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About Sathmar
Note: Variations
by language are marked as follows: English
(E), German (G), Hungarian (H) and Romanian
(R).
The Sathmar (Satu Mare-R, Szatmar-H) is a
region in northwest Romania that was
formerly part of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire. The area borders Hungary and
Ukraine.
The majority of the Sathmarer Schwaben
(Şvabii
Sătmăreni-R,
Szatmári
Svábi-H,
Sathmar
Swabian-E),
originated in
the former Kingdom of Württemberg, mainly
from
Upper Swabia (Oberschwaben-G), the territory
between Lake Constance and the Danube River.
The settlement areas are near
the Hungarian Somes River and Tisza River.
The land was fertile and surrounded by
forests and marshland. In
general, their full-time jobs were
agriculture and animal husbandry.
Livestock included Magyar Szürke, the
Hungarian Grey, an indigenous, ancient breed
of domestic cattle. Farmers grew wheat, rye,
oats, corn, tobacco, hemp, grapes, tree fruits and
nuts.
The land was devastated and depopulated
during Ottoman-Turkish rule and after the
wars of liberation (1683-1699, 1703-1711),
epidemics and natural catastrophes. The
villages were left nearly uninhabited and
the land was barren. In an area of the
Hungarian plains that had been some of the
most fertile, conditions were too harsh to
grow crops, livestock or a population. The
Treaty of Szatmar of 1711 ended the
hostilities between the anti-Habsburg
rebels, the Hungarian estates and the crown,
agreeing to respect the constitution and
religious liberty of Hungary, returned
confiscated lands, and gave amnesty to all
that swore loyalty within three weeks.
Count Alexander Karolyi, who was a
statesman, Imperial General and aristocrat)
owned most of the land in the region. The
Karolyi family, with market towns and
parishes, was one of the wealthiest, oldest
and well-known in Northern Hungary.
 What
Karoly needed were able settlers
that could rebuild villages and return the
farms to prosperity. Various texts are
written by Karoly himself and others that
give us window into his thinking at the
time. Karoly preferred to populate the
area with Catholics, thus tempering the
influence of Hungarian Calvinists on
society. He felt that the farmers in Oberschwaben might be interested in what he
had to offer them: He knew that they were
hard-working and capable and that some
families had already emigrated to Northern
Hungary, showing their interest in the
agriculture and conditions. Karoly’s plan
would bring the Schwaben to Sathmar and give
them an opportunity to own land and escape
their own political and economic problems
left after centuries of war. In 1712, Karoly
traveled to Bratislava, which was a booming
cultural and economic area of Hungary, and
the site of parliament of the Kingdom as
well. His request to bring 14,000 ethnic
Germans to the Hungarian countryside was
granted. He hoped for eventually 80,000
settlers. His agents made visits to Swabian
villages, offering land and opportunity and
recruited thousands. The first wave of
colonists, who accepted the original
incentive, were made up almost entirely of
people who made their living off the land.
There were a few other settlers as well,
such as the Catholic priest, teacher, night
watchman, and various herdsmen. They largely
received land on which grain had to be
grown, as well as one ox and one team of
horses. In return, they were subject to
tithe, taxes and days of work per year for
the land owner’s benefit.
 Not long after,
settlers gathered primarily in Ulm to travel
to Hungary on merchant barges known as
Ulmer
Schachtel.
They could bring only one or two boxes of
their most treasured and necessary
belongings. It would take two weeks to
travel as far as Vienna. Once past what is
now Budapest, they continued on land in
local carriages across the Northern Plains.
It was a long and tedious journey in
midsummer through the Hungarian Puzta
(plains-E) and some died of starvation or
thirst. The center of settlement was
Großkarol (Carei Mare-R,
Nagykároly-H). In the 18th
century, the villages were in the Hungarian
Megye of Szátmar, Bihar, Szilágy, and
Maramáros (Komitat Sathmar, Szilágy, Bihar,
Maramuresch-G, Judet Satu Mare, Bihar, Salaj,
and Maramures-R).
Most settlers were surprised when they
arrived and found their villages destroyed
and largely uninhabited. They had two
priorities - to construct or renovate their
housing and work the fields so that food
would be readily available. The Swabians
were industrious and efficient farmers and
craftsmen, so they made good progress in
their new home. In some villages where they
were settled, the few remaining Hungarian
inhabitants were resettled elsewhere or
simply moved outside the village, which
could cause tensions.
