History of Sotting

History of Sotting - Sotin

Part 1 | Part 2

by Kurt McCRARY
4th Draft January 2004

Sotting has had many names because of the different languages spoke by the people who have inhabited the area. The Romans called it Cornac. The Hungarians called it Zatta/Szatta/Szottin. The Germans called it Sotting. The Serbians and Croatians called it Sotin ( Sotina / Sotinu, ), Hrvatska and that is the official name today. For the purposes of this Donauschwaben History we will refer to it by its German name.

The village of Sotting lies within a region formerly known as Slavonia, later called Syrmia. (Syrmien/Srem/Sriem/Srijem/Szer?m) The Romans called Srijem (Sirmium): "Deliciae mundi" which means "the world's delights". Today Sotting lies within the County of Vukovar-Sriem, Croatia. Though the names and borders around Sotting have changed, it remains where it always has. Sotting is a beautiful area, and is located on the west bank of the Danube (Danuv) River in a unique position. Directly in front of Sotting looking west is a small marshy island, which contains a small natural harbor.

The harbor partially separates Sotting directly from the main confluence of the Danube River. The shipping lane passes directly east of this island. Global coordinates for Sotting are: latitude 45.3 N longitude 19.1 E, with an altitude of 403 ft above sea level.

Several Archaeological digs have provided evidence of an early Neolithic Age habitation in and around Sotting. The Neolithic Age is considered to be the cultural period of the Stone Age, and is characterized by the development of agriculture and the making of polished stone implements. There has also been archeological findings from the middle ages (about 476 to 1453 AD); especially in the ancient settlements around Bapska Novak (German), Lowas (Lovas), Mohovo, Sotting (Sotin), and Wukowar (Vukovar).
The inhabitants built their medieval homes or huts on hills next to rivers or on solid ground the homes were made of mud and turf. Near marshy swamps they built on stilts, and had thatched roofs.

View of the Danube from Sotting,
photo taken by David Vdovic 2003

The people hunted and fished, gathered fruits and grain. They sharpened and smoothed stone tools and made others from wood and animal bones and sewed animal skins for clothing. Later inhabitants developed land and domesticated animals. They made their own clothing as they were skillful weavers and like many peoples of the time made clay pottery for storing food and drink.Sometime before the birth of Christ, a tribe of people known as the Cornacates (Kornakate) inhabited Sotting. A village called Cornac at the place of today?s Sotting was named after this tribe. The tribe was an Illyrianzed, subgroup of the Scordisci, a Celtic tribe inhabiting the southern part of lower Pannonia between the Dravus, Danuvius, and Savus. Some authorities regard them as a Thracian stock, because of their propagation with an older Thraco Illyrian populace.

In the days of the Roman Empire, Sotting was considered a strategic stronghold and the Romans built a good-sized fortress there. This fortress, among others in the region, formed the Slavonian-Syrmian "Pannonian? Limes (A fortified border). That protected Roman Settlements from raids by Barbarian Tribes.In their campaigns, the Romans settled many other villages, among them: Ilok, Tovarnik and Vukovar. The region was controlled from the city of Vinkovci, which was known as "Cibalae". The Romans of course tried to advance agricultural and were the first to reclaim the banks of the Danube - which had been mostly marshland for planting vineyards. The Romans vacated the Danube area after several invasions, first by the nomadic tribes of the Alanis in the 1st century A.D., and in the 2nd century by the Goths (a German tribe), and the Huns, about 370 A.D

German-speaking people first settled around the area about 900 A.D. during the reign of Charlemagne and his successors. In 1289 Sotting was mentioned in Hungarian documents under the name of Szata. By this time it was already a flourishing town. Sotting was strategically situated on the Danube, an important route. They had a ferry for transporting people and goods, thus handicrafts and trade were already well developed.

The presence of the Catholic Church parish in Sotting is documented by 1333 A.D. It is generally considered in respect to the larger area that many Slavs can attribute a conversion to Christianity that was led by the brothers St Cyril and St Methodius who lived in 9th Century. (http://user.intop.net/~jhollis/cyrilmethodius.htm)

Sotting Catholic Church, St. Mary's the Helpmate,
photo by Danil Vdovic 2002

Sotting and vicinity was ruled/controlled from Wukowar (Vukovar), in the 14th and 15th century by lords (nobles) like ?Banus Ivanis HORVAT and Stephan MOSONAC?. Under the Feudal System only nobles owned land. ( Even the historical names of many officials in the Ottoman Empire reveal their origin (Hirwat = Hrvat or Horvat, which is a Croatian name for Croat).

The Ottomans (Osmans/Turks) gained control of the region about the 15th century. In approximately 1526 to about 1687, under Turkish rule, and a Moslem majority, Sotting? Catholic community still maintained its integrity, even thought.

After the Turks were pushed out of Syrmia (Syrmien) and the rest of Europe in the late 1600's they left an area devastated and depopulated by years of mismanagement and war. Hence began a large change in population demographics. Croats, Serbs, and Hungarians began to reestablish settlements throughout the region. During the 18th century the "Schwabenzug" or Great Swabian Migration began. This was the beginning of government-sponsored migration to repopulate the area with farmers. The sponsors then could maintain control and generate monies.

Many Germans because of the economic reasons came forth in large numbers. First sponsored by Hungarian nobility and later in far greater numbers by the Hapsburg Emperors, immigrants from the German states and other parts of the "Holy Roman Empire" were encouraged to settle in Southeastern Europe. These areas included the Batschka, Banat, Schwabish Turkei and Syrmia / Slavonia. Sotting's destiny was greatly shaped by the large influx of these ethnic Germans, later called Danube-Swabians or "Donauschwaben" after WW1.

Sotting Catholic Church, St. Mary's the Helpmate, ornamental altar, photo from booklet Cudotvorna Gospina Slika U Sotinu

The majority of these German settlers arrived in the second half of the 19th century. German settlements were less common in Slavonia and Syrmia than in the Batschka and Banat. Though most of the towns Slovonia were not exclusively ethnically German, according to a 1912 demographic map of ethnicity, Germans settled in the southeastern parts of Syrmia (Slavonia) were concentrated around, Franztal, (Siegental) India (Indjija), Semlin (Zemun), Neu-Pasua (Nova Pazova), Ruma, and Syrmisch-Mitrowitz (Sremska Mitrovica / Mitrovica), in the northeast around Esseg (Osijek), Vinkovci, Wukowar (Vukovar). Western towns and or villages in also in and around Daruwar (Daruvar), Diakowar (Djakovo), Djurdjanci (Garesnica / Gjurgjanci), Poschegg (Pozega) and Wirowititz (Virovitica). Other inhabitants included Croatians, Serbians and Hungarians.

Part 2