Josef and Theresa SENSIUS were nice enough to share
some of their experiences from the trip to Sotin.
On Wednesday July 7, 2004, Josef
SENSIUS and his wife Theresa HOLETZ SENSIUS b. Svilna,
Yugoslavia made there way back to Croatia after about 50 years.
While the were visiting Sotin they documented the trip with a
video camera. This video is a short trip through Sotin, only
lasts about 8 minutes or so. Theresa took much of the video out
the passenger window while he drove, (in
Croatia they drive on the right hand side of the street)
She
filmed going into Sotin and videoed a lot of the "south-west"
side of the road, (the left hand side of the street )
She started filming
briefly in Vukovar and then Sotin, as they got into town and
drove basically all the way through the village on the asphalt
paved newly named "Dr, Franje TUDJMAN Highway", the main road
(M7), traveling south through Sotin.
In the video, it shows that the road through Sotin is
a slightly winding road, clean and houses were very neat, very
rural looking, with interesting red roof lines.. Though a
farming area, there are many trees are all over in Sotin. Though
it was obvious there was a war there, Interestingly enough they
have no visible mail or newspaper boxes on the road or homes, it
could be almost assumed they pick up there mail from the Post
Office and get there paper from the store, but The SENCIUS
family met the Sotin postman who was delivering mail and asked
him for directions to the old locations and other questions but
he unfortunately knew little of the past.
Many things had changed since Josef was 8 years old in
Sotin. Some of the buildings are gone, Many of the homes and
stores back then had dirt floors, clay roofs, outhouses only, no
running water, no electric, no paved streets, no cars except for
the German army vehicles, they had no fireplaces, and usually
two bedrooms and a kitchen. All one story homes, houses were
different colors . Most all the homes were fenced in with gates
very much as they appear today. Though the privies were outside.
The road was dirt, and when they went to Vukovar, Joseph recalls
that they took a horse and wagon.
The Sotin video starts in the car they rented, by
entering Vukovar the first street sign is the Vukovar sign the
second is the Grad Vukovar welcoming sign. Briefly they show
some of the destruction and the rebuilding in Vukovar, passing a
mashaw (market) were people are walking and very briefly you
will see the bombed out Vukovar water tower (on the UL.
Jugoslavenske Nardone Armi RD.) that "now" symbolized the
strength and the recovery of the community. They eventually
cross the Vuka River, as Joseph talks about the fishing. Joseph
as a child, he fished for Carp in Danube River the Vuka at the
edge of Danube River. (In Europe, Carp is considered to be a
sport fish and is regarded as very edible) This video portion of
the small river has cement banks/shore and seemed some what
shallow this time of year.
The SENSIUS's begin traveling south towards Sotin on the main
road "Dr, Franje Tudjman Highway" (M7). As they travel down the
road Mrs SENCIUS videos a couple green vineyards on the drivers
side towards the Danube River. These vineyards are close to "Vucedol"
a notable archaeological site, Vucedol The ritual vessel called
the Vucedol Dove was found there and is considered the symbol of
Vukovar
As they drive down the road, there is a yellow sign
marker on the right had side of the road. The marker sign says
Sotin. There first real stop is at the Sotin Catholic church, on
Kardinala A. Stepinca Rd. it shows the outside of the newly
remodeled white Catholic Church "Marija Pomonica" (Mary the
Helper). The clock in the steeple says its 10:46 AM. She then
focus's on Walnut tree's in front of the Sotin Catholic Church
called a Musenbaum and the priest home, that is in disrepair.
The gates to the church were not open at this time. So they were
not able to venture inside the church.
Next in the video on the same road is the bombed Sotin
School, this is where Joseph attended school. His teacher was
Johann Binder. The school is in a vulnerable state since the war
with graphiti written on the inside walls. However, They learned
that there is no effort to restore the school, and it will
remain AS IS . Mrs SENSIUS then pans down the street and looking
north points out the distance to the Catholic Church "Mary the
Helper ", from the school.
Next is an old Sotin store on Trg Sotinskih Zrtava Rd
(The main st), "Beiwinkler's" (sounds like BY-WINKLER) where his
mother Maria KIEFER SENSIUS sold cucumbers and other produce ,
which they had grown on their land. Josef says the store was
directly across the street , no more than 300 ft away from his
house. It has been closed since the “homeland war 1991.”
The video then pans to the left and shows the doctors
house His name was Dr. DERFLINGER, who Josef he befriended as a
child.
Josef hasn't been to the village in such along time he has a
hard time distinguishing the exact location he can't find the
court house, or butcher shop . He struggles and tries to
remember exactly where his house was so young and many years
ago, so many changes. He also looks for the court house to help
him locate the KIEFER store/home next door. The video captures a
few Sotin Houses next to a tool repair shop that also sells work
cloths.
The video goes to the building where the Doctor
DERFLINGER s office was when Josef was young. As they toured
Sotin the were able to find information on the family and filmed
the Karl KIEFER House on the main street north of Matice
Hrvatske RD. (Karl (Karol) KIEFER m. Eva WILLIG daughter of
Joseph WILLIG and Katherina FLETCH) it was also in disrepair
since the war of 1991. In the front of the house, there was once
a small general store the KIEFERS ran. This was attached to the
house as was the FRONT portion of their house and is in ruins.
(She videoed the front and the back. There was a wall in the
front and side so she stood on her toes in order to get the
pictures.) The home was next to the Court House/Police Station
that has been torn down after WW2.
Then they filmed a neighbor/ family friend, they called, "Liz
PAZEl" Elizabeth WILLIG LINDER house on what today is known as
Matice Hrvatske RD.. (again the old house is gone a new on built
in its place.) then films the house next door. Note: Pazel means
something similar to "aunt" and her name was Elizabeth (Liz) for
short.
Back on the main road, Mrs SENSIUS then films a
distant cousin Marika MRAVUNAC (Mack MRAVUNAC's "sounds like
Machs" daughter) at her window on Dr. F. Tudjmana HWY house
number #49 . She was very helpful to them and she actually
remembered who Joseph and his family was, Then films a house
that stands in the same lot that was where Josephs house #148
once stood (pre WW2). (Josef's house had burned down, the house
that is pictured is a new house on the same lot).
The camera shifts to a parking area in front of the
relatively new grocery / convenience store called , VELEPROMET
located at, Dr. F. TUDJMANA 1. The Store that stood in this spot
before Velepromet was built, was the butcher house / beer shop /
store and Guest House was called TAUBL's , probably named for
the Sotin TAUBL family. This is where Joseph remembers having "Kirchwei"
Majalis
festival
(Like an October fest, but smaller) Dancing
parties. Next door to the north of Josef's house #148 was
Nevenka SIAKOVIC's, home.
Then another video shot is from next
door and behind Joseph's house. Back on the road passing KIEFER
house as they turn right on to dirt road Matice Hrvatske where
the old Sotin Court House once stood (now homes are in its
place) and pass "Liz PAZEl" house or what was there house. The
video then shows the SENSIUS House (rebuilt) from the back on
the dirt road called Vladimira Nazora, in the foreground and
there farm garden with a peak of the Sotin church steeple in the
back ground of the horizon. This segment of video was taken
towards the north, Danube river way.
Finally the SENSIUS's are back on on the main Rd
which is now called Stepana Radica Road (part of the Dr. F.
Tudjmana HWY) leaving Sotin towards the south/east as you will
see the diagonal red stripe across the sign means "You are
leaving the Village Sotin".