The first year, the area suffered from
drought. Settlers lived in poverty and died
from starvation and illness. Many who
couldn't adapt fled back home. Those who
stayed were gathered in the village of
Schinal (Urziceni-R,
Csanálos-H).
These hard-working souls depended on their
conscientious work ethic and knew this
opportunity would have never been possible
in their old homeland. Eight years later,
they even helped the Count recruit new
emigrants in Swabia. His descendants
continued with the settlements until at
least 1815.
Once they had overcome the catastrophes of
the early years, the people built a life for
themselves that was much like it had been in
their homeland. They were proud of their
homes and villages. Their culture was
vibrant and alive - from living according to
their values to their traditional dress and
cooking. There was an almost endless stream
of settlers. In the early 1800s there were
as many as 40 settlements where Sathmarer
Schwaben lived; some were homogeneous, and
others were together with Hungarians or
Romanians.
Over the past century, the number of Sathmar
Swabians has declined sharply.
They (and other
ethnic German groups) lost much of the
culture they held dear. They suffered
through the process of forced assimilation
(Hungary required “Magyarization” and the
Catholic church supported it),
discrimination and persecution. After the
Treaty of Trianon (1920), nearly all the
land became part of Romania, with only three
villages remaining in Hungary. Those
families were torn apart. After World
War II, 3,000 Sathmar Swabians fled to the
west, especially Germany. About 6,000 were
deported to the Soviet Union for forced
labor. Many never returned and those that
did found that their family and community
had been expelled from the country. Over the
decades, other Donauschwaben continued to
emigrate to western countries. The censuses
show fewer and fewer citizens claiming that
they feel they belong to the German
minority. For some this was true, for others
the census method has been deemed flawed and
there were more than reported.
Today, the Sathmar Swabians are considered
part of the larger group of Danube Swabians
(Donauschwaben-G, Dunării Şvabii-R,
Dunai Svábok-H),
referencing their travel centuries ago.
In Germany, they are represented by the
Landsmannschaft der Sathmarer Schwaben
(Homeland Community of Sathmar Swabians-E).
Those remaining in Romania are represented,
along with other German-speaking groups by
the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (DFDR).
As a result, the people have more support in
bringing back the cultural hallmarks they
value, such as German-speaking schools and
churches. Their unique dialect, Sathmarer
Schwaben-Alemannic, is nearly extinct and
the hope is that it can still be revived.
There are more and more people who find they
have Donauschwaben ancestors, learning about
their historic culture and working hard to
help preserve it.
[Contributed by Sarah Coraggio, 5 Oct 2018]
Resources:
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Die
Donauschwaben. Deutsche Siedlung in
Südosteuropa. (The Danube Swabians. German
Settlement in Southeastern Europe.).
Ausstellungskatalog. Bearbeitet von Immo
Eberl et al. Sigmaringen: Jan Thorbecke
Verlag 1987.
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Schmied, Stefan (Hg.) (1952): Heimatbuch der
Sathmarer Schwaben. (Homeland book of the
Sathmar Swabians.) Wangen im Allgäu: St.
Josephs-Druckerei.
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“Ethnic Geography.”
https://kisebbsegkutato.tk.mta.hu/uploads/files/olvasoszoba/.../Ethnic_geography.pdf.
[Accessed 3 Jul 2018]
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"The Spanish Succession 1711." Spanishsuccession.nl.
N. p., 2018. Web. [Accessed 5 Oct 2018].
-
"HUNGARY - German Farmers: Their Economy." Felix-game.ca.
[Accessed 1 July 2018]
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"Counties of Hungary (Before 1920)." En.wikipedia.org.
[Accessed 3 July 2018]
-
“Geschichte
Der Sathmarer Schwaben:
Germanistische Studien Schwaben”
(History of the Sathmar Swabian), website, Matinf.ektf.hu.
[Accessed 2 July 2018]
[Contributed by Sarah Coraggio, 5 Oct 2018]
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Sarah
Coraggio
Washington, USA
SATHMAR COORDINATOR
& Web
Editor
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Family Villages: Schinal, Wahlei, Groß Karol, Kalamanding, Merk, Darotz, Gilwatch, Trestenburg and Groß Maitingen.
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[Published by Sarah Coraggio
at the DVHH on 8 October 2018]
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Last
Updated:
Tuesday, January 08, 2019 |
Keeping the Danube
Swabian legacy alive!
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