Oberwart
Encyclopedia
Oberwart or Felsőőr is a town in Burgenland
in southeast Austria
on the banks of the Pinka
River, and the capital of the district of the same name
. Oberwart is the cultural capital of the small ethnic Hungarian minority in Burgenland, living in the Upper Őrség
or Wart microregion.
(Alsóőr) and Siget in der Wart
(Őrisziget). It was first mentioned in historical documents in 1327 under the name Superior Eör. It was part of the old county
of Vas
until 1921. Old surnames and the special local dialect shows that the population was related to the Székely
s of Transylvania
(ie. the guards of the eastern border of Kingdom of Hungary
).
The community of the őrs received the privileges of the nobles by King Charles I of Hungary
in the 14th century. The privileges were acknowledged by Rudolph I in 1582. The village was partially destroyed by the Ottoman
army in 1532.
Reformation
appeared in Felsőőr in the 16th century, and it was backed by the mighty Counts of Battyhány. Pastor Ferenc Eőri took part in the synod
of 1618. In the Age of Counter-Reformation
, most of the region had to return to Roman Catholic faith, but the free noble village of Felsőőr remained Calvinist. In 1673 the army occupied the church and the school to give them back to the Catholics. The rectory was destroyed, and the pastor expelled. The villagers erected a new church in 1681 from wood. According to the laws of the Diet of 1681, Felsőőr became an "articular place" which means that it was the only legal place to practice Protestant religion for the whole region.
The villagers participated in the Hungarian national uprising of István Bocskay in 1605, and of Count Francis II Rákóczi
in 1705. In 1706 the Austrian army of General Sigbert Heister
sacked Felsőőr. In 1841 the village got the right to held a market. In the time of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
, the villagers defeated (with the help of a Hussar
troop) a smaller Croatian army. Later they had to pay a huge amount of tribute to avoid collective punishment.
Geographer Elek Fényes described the village in 1851 as an important and historically significant őr settlement:
At that time, 41 noble families lived in Felső-Őr. Some typical family names were: Ádám, Adorján, Albert, Andorkó, Balás, Bertha, Bertók, Fábián, Fülöp, Gál, Imre, Kázmér, Miklós, Orbán, Pál, Pongrácz, etc.
After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, the village began to develop rapidly, and the population reached 3900 people in 1910. According to the Treaty of Trianon
in 1920, Felsőőr was annexed by Austria, but the Hungarian population opposed the decision and organised a movement to establish the autonomous province of Lajtabánság. In November 1921, the Austrian army occupied the village.
After the Anschluss
with Germany in 1938, the Jewish inhabitants of the village (appr. 140 people) were deported, and the synagogue was transformed into a fire department depot. According to the Nazi policy of Germanisation
, the old Hungarian school of the Reformed Church was secularized. In 1939 Oberwart was incorporated as a town. In April 1945 the Red Army
occupied Oberwart after a week of fierce fighting and plundered the half-destroyed town. In the 1950s and 1960s, Oberwart was rebuilt and thoroughly modernized.
Nowadays there are appr. 1100 ethnic Hungarian inhabitants of the town, mostly members of the Calvinist parish. Felsőőr is the oldest Calvinist congregation in Austria. The Christian Reading Club of Young Men (founded in 1889) is an important cultural association of the Hungarian minority with a library, folk dance group and theater group. The new cultural center of the Calvinist Church was built in 1956-57. The Hungarian kindergarten was reestablished after World War II in 1951 and a new Bilingual Secondary School was set up in 1992.
The old Hungarian district of the town is called Fölszeg (ie. Upper End). The neighbourhood is the oldest part of the town with narrow lanes and more than one hundred old houses which are typical examples of the rural architecture of the Felső-Őrség
. The vaulted porches and the stuccoed gables are characteristic architectural features.
