Bukovina Germans

The Bukovina Germans or Bukovina Germans are a German ethnic group that lived in