population who lived in the former Kingdom of Hungary, especially alongside the Danube River valley. Because of different developments within the territory settled, the Danube Swabians cannot be seen as a unified people...
; by 1942 there were 1600.
Following the collapse of internal security during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Nazis decided to evacuate the Volksdeutsche
Volksdeutsche
Volksdeutsche - "German in terms of people/folk" -, defined ethnically, is a historical term from the 20th century. The words volk and volkische conveyed in Nazi thinking the meanings of "folk" and "race" while adding the sense of superior civilization and blood...
(ethnic German) population from Bosnia and a treaty to this effect was signed with the Croatian
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
Ustaše
Ustaše
The Ustaša - Croatian Revolutionary Movement was a Croatian fascist anti-Yugoslav separatist movement. The ideology of the movement was a blend of fascism, Nazism, and Croatian nationalism. The Ustaše supported the creation of a Greater Croatia that would span to the River Drina and to the border...
regime on 30 September 1942. The Hauptamt Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle organised an SS commando from Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
under Otto Lackman and "...went from village to village, accompanied by the military."
The village was repopulated after 1945 with Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
and the Communist authorities destroyed or obscured all evidence of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
history and heritage here.
Literature
- Noel Malcolm Bosnia: A Short History (1994)
- Valdis O. Lumans, Himmler's Auxiliaries: The Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle and the German Minorities of Europe, 1939-1945 (1993)
- Gesemann, G., Das Deutschtum in Südslavien (1922, München)
- Heimfelsen, Die Deutschen Kolonien in Bosnien (1911, Sarajevo)
- Hoffmann, Fritz, Das Schicksal der Bosniendeutschen in 100 Jahren von 1878 bis 1978 (1982, Sersheim, Hartmann)
- Fritz Hoffmann, Josef Zorn: Heimatbuch Franzjosefsfeld – Schönborn. Pannonia-Verlag, 1963