Nova Topola (Windthorst)
Encyclopedia
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.
settler families from North West Germany
in 1879, several years after Bosnia came under Habsburg
rule. They were joined by six more families in the following year and there was a steady trickle of more migrant families until World War I
.
These colonists named their settlement Windthorst (literally "spiraling thicket"). They introduced modern farming methods and were very successful and prosperous. Consequently the village grew into three distinct parts : Unterwindhorst, Mittelwindhorst and Oberwindhorst. Following a visit to the region by Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria a daughter-colony, named Rudolfstal, was established nearby in Bosanski Aleksandrovac.
In 1918 Bosnia became part of Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and German
immigration stopped. The village was also renamed at this stage : Nova Topola (literally "new poplar" in reference to the tree).
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 Ustaše
regime on 30 September 1942. The Hauptamt Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle
(VoMi) organised an SS commando from Belgrade
under Otto Lackman and "...went from village to village, accompanied by the military."
By this stage Windthorst was the largest single German
settlement in all Bosnia. In late 1942 nearly 2000 Volksdeutsche were evacuated to Germany
from Nova Topola, and a further 500 from Rudolfstal, never to return. The village was repopulated after 1945 with Serbs
and the Communist authorities destroyed or obscured all evidence of German
history and heritage here.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
settlers, in the municipality of Gradiška, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nova Topola currently has about 7000 inhabitants.
History
The village was founded by 14 GermanGermans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
settler families from North West 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...
in 1879, several years after Bosnia came under Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
rule. They were joined by six more families in the following year and there was a steady trickle of more migrant families until World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
These colonists named their settlement Windthorst (literally "spiraling thicket"). They introduced modern farming methods and were very successful and prosperous. Consequently the village grew into three distinct parts : Unterwindhorst, Mittelwindhorst and Oberwindhorst. Following a visit to the region by Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria a daughter-colony, named Rudolfstal, was established nearby in Bosanski Aleksandrovac.
In 1918 Bosnia became part of Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
immigration stopped. The village was also renamed at this stage : Nova Topola (literally "new poplar" in reference to the tree).
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 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
Hauptamt Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle
The Hauptamt Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle was an NSDAP agency founded to manage the interests of the Volksdeutsche who lived outside the borders of Nazi Germany....
(VoMi) 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."
By this stage Windthorst was the largest single German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
settlement in all Bosnia. In late 1942 nearly 2000 Volksdeutsche were evacuated 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...
from Nova Topola, and a further 500 from Rudolfstal, never to return. 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
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
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)
links
- http://www.genealogienetz.de/reg/ESE/vl_bosn_lz.html#rudolfstal