Last of the German Village Knees
by Anton Zollner

According to Karl the Kraus hair 1823 with German settled Knees (today: Satchinez; ung.: Temeskenéz) is today as before one hundred years municipality seat. To the municipality also the villages Baratzhausen belong (today: Barateaz; ung.: Barácsháza) and Hodon (today: Hodoni; ung.: Hodony). According to Gheorghe Drinovan Knees already 1332 documentarily one occupied. Thus it comes also that the village is inhabited by different groups of peoples. At the beginning of the century (1910) 999 Germans in Knees, which constituted a third of the number of inhabitants, lived. In Baratzhausen and in Hodon their portion was higher and lay with approximately 43 per cent, which meant in numbers 348 and/or 576. Up to the outbreak 2. World war rose this number to 1.004, 371 and/or 620. From then on the number of the Germans constantly sank until today. During the census of 1977 only 411 (a population portion of 14 %) became, 128 (20 %) in the three localities and 184 (15 %) Germans seizes.

After the December events of 1989 the mass exodus of the Romania Germans began, and of it Knees remained also not spared. In March 1990 there were here still 39?Neue Banater Zeitung" subscribers, which could mean still about 200 German inhabitants. On 21 August 1991 reported Grete Lambert in the? Neu Banater newspaper "(NBZ) over the disappointment of those Kneeser Germans, which had hoped at a new start after the revolution. sounds to much wrong, faint, resignation and no zuversicht from the words of the Erzaehlerin, for it however indignation against the unfairness, which wants to take no end," writes the lady journalist. Lambert could state at that time that in Knees only about 85 Germans lived usually in mixed marriages. In Baratzhausen and in Hodon still 3 and/or 13 Germans had remained. In October 1992 W. Appeltauer reported into the NBZ that at that time in? Umkreis the municipality "(which Knees and the two eingemeindeten villages mean could) only 28 German families lived it, those of 60 persons consisted. There the reporter meant mixed marriages among? deutsche families "probably. Against it the data of the ten months appear very interesting before accomplished census. On this occasion 75 persons from Knees, 5 from Baratzhausen and 37 from Hodon admitted themselves to the Deutschtum.

According to Appeltauers report is Iosif Murgu, which directors/conductors of the agriculture range of the municipality, its satisfaction over the way, in which the soil distribution took place, to have expressed. In other municipalities only the opposite of this statement was to be usually determined. He however said that most farmers had come to the desired field. During the dispatching even relationship and affiliation are to have been considered, so that communities could be created. Nevertheless the earlier arrangement of the fields could not be considered during the dispatching of the soil, because from the 8,000 hectares belonging to the municipality only 3,300 hectares were available for the return; the remainder from 4.700 hectares is still in the possession of the state farm?Comtim ".

But which the new owners with the plough land are to begin, they did not know. Some wanted to work on their fields individually, other however considered the entry to four agriculture associations created in the municipality, which actually also the state wanted to already again promote. One ensured for the fact that mainly industrial plants, like Soja, were cultivated sugar beets, sunflowers and flax. Some considered even the cultivation of welfare plants. But for the treatment of the fields the farmers needed still the agriculture machines of the state, which dictates the prices of the work, in addition, those of the products.

Which concerns the Germans remained in Knees, they wished themselves before two years only a Caritas place, in order to be able to accomplish social and humanitarian projects. One fights at present in the been German villages usually only for surviving.

The last report on Knees appeared in the daily paper Timisoara "from 25 August 1994, in which on that the? Vogelparadies Banats" is only reported. The scientists would like to have finally explained the environment as nature reservation. For the receipt of this unique biotope around Knees the Temeschburger Museograph Andrei Chis particularly uses itself. In addition, unfortunately this region became during the?sozialistischen structure "the largest part, by which destroys endless? Gewinnen of agricultural country".

German achievement is concealed

On the Banater heath, northwest from Temeschburg, between the highways DN large sink Nikolaus, the locality Knees is appropriate for 69 Temeschburg - Arad (European route E-671) and DN 6 Temeschburg - (official: Satchinez; ung.: Temeskenéz). 1823 was settled in the Romanian village the first Germans. In the same year those was already restored here 1333 documentarily occupied Pfarrei, and the church register books were introduced.

