Mr. Fissl, since when have you dedicated yourself to making videos?

Everybody starts small. First I took photographs. In Dreispitz I had a camera, a relatively good Russian brand device. I only took photos for the family and relatives and then developed them myself. I only started making videos in 1989. My first film was the one about the church in Dreispitz.  After the revolution, I had the idea of adding videos of Banat churches and cemeteries. When I showed the films to fellow Banaters5, most of them were very impressed. And one or the other approached me with the request to make films of his house, so that he could see it again. Thereupon I started to make films of the Banat villages.

What experiences did you have there?

The new inhabitants were not very well disposed towards me. They were afraid that their houses would be taken away. Once I even had to report to the local militia when I made films in a village near Temeswar/Timişoara. The inhabitants had snitched on me. But everything turned out for the better when I declared that I was doing it for older fellow Banaters who would like to see their old home again. There were also beautiful, unforgettable experiences, for example, the one with Nikolaus Pannert, at that time still active on the board of the HOG Jahrmarkt. He approached  me and insisted that I go with him to visit and film the village of Jahrmarkt. It was a beautiful, eventful time for me, as well as for Mr. Pannert, who introduced me to his village as if he were reviewing his life. 

Also, the many Homeland Association reunions and pilgrimages remain unforgettable. In the 1990's I went to Maria Radna with the HOG Blumenthal and the HOG Glogowatz several times. It was a very intensely experienced time and I got to know many fellow Banaters. Many people thanked me personally for immortalizing their church, cemetery and village on film. It helped them to get over their homesickness in this initial period.  

I am grateful to the archivist of the diocese of Temeswar/Timişoara, Claudiu Călin, who helped me to obtain a passport in 2015, which allowed me to attend the rededication ceremony in Maria Radna and to carry out my film work. For years I was supported in my documentary work by the now deceased Sanktanna countryman, Emil Andreas Zimmermann, who worked at the University Library of Regensburg and was well-informed about Banat history. He left behind an impressive collection of books, documents and copies, which the family donated to the Kultur- und Dokumentationszentrum (Culture and Documentation Centre - KDZ) in Ulm. 

You too have made a donation to the Culture and Documentation Centre of our Landsmannschaft1 (Homeland Association) in Ulm.

Yes, I have donated 87 video films from Banat localities to the KDZ in Ulm. The "Banater Post" reported at the time in the October 5, 2002 issue: "From Albrechtsflor to Wojteg, the films convey an interesting and up-to-date view of the Banat villages. Cultural-historical events such as church festivals were also captured…”

What actually motivated you, Mr. Fissl, to dedicate your free time to this documentation work?

I still see before me today the Ancestral documents of my family, kept handwritten precisely and meticulously by my grandmother. It was only later that I came to appreciate the importance of documentation work. Only when you know your roots can you walk upright through life. This insight has shaped my path.

In the 1990's I went to Romania once a year to visit my aunt, who still lived in Dreispitz, as well as my friends in Arad. At that time I produced a film of the church in my hometown Dreispitz, as the Banat churches have always fascinated me. Every church is unique; the Banat churches are something special for me. Rarely are there churches here in Germany that move me inwardly like our home churches.

At first I created these films privately, only for myself. In the subsequent years my visits became more frequent. I traveled to Romania three times a year at my own expense and drove through the villages of the Banat to make videos. I offered my films for sale to my fellow Banaters, so that I could use the proceeds to pay for further trips. I wanted to capture the stone testimonies of our past, to which many memories, especially of the older generation, are attached. It became clear to me that my films are aimed primarily at older fellow Banaters. It was an inner calling that spurred me on to capture on film pictorial impressions that defy oblivion. Once, an elderly woman from Sanktmartin called me and thanked me with the words: "I am ill and will probably never be able to go back to my old home again. You, Mr. Fissl, have given me the greatest joy with this film." It made me realize that my films not only bring great joy to older people, but also a piece of home. That encouraged me to put emphasis on continuing my filming in my old homeland. In retrospect, I came to the conclusion that my videos are a valuable documentation for the next generations.

How much time have you invested in your hobby? 

I spent about 80 percent of my free time on it. After 1990 I was the first to have filmed the Banat churches, cemeteries and villages. Digital video technology made filming easier and much cheaper. But it doesn't stop at filming, because on top of that, you have to cut and set the videos to music with a video editing program, which requires a lot of practice. Watching, cutting, watching again - that takes a lot of time. Film, sound and music must harmonize with each other to create a good overall picture. Most of the time you have to "re-cut" afterwards. Some HOG2/Hometown Association board members wanted to include historical photos of a church or town in the film, which again meant additional work. A very complex task at that time; with today's cutting technology on the PC everything is much easier.

You filmed the Banat churches, cemeteries and villages in the 1990's. Do you plan to create current videos as well, 25 years later?

