Aljmaš, Croatia

Aljmaš ( German apple village, Hungarian Almás ) is a village and part of the Slavonian municipality in eastern Croatia Erdut. Aljmaš is a Marian shrine.

Geography

The small village is located 20 kilometers east of the city of Osijek, on the southern high bank of the Danube, immediately downstream of the confluence of the Drava ( Drava ) and Danube about 93 meters above the Adriatic. Aljmaš has a land area of ​​15 km ² and a population of 645 ( 2001). Lived approximately 1300 inhabitants in Aljmaš yet in 1953.

Nowadays Aljmaš is attractive not only for pilgrims but also for numerous tourists and fishermen who want to spend their weekends in the small village in the middle of nature mostly.

History

Aljmaš is an old small village, in which have settled Croats beginning of the 7th century. In the Middle Ages the village was a trade and craft settlement, and inhabited by Hungarians and Croatians. By 1945, there were also some German Danube Swabians, who, however, had to leave their homes because of communist persecution.

The village was mentioned in documents for the first time in 1332.

Since 1807 Aljmaš has a church with its own diocesan priests of the Diocese of Srem, who supervised both the community and the Sanctuary. In place since 2003, there is already the fourth church building; the preceding came from the years 1687, 1708 and 1847 (1852 consecrated ). The first church, as the following was located at the same site, was built in 1687 and consisted of a timber made ​​of branches, mud and reeds.

Place of pilgrimage

Aljmaš is a famous place of pilgrimage. Believers since 1704 pilgrimage after Aljmaš to " Our Lady of Refuge" (Croatian Gospa od Utočišta ) or "Mother of God of Aljmaš " ( Our Lady Aljmaška ). At that time there was a statue of Mary by Aljmaš due to disputes between Calvinists and based in Osijek Jesuit Order. Because the inhabitants of the statue gave a refuge, she got her nickname. From 1708 to 1718, a church in which the statue was kept, built in Aljmaš.

In a fire in 1846 the church was destroyed along with the statue of Mary. The following year, the construction of a new church began of 370 m² in size and a sanctuary was built, in which an image of the statue of Mary was now to be seen. This image of the statue of Mary is the only thing that could be saved from the fire. Both were consecrated by the Bishop of Đakovo, Josip Juraj Strossmayer, the new statue was donated in 1865.

The interior of the church was painted in 1928 by Vjekoslav Pifat, an artist from Vukovar. In the church there were two tombs, that of Antun Adamovich and his son Rudolf from Čepin, the architect of the church. Josip Obletter from Tyrol was the architect of the main altar, who also designed another altar in the church. The organ was built by Lorenzo Fabing from Osijek.

In 1991 the church was completely destroyed in the war Croatia by Serb forces in five attacks.

The statue remained intact in the ruined church and was preserved until 1997 in Osijek. Since 1 August 1998, exactly seven years after the expulsion of the inhabitants, it is again in Aljmaš; Since then every year, especially at the Assumption, pilgrimages instead. Every year up to 100,000 pilgrims and tourists to Aljmaš.

In 2001, they started at the same place with the construction of the fourth church in Aljmaš, which was completed in 2003. In 2007, the remaining work on the church, for example, were the green area, numerous confessionals, a souvenir shop and a few rooms for pilgrims completed.

Since then, stands in Aljmaš one of the most beautiful and most of all modern churches in Croatia, which has the form of a swan and fits in with the background of the Danube.

The Calvary

In Aljmaš is the Calvary with the Stations of the Cross one of the landmarks of the pilgrimage. In 1952, the Yugoslav People's Army built a bunker under the hill, which in the following year also the surrounding Calvary fell victim in order to keep the weft and field of view. 50 years later they began with the reconstruction of the Cross, which was completed on 1 August 2006. The Way of the Cross has a length of 480 m, on the 14 large wooden crosses were erected.

Sources

• Www.gafos.hr
• Www.svetiste - aljmas.hr