1910 placed the 999 Germans a population portion of exactly 33 per cent, and this number rose up to 2. World war around some per cent further. 1940 lived 1,004 Germans in Knees, but their number took after the war drastically starting from 1977 was among the 2,912 inhabitants of the village only more 411 Germans, the remainder educated 2,070 Romanians, 326 gypsies, to 79 Serbs, 22 Hungary and 4 other ones. During the census from January 1992 still only 75 persons admitted themselves to the Deutschtum from the 2,670 village inhabitants. According to data of the place of residence community Knees here only more lived 25 persons of German nationality in February 1995.

Over the achievements, which achieved the Germans in their place of residence, one could fill innumerable sides. Their role of the pioneer during the introduction of the modern agriculture to Knees and in the environment is undisputed. It admits would have to also be that the German Kolonisten was, which transformed the fallow-lying swampy landscape of the environment by its diligence into the later flowering field. All this is if possible concealed however nowadays in?freien and democratic "Romania.

Only the Temeschburger daily paper? Prima ora "(first hour) published a report in February 200 over a Kneeser? Wirtschaftszweig", which the Germans had introduced here, and which remained to today an important source of income of the population. Before approximately 30 years some Germans from Knees began from that to evaluate for the area typical nature (sumps and ponds) required raw materials and based in the context of the national forest enterprise a Korbflechterei. Thus one could obtain important sums of validity, since the baskets are also today still very in demand particularly in the European union and in Germany. The workshops in one of a German more? Kriegsverbrecher "expropriated house furnished. Here the new citizens also today still work according to the most primitive methods, but but "it? stimmt with the productivity. While the production of a basket costs only 2 DM, these are exported for 5 DM to Germany. One now had experienced that these are sold by the retail trade for 40 DM, and therefore considers one also to adapt the delivery price better to the demand.

As well known one celebrates in our days into Banater localities ever more frequently generous anniversary celebrations, while the largest part of the rural population does not know, how it is to purchase bread for the next day. One does not deal with these historical anniversary celebrations also always honestly. An example of it is under others also the meeting 665. Anniversary of the documentary allocation of the locality Knees. This not anniversary so usual after the year took place already some time ago, but the similar celebrations, which are ever more frequently organized also in other localities of the Banats lately, offer the cause for these views.

The honor guests, all personalities made of politics and culture of the circle Temesch, traveled with the car, were without exception Romanians. They were fetched at the local entry from the Buergermeisterin Steluta Rodica Burloi with a kutsche. The vehicle column drove from here with Buergermeisterkut at the point to the mayoralty, while the Romanian trikolore was constantly swung.

After the honor guests of the Buergermeisterin were herzlichst welcomed here, one began with the inauguration of a gedenktafel attached on the external wall of the community center. On the marble board the following text was engraved: - 1997/665 years/documentarily occupy ". The inauguration was carried out by two orthodoxen ministers. It is to be accepted that representatives of other religions were not present, there such in the report of the daily paper? Renasterea Banateana "(Banater wiedergeburt) was not mentioned.

Afterwards the ceremony in the culture home was continued with an excursion by local history. The lectures held the historian Dr. Ioan Hategan and the physician Valeriu Vârboncu Iutchin, a son of the locality. One spoke about history of Knees, beginning with the neolithikum and the time of the Daker and Romans. The speaking concerned itself thereafter mainly with the Middle Ages, since excavations let the existence of a castle in the today's area of the locality assume. One talked much also about the former Teme Comes, Paul Kinizsi (called by the Romanians Chinezu), whom one had indicated as pride as a son of the place. Dr. Hategan is convinced of the opposite, but it did not want to load the meeting with its?antipatriotischen "theses. One went even so far that one mentioned also the Hungarian kings and their traces from the time, when the Banat belonged still to the medieval Hungary. However the German Kolonisten and their descendant remained unmentioned. One did not lose a word over those sons of the village, who represented once a third of the local population. Does one want to paint it intentionally from the Kneeser local chronicle?

On afternoon the anniversary celebration was continued with a cultural program. In addition, in this part of the meeting the culture of the once here living German population was not any longer noticed. One could hear only Romanian and Zigeunerische Volkslieder and see dances. One had not even invited symbolically a German, Hungarian or Serbian Trachtengruppe, as this other localities already did from politeness. Aren't the left German houses and fields even to be as much worth? One could do already mine the fact that in the condition embodied itself? National staat", in which 10 per cent of the population consists of national minorities, now is also practically carried out.

Written by Anton Zollner, June 2000 -
German Version: www.banater-aktualitaet.de/akt4kne.htm