Due to my health restrictions I cannot plan anything at the moment. The last film I recently posted on the Internet is the one of Dreispitz in 2018. Especially now, when no events take place due to the Corona pandemic, is a very convenient time for me to work on my archive. Almost daily I post new videos on the Net. Right now I am finishing the film about the inauguration of the Stefan Jäger Museum in Hatzfeld, which took place in 1996 in the presence of important guests, such as Bishop Sebastian Kräuter and Barbara Stamm, the Bavarian Minister of Social Affairs and Health at that time.

What does your archive contain, how extensive is it?

It includes film material from about 90 Banat villages, plus footage from Homeland Association reunions, pilgrimages, events in the House of the Danube Swabians in Sindelfingen, as well as private films of class reunions. In total, there are about 400 films. My platform is YouTube, where I publish many complete films of Banat churches and cemeteries, in order to make them accessible to a wider public. I also share the films with the different Banat groups on Facebook. In the Facebook group "Catholic Churches, Cemeteries and Monuments of the Banat", I exclusively post films of churches and cemeteries, pilgrimages and monuments. The films about larger towns are very extensive. They have durations of 1-4 hours and are therefore not shown in full length on these channels. The film about Großsanktnikolaus, for example, lasts 5-6 hours. The archive also contains many films of anniversary celebrations, which were shot in different Banat villages. The Homeland Association reunions3 in Ulm and Temeswar/Timişoara are naturally included.

How do you secure the films you create?

As most hard disks have a limited lifespan, it is advisable to copy and back up videos regularly in order to prevent them from deterioration. In the 1990's I saved them on VHS tapes, then on DVD, and later on the PC.

Does the video camera you use have to be something special?

Over the years, I have had several video cameras, most of them mid-range, good quality. A good film does not always depend on the device. To record videos, you don't need an expensive camera or expensive equipment. The recording must be of good quality. In time, one gains the necessary experience; more and more, one develops an eye for it. Is there enough light during the shooting, is the focus correctly set, is the camera movement affecting the shots, can one expect disruptive factors? These are the questions you ask yourself each time when taking a video.  In any case, it must always be fun and enjoyable. I could never give a speech in front of many people, but when I stand behind the camera and take videos of these people, I am fully in my element.

To end our conversation, do you want to send a message to our fellow Banaters?

Keep the memory of your old home in your hearts and never forget where you come from. Show your descendants where their roots are, because they will certainly look for them - it is only a question of time. I greet all fellow Banaters and wish them, especially now, in these uncertain times: "Stay healthy!"

Mr. Fissl, thank you for the interview.

Walter Fissl is a pioneer in the field of documenting the Banat on film. At the beginning of the 1990's he had the brilliant idea of preserving the churches, and later, the villages of the Banat on film. His films are contemporary documents about a Banat which in the 1990's was still, for the most part, as it was before emigration, where many houses had not yet been demolished, rebuilt or neglected, and most churches still showed a different picture than now, after thirty years.

The videos posted by Walter Fissl on YouTube – usually excerpts, because the films are mostly multi-part - are divided into seven categories: Banat Swabians, Heimattage3 (Hometown Association reunions), Kirchweih celebrations, pilgrimages, local- and church anniversaries etc. (247 videos), Banat towns (90), Germans in the Banat/Banat dialects (38), Banat churches (116), Banat cemeteries (75), Homeland Association reunions in Ulm (63), Donauschwaben (83). Front runner with 613142 views is the film "Die Schweineschlacht im Banat" (“Hog slaughtering in the Banat”), followed by "Arad 1961", Private Shots of City Life with 50762 views. The figures reflect the status as of September 18, 2020. At the beginning of this year, the famous Hermannstadt/Sibiu photographer, Fred Nuss, was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit by Romania's President Klaus Johannis in recognition of his contribution to the promotion of culture. We also have these sponsors in our ranks. One of them is without doubt Walter Fissl. Only rarely one encounters people who pursue their hobby with as much passion as he does. His years of documentation work are invaluable. To ensure that it is preserved for future generations, the Homeland Association of the Banat Swabians has launched a digitalization campaign, with the aim of preserving for the future all videos stored at the Ulm Culture and Documentation Center. Walter Fissl has agreed to digitize his films and will provide, free of charge, any recordings he has already digitized to the Homeland Association.

Translators comments:

1."Landsmannschaft" was translated as "Homeland Association".

2. "Heimatortgemeinschaft" or "HOG" was translated as "Hometown Association".

3. "Heimattage" (of either one of the associations mentioned above) was translated as "Reunion of the Homeland Association" or "Reunion of the Hometown Association" (whichever applies).

4. "Landsmann" was translated as "fellow Banater".

5. "Landsleute" was translated as "fellow Banaters".