Germans of Croatia
Encyclopedia
In Croatia
, there are still over 2,900 people who consider themselves German, most of these Danube Swabians
. Germans and Austrians
are officially recognized as a minority in Croatia and therefore have their own permanent seat in the Croatian Parliament. They are mainly concentrated in the area around Osijek
(German Esseg) in eastern Slavonia
. There is a German culture centre in Osijek and a small number of German schools.
The main locations in Slavonia formerly settled by Germans include:
There were many German settlements in the adjacent region of Syrmia
' onMouseout='HidePop("1706")' href="/topics/Croatian_language">Croatian
: Srijem; German
: Symrien), and in the Croatian part of Syrmia there is still a village called Nijemci
which literally means "Germans". The main locations in the Croatian part of Syrmia formerly settled by Germans include:
. The following government of Ljuba Davidović and the Democratic Party saw the ban lifted.
In 1922, they formed the German Party
(Partei der Deutschen). The party existed until it was banned as part of King Alexander's dictatorship in 1929.
The Croatian German population reached a peak number of 85,781 in the 1900 census, while this number plummeted after the German exodus
in the aftermath of World War II
. After the war, 100,000 Yugoslav Germans fled to Austria
. This population was not dealt with in the Potsdam Agreement
which prevented them from being patriated to Germany
. The Allies considered them Yugoslavian citizens and sought their repatriation there. However, on June 4 the communist Yugoslav regime released a decree that rescinded the citizenship of Yugoslavian Germans. Their property was henceforth confiscated, and the majority settled in Germany and Austria. Some managed to sneak back into Yugoslavia and returned to their homes.
According to the 2001 Croatian census, there are 2,902 Germans in Croatia (with another 247 Austrians
). There are German military cemeteries
in Pula
, Split
and Zagreb
.
, repaired the church. However, on April 10, 1992 the church was burnt by Serb forces as part of the Croatian War of Independence
. In 2001, various levels of the Croatian government contributed to its repairs, which were carried out by 2005.
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 ...
, there are still over 2,900 people who consider themselves German, most of these 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...
. Germans and Austrians
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
are officially recognized as a minority in Croatia and therefore have their own permanent seat in the Croatian Parliament. They are mainly concentrated in the area around Osijek
Osijek
Osijek is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of 83,496 in 2011. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja county...
(German Esseg) in eastern Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
. There is a German culture centre in Osijek and a small number of German schools.
Geography
- DardaDarda, CroatiaDarda is a village and a municipality just north of Osijek, Croatia, across the Drava river in Baranja. The population is 7,062 people.-Geography:The municipality of Darda includes following settlements:...
(Darda) - JagodnjakJagodnjakJagodnjak is a village and a municipality in the Osijek-Baranja County, Croatia. Jagodnjak development index is less than 50% of the Croatian average, which classifies them into 10% of the poorest municipalities...
(Katschfeld) - Josipovac-Kravice (Oberjosefsdorf-Krawitz)
- KulaKula, CroatiaKula is a village in Požega-Slavonia County, Croatia. The village is administered as a part of the city of Kutjevo.According to national census of 2001, population of the village is 404. The village is connected by the D51 state road....
(Kula-Josefsfeld) - OsijekOsijekOsijek is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of 83,496 in 2011. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja county...
(Esseg) - SarvasSarvašSarvaš is a village in eastern Slavonia, Croatia, located east of Osijek. It has a population of 1,539 . It is administratively located within the area of the city of Osijek....
(Sarwasch-Hirschfeld) - Satnica Đakovačka (Satnitz)
- Slavonski BrodSlavonski BrodSlavonski Brod is a city in Croatia, with a population of 59,507 in 2011. The city was known as Marsonia in the Roman Empire, and as Brod na Savi 1244–1934. It is the sixth largest city in Croatia, after Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek and Zadar. Located in the region of Slavonia, it is the...
(Brod)
There were many German settlements in the adjacent region of Syrmia
Syrmia
Syrmia is a fertile region of the Pannonian Plain in Europe, between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia in the east and Croatia in the west....
' onMouseout='HidePop("1706")' href="/topics/Croatian_language">Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
: Srijem; 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....
: Symrien), and in the Croatian part of Syrmia there is still a village called Nijemci
Nijemci
Nijemci is a village and a municipality in the Vukovar-Srijem county in Croatia. According to the 2001 census, there are 5,998 inhabitants in the municipality, 88.53% which are Croats. According to the 2011 census, there are 4,715 inhabitants in the municipality...
which literally means "Germans". The main locations in the Croatian part of Syrmia formerly settled by Germans include:
- VukovarVukovarVukovar is a city in eastern Croatia, and the biggest river port in Croatia located at the confluence of the Vuka river and the Danube. Vukovar is the center of the Vukovar-Syrmia County...
- Novo Selo (Neudorf), now the western part of VinkovciVinkovciVinkovci is a city in Croatia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County. In the 2011 census, the total population of the city was 35,375, making it the largest town of the county...
- Opatovac
- Lovas (Lowas)
- JarminaJarminaJarmina is a municipality in the Vukovar-Srijem County in Croatia.Before World War II there was a substantial German-speaking Danube Swabian population here...
(Jahrmein) - BerakBerak-References:...
- TompojevciTompojevciTompojevci is a village and municipality in the Vukovar-Srijem County in Croatia. According to the 2001 census, there are 1,999 inhabitants in the municipality.-Demographics:Ethnic groups in the municipality include : * 59.08% Croats...
- TovarnikTovarnikTovarnik is a municipality in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in Croatia. According to the 2001 census, there are 3,335 inhabitants, 90.61% which are Croats. The municipality is part of Syrmia. It is the birthplace of great Croatian poet Antun Gustav Matoš....
- IlačaIlačaIlača is a village in eastern Croatia. It is connected by the D46 highway.-Education:The village hosts a part of the Elementary School Ilača-Banovci . Since 2002, the school administration is based at the location in Ilača. Local school in the Ilača has the most students. Classes in Ilača are...
(Illatsch) - SvinjarevciSvinjarevciSvinjarevci is a village in Croatia....
- BapskaBapskaBapska is a village in eastern Croatia. It is located south of Šarengrad and north of Šid, Serbia....
(Babska) - OrolikOrolikOrolik is a village in Croatia. It is connected by the D46 highway....
- Šidski Banovci
- Novi JankovciNovi Jankovci-References:...
(Neu-Jankowzi)
History
With the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the establishment of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the Germans of Croatia became a minority. In 1920, Germans established the cultural association Kulturbund. Kulturbund was banned on April 11, 1924 by Minister of the Interior Svetozar PribićevićSvetozar Pribicevic
Svetozar Pribićević was an ethnic Serb politician from Croatia who worked hard for creation of unitaristic Yugoslavia. However, he later became a bitter opponent of the same policy and of the dictatorship of king Aleksandar Karađorđević...
. The following government of Ljuba Davidović and the Democratic Party saw the ban lifted.
In 1922, they formed the German Party
German Party (Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes)
The German Party was a political party of Germans in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The party was formed in 1922 and participated in elections until it was banned following Yugoslav king Alexander I's dictatorship of January 6, 1929....
(Partei der Deutschen). The party existed until it was banned as part of King Alexander's dictatorship in 1929.
The Croatian German population reached a peak number of 85,781 in the 1900 census, while this number plummeted after the German exodus
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
in the aftermath of 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...
. After the war, 100,000 Yugoslav Germans fled to Austria
Austria
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...
. This population was not dealt with in the Potsdam Agreement
Potsdam Agreement
The Potsdam Agreement was the Allied plan of tripartite military occupation and reconstruction of Germany—referring to the German Reich with its pre-war 1937 borders including the former eastern territories—and the entire European Theatre of War territory...
which prevented them from being patriated to Germany
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...
. The Allies considered them Yugoslavian citizens and sought their repatriation there. However, on June 4 the communist Yugoslav regime released a decree that rescinded the citizenship of Yugoslavian Germans. Their property was henceforth confiscated, and the majority settled in Germany and Austria. Some managed to sneak back into Yugoslavia and returned to their homes.
Germans in the Republic of Croatia
Today, they are organized into the Association of Germans and Austrians of Croatia. Since the fall of communism and Croatian independence, the minority has held an annual academic conference titled Germans and Austrians in the Croatian cultural circle. In 1996, Croatia and Germany signed an agreement to facilitate the marking of German graves from the world wars in Croatia. In 2005, the Croatian government passed a comprehensive law on the return of nationalized Austrian property to its rightful owners.According to the 2001 Croatian census, there are 2,902 Germans in Croatia (with another 247 Austrians
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
). There are German military cemeteries
German War Graves Commission
The German War Graves Commission is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of German war graves in Europe and North Africa...
in Pula
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
, Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
and Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
.
Germans in Baranya
The then predominantly German town of Čeminac built the parish Church of Sacred Heart of Christ in 1906-1907. The German population in the town was forced to leave in 1945. After democratic changes in Croatia in 1990, former inhabitants of the town, mostly living in GermanyGermany
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...
, repaired the church. However, on April 10, 1992 the church was burnt by Serb forces as part of the Croatian War of Independence
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
. In 2001, various levels of the Croatian government contributed to its repairs, which were carried out by 2005.