The population statistics of Oberwart/Felsőőr recorded by official Hungarian and Austrian censuses were:
The population of the town was increasing during the last 150 years with only two smaller bumps caused by World War I
and World War II
. Hungarians gave the majority until 1951 when Germans were recorded first as the largest group. The number of Hungarians reached its peak in 1920 with 3,138 people (75 % of the total population). In the second half of the 20th century they decreased both in numbers and percentage, reaching the lowest point in 1971 with only 204 people. The community was growing again in the last decades of the century. The small Roma minority disappeared after the hardships of Nazi rule. The number of Croatians only began growing in the last two decades of the 20th century.
Burgenland
Burgenland is the easternmost and least populous state or Land of Austria. It consists of two Statutarstädte and seven districts with in total 171 municipalities. It is 166 km long from north to south but much narrower from west to east...
in southeast 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...
on the banks of the Pinka
Pinka
The Pinka is a river in Central Europe with a length of approximately 55 km. Its source is located in Styria, eastern Austria, next to the provincial border of Burgenland. It passes into Hungary between the villages of Burg and Felsőcsatár, and crosses the Austrian-Hungarian border five times....
River, and the capital of the district of the same name
Oberwart (district)
Bezirk Oberwart is a district of the state ofBurgenland in Austria.-Municipalities:Towns are indicated in boldface; market towns in italics; suburbs, hamlets and other subdivisions of a municipality are indicated in small characters.Where appropriate, the Burgenland Croatian and Hungarian names...
. Oberwart is the cultural capital of the small ethnic Hungarian minority in Burgenland, living in the Upper Őrség
Upper Orség
Upper Őrség is a traditional ethnographic region and a small Hungarian language island in southern Burgenland, Austria. It consists the town of Oberwart and the two villages of Unterwart and Siget in der Wart . The population of the three settlement was 7694 according to the 2001 census...
or Wart microregion.
History
The settlement was established in the 11th century by the guards of the Hungarian frontier (őrs) together with UnterwartUnterwart
Unterwart or Alsóőr is a village in Burgenland, Austria, in the district of Oberwart . The village lies on the banks of the Pinka river, and it had a population of 964 in 2001 . Unterwart is the only settlement in Austria with an ethnic Hungarian majority...
(Alsóőr) and Siget in der Wart
Siget in der Wart
Siget in der Wart or Őrisziget is a small village in Burgenland, Austria, in the district of Oberwart . The village lies on the banks of the Zicken Bach and administratively belongs to the neighbouring town of Rotenturm an der Pinka . According to the 2001 census it had a population of 274...
(Őrisziget). It was first mentioned in historical documents in 1327 under the name Superior Eör. It was part of the old county
Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary)
A county is the name of a type of administrative units in the Kingdom of Hungary and in Hungary from the 10th century until the present day....
of Vas
Vas
Vas is the name of an administrative county in present Hungary, and also in the former Kingdom of Hungary. The county is a part of the Centrope Project.-Geography:...
until 1921. Old surnames and the special local dialect shows that the population was related to the Székely
Székely
The Székelys or Székely , sometimes also referred to as Szeklers , are a subgroup of the Hungarian people living mostly in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania, Romania...
s of Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
(ie. the guards of the eastern border of Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
).
The community of the őrs received the privileges of the nobles by King Charles I of Hungary
Charles I of Hungary
Charles I , also known as Charles Robert , was the first King of Hungary and Croatia of the House of Anjou. He was also descended from the old Hungarian Árpád dynasty. His claim to the throne of Hungary was contested by several pretenders...
in the 14th century. The privileges were acknowledged by Rudolph I in 1582. The village was partially destroyed by the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
army in 1532.
Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
appeared in Felsőőr in the 16th century, and it was backed by the mighty Counts of Battyhány. Pastor Ferenc Eőri took part in the synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
of 1618. In the Age of Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
, most of the region had to return to Roman Catholic faith, but the free noble village of Felsőőr remained Calvinist. In 1673 the army occupied the church and the school to give them back to the Catholics. The rectory was destroyed, and the pastor expelled. The villagers erected a new church in 1681 from wood. According to the laws of the Diet of 1681, Felsőőr became an "articular place" which means that it was the only legal place to practice Protestant religion for the whole region.
The villagers participated in the Hungarian national uprising of István Bocskay in 1605, and of Count Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi Hungarian aristocrat, he was the leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs in 1703-11 as the prince of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of Hungary. He was also Prince of Transylvania, an Imperial Prince, and a member of the Order of the Golden...
in 1705. In 1706 the Austrian army of General Sigbert Heister
Sigbert Heister
Sigbert Graf Heister was an Imperial Field marshal.His father was Gottfried Heister , Vicepresident of the Hofkriegsrat....
sacked Felsőőr. In 1841 the village got the right to held a market. In the time of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
Hungarian Revolution of 1848
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...
, the villagers defeated (with the help of a Hussar
Hussar
Hussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary in the 14th century, tracing its roots from Serbian medieval cavalry tradition, brought to Hungary in the course of the Serb migrations, which began in the late 14th century....
troop) a smaller Croatian army. Later they had to pay a huge amount of tribute to avoid collective punishment.
Geographer Elek Fényes described the village in 1851 as an important and historically significant őr settlement:
- "The fields are of only average fertility but the meadows are good. Has got sufficient wood and pasture. The inhabitants are the most diligent in the county: they are not only cultivating flax and breeding horses but they produce cloth and lint, make knives and other ironworks, practice crafts and trade."
At that time, 41 noble families lived in Felső-Őr. Some typical family names were: Ádám, Adorján, Albert, Andorkó, Balás, Bertha, Bertók, Fábián, Fülöp, Gál, Imre, Kázmér, Miklós, Orbán, Pál, Pongrácz, etc.
After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, the village began to develop rapidly, and the population reached 3900 people in 1910. According to the Treaty of Trianon
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon was the peace agreement signed in 1920, at the end of World War I, between the Allies of World War I and Hungary . The treaty greatly redefined and reduced Hungary's borders. From its borders before World War I, it lost 72% of its territory, which was reduced from to...
in 1920, Felsőőr was annexed by Austria, but the Hungarian population opposed the decision and organised a movement to establish the autonomous province of Lajtabánság. In November 1921, the Austrian army occupied the village.
After the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
with Germany in 1938, the Jewish inhabitants of the village (appr. 140 people) were deported, and the synagogue was transformed into a fire department depot. According to the Nazi policy of Germanisation
Germanisation
Germanisation is both the spread of the German language, people and culture either by force or assimilation, and the adaptation of a foreign word to the German language in linguistics, much like the Romanisation of many languages which do not use the Latin alphabet...
, the old Hungarian school of the Reformed Church was secularized. In 1939 Oberwart was incorporated as a town. In April 1945 the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
occupied Oberwart after a week of fierce fighting and plundered the half-destroyed town. In the 1950s and 1960s, Oberwart was rebuilt and thoroughly modernized.
Sights
- Reformed Church - The present imposing Baroque church was built in 1771-73 by Christoph Preising. The tower was built in 1808-09 by Matthias Preising. The furniture, the pulpit and the ecclesiastical equipment are valuable art pieces from the 18-19th centuries.
- Old Rectory - The Old Rectory was built in 1784, next to the Reformed Church in rural BaroqueBaroqueThe Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
style, with a nice arcaded porch. It was enlarged in 1823. Today it is a community center and museum. The old documents of the Calvinist community (for example the parish registers since 1732) are very important historical sources. - Former School of the Reformed Church - The famous school of the church was founded in the 17th century. The old school building behind the church was built in 1802.
- Old Parish Church - The old parish church of the Ascension was enlarged and rebuilt in Gothic style in 1463. In the 16-17th centuries it was a Calvinist church. The huge tower was built that time in 1656 under the pastoral service of János Szeremley. The church was rebuilt in Baroque style in 1728 and 1778. The restoration in 1975 revealed the medieval architectural details and the interesting murals in the apse from the 14th century (St George and St Michael). The furniture is Baroque from the 18th century.
- New Parish Church - The modern concrete-and-glass church and religious center was built in 1967-69 by the plans of Günther DomenigGünther DomenigGünther Domenig is an Austrian architect.Domenig studied architecture at the Technische Universität, Graz , and after working as an architectural assistant, set up in practice with Eilfried Huth , producing highly regarded buildings in a brutalist vein...
and Eilfried Huth. - Evangelical Church - It was built between 1812-15 in Neo-ClassicalNeoclassical architectureNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
style. The evangelicalLutheranismLutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
parish has been always the third in numbers behind the other two religion in Oberwart (for example 684 people in 1880 and 1198 in 2001). - Flea Market - On the first Saturday of every month, a flea market is held in central Oberwart.
Hungarians
In the course of the 20th century Magyars lost their historical majority in Felsőőr/Oberwart but the town remained the most important Hungarian educational, religious and cultural centre in Burgenland.Nowadays there are appr. 1100 ethnic Hungarian inhabitants of the town, mostly members of the Calvinist parish. Felsőőr is the oldest Calvinist congregation in Austria. The Christian Reading Club of Young Men (founded in 1889) is an important cultural association of the Hungarian minority with a library, folk dance group and theater group. The new cultural center of the Calvinist Church was built in 1956-57. The Hungarian kindergarten was reestablished after World War II in 1951 and a new Bilingual Secondary School was set up in 1992.
The old Hungarian district of the town is called Fölszeg (ie. Upper End). The neighbourhood is the oldest part of the town with narrow lanes and more than one hundred old houses which are typical examples of the rural architecture of the Felső-Őrség
Upper Orség
Upper Őrség is a traditional ethnographic region and a small Hungarian language island in southern Burgenland, Austria. It consists the town of Oberwart and the two villages of Unterwart and Siget in der Wart . The population of the three settlement was 7694 according to the 2001 census...
. The vaulted porches and the stuccoed gables are characteristic architectural features.
Coat-of-arms
The old coat-of-arms of Felsőőr depicted a medieval Hungarian frontier-guard (Hungarian: őr) with two swords in his hands, one raised as the symbol of attack, the other crossed as the symbol of defence. The inscription of the arms was Nobiles de Felső-Eőr. The new coat-of-arms of Oberwart was granted in 1972. The main feature of the old arms - the figure of the frontier-guard - was kept but the details changed and the inscription disappeared.Demographics
According to geographer Elek Fényes, in 1851 Felső-Őr was a Hungarian village with a population of 2323 people. Calvinists were the largest religious group (60 %), followed by Roman Catholics (26 %), Lutherans (13 %) and only 10 Jews.The population statistics of Oberwart/Felsőőr recorded by official Hungarian and Austrian censuses were:
| Year | Total | Hungarians | Germans 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.... |
Roma | Croatians |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 3,397 | 2,395 | 852 | 13 | 8 |
| 1890 | 3,410 | 2,720 | 613 | 49 | 14 |
| 1900 | 3,471 | 2,680 | 782 | n/a | 8 |
| 1910 | 3,912 | 3,039 | 842 | n/a | 17 |
| 1920 | 4,162 | 3,138 | 838 | 157 | 5 |
| 1923 | 3,846 | 2,664 | 1,162 | n/a | 5 |
| 1934 | 4,603 | 2,234 | 2,058 | 282 | 13 |
| 1951 | 4,496 | 1,603 | 2,854 | n/a | 2 |
| 1961 | 4,740 | 1,475 | 3,170 | n/a | 7 |
| 1971 | 5,455 | 204 | 5,236 | n/a | n/a |
| 1981 | 5,715 | 1,343 | 4,294 | n/a | 44 |
| 1991 | 6,319 | 1,598 | 4,430 | n/a | 104 |
| 2001 | 6,696 | 1,169 | 4,889 | n/a | 233 |
The population of the town was increasing during the last 150 years with only two smaller bumps caused by 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...
and 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...
. Hungarians gave the majority until 1951 when Germans were recorded first as the largest group. The number of Hungarians reached its peak in 1920 with 3,138 people (75 % of the total population). In the second half of the 20th century they decreased both in numbers and percentage, reaching the lowest point in 1971 with only 204 people. The community was growing again in the last decades of the century. The small Roma minority disappeared after the hardships of Nazi rule. The number of Croatians only began growing in the last two decades of the 20th century.
External links
- http://www.ref-kirche-oberwart.com
- http://www.bg-oberwart.at