The Integration in the New Homeland
By Peter Lang
Translation by Brad Schwebler
After the weapons route only the countrymen
remained in Thüringen, East Germany in their accommodations where they were
still assigned after the war while those from the Egerland and the Nikolsburg
area lived nomadic lives or in camps in Austria, in the villages at the
Yugoslavian-Hungarian border, or had to spend it in Yugoslavian extermination
camps.
Gradually after 1946, ever more people from
Beschka came especially from Austria, from Hungary, and partially from
Yugoslavia to West Germany, which at the time belonged to the American and
English occupation zones. Because of the unimaginable need for housing at the
time, only those who succeeded came with respectable transport from Hungary.
The few who came from extermination camps in Yugoslavia were also accepted into
West Germany. Those who came from Thüringen and Austria had to make false
statements so they would not be turned away.
In the French occupation zone, south of the
Karlsruhe-Salzburg Autobahn, nobody was accepted at first. This region was
first free for our countrymen in 1955. Then at first many came from Austria and
from Thüringen to West Germany. But a settlement permit was still always
necessary.
Those who had close relatives in America
immigrated there. In the beginning after the war it was not easy because of the
shortage of ship space. From a rough estimate today one eighth of the people of
Beschka are in Thüringen, one sixteenth in Austria, one sixteenth in USA and
Canada, and six eighths in Germany. About two to three couples are in South
America and Australia. In Yugoslavia there are a few mixed couples, especially
the widows. Also in Switzerland two families found a homeland.
In East Germany our countrymen lived most
cheaply. In West Germany, Austria, and overseas most have their own home. The
people of Beschka had 460 houses at home. Today they own, as the
questionnaires
show, at least 373 houses, but probably about 100 more, because not all of the
questionnaires were answered. Besides that some owned more than two houses.
Most houses have at least two apartments, but for the smaller buildings this is
hardly permissible (ground floor and attic). So one can estimate there are 900
to 1000 apartments. The percentage of people of Beschka with their own
apartment goes far over the percentage of the federal average. (newspaper report
this day.)
Everyone had work. Our craftsmen are
treasured specialists. Civil servants received all their old positions which
they had at home and who for whatever reason the rank achieved at home did not
apply to the corresponding position here, so he was paid according to his old
rank. So some were still promoted over it. Day workers who had counted on no
pension at home received their pension completely paid out. Self-employed
workers (farmers, craftsmen), who were already old when they arrived here,
received tax compensation on a pension basis, that is the pension was drawn off
the tax compensation. Young farmers and craftsmen received a full pension
here. The poor could still claim a tax compensation towards a pension, receive
welfare, inexpensive subsidized housing, and other legal regulated incentives,
so that it was still available to them at a certain age.
Help with household goods (1600 Deutsch
Mark) and tax reduction for several years each received so they could at least
have a bed at home. A part of it was paid out as immediate assistance about
1950.
Interest free loans were also given to
build homes. Generally the maintenance of an interest free loan is very
complicated. When applying one should if at all possible show little evidence
of income and then when the money is to be paid out one has to show the ability
to pay it back. How our people managed. This juggling is a puzzle to me.
Further building assistance the state gave in the form of a building savings
premium of 25 percent where the state still won. Here is the proof: For
each saved Mark the state paid 25 Pfennig premium, and then when the saver built
the state collected for each Mark of building costs 11 Pfennig value-added tax
plus 20 percent income tax. That is already 31 Pfennig, a 6 Pfennig gain,
plus commercial tax in unknown amounts. After ten years there was still
tax on the house. With it each was helped, client and the state.
When one considers still that the client only saved or less of the building
costs premium incentives and the already known taxes paid on the total cost,
then the state did not come up short.
Not to be left unmentioned still is that
the old citizens in the first years after the war as the apartments were still
very scarce, many testified to the sense of community.
[Published at
DVHH.org by Jody McKim Pharr, 2005]
