The Bürgerverein Adam Berenz in Apatin
Excerpt taken
from:
TRANS - Internet journal for cultural sciences, 14.4.
Identitätsmanagement von Minderheiten im
Alpen-Donau-Adria-Raum, Editor: Klaus-Jürgen Hermanik (University of
Graz/Austria):
Das
Identitätsmanagement der deutschen Kulturvereine in Slowenien, Slawonien und
in der Vojvodina - Daten zum transnationalen Vergleich auf Grund einer im
Sommer und Herbst 2005 durchgeführten Studie by Samo Kristen (INV,
Ljubljana)
(…)
The Bürgerverein Adam Berenz in Apatin has been founded in the year
2001 and has about 90 members. According to its head Boris Mašić there
should be about 300 Germans left in Apatin; but there are only about 140 who
avow themselves as such. The waves of colonisation after WWII have changed
the ethnic appearance of the town thoroughly: before 1941 there were almost
only Germans living there, today the Serbian population is in majority
(Senz, 1966; Stefanović 1999), moreover there are Croatians, Hungarians and
Roma. The Germans who didn’t dare to avow themselves as such after WWII have
declared to be Hungarians mostly.
This was a typical case of ethnic mimicry (…).
The
Bürgerverein Adam Berenz already relies in its name on the catholic
priest who had been a strong objector to the Nazi-regime already in the
thirties and who rebelled against the Erneuererbewegung (movement of
renewing) in Vojvodina and finally became an important activist in
resistance during German occupation. The Bürgerverein also considers
itself as preserver of Berenz’ estate. The priest’s house has been changed
to a cultural center and also holds his personal things, books and volumes
of the magazine Donau that had been published by Adam Berenz. In
front of the priest’s house there is a big church building which had been
built just before WWII by a famous architect from Vienna but which has never
been consecrated for its sacral function and is vacant ever since.
It
would be good to mention the fact that Berenz already previewed in 1942 (so
only one year after the German Balkan campaign) the banishment and
collective expulsion of the Danube Swabians and to warn of it. This prophecy
unfortunately came true in the end of the bloody war. Today only the Danube
Swabian memorials in the former camps Krndija and Gakovo in Vojvodina and
Valpovo in East Slawonia remind of the tragic chapter of murder and forced
evacuation of the resident Germans (Mirić, 2004; Stojković, 2004).
The
situation of the Bürgerverein, who was able to organise a big meeting
of German Apatin people from all over the world two years ago, is rather
diffuse now. Not only to mention that the German clubs in Vojvodina are
divided between Subotica and Novi Sad. From Mašić’s point of view an
antagonism between protestants and Catholics within the minority can still
be felt. Another disadvantageous fact is the change of the local political
power after the Serbian nationalists have won the elections and so Boris
Mašić is now seriously worried about the future existence of the
Bürgerverein.
(…)
Original document:
www.inst.at/trans/16Nr/14_4/kristen16.htm
Translation: Annette
Schwindt
[Published at DVHH.org/Apatin 29 Apr 2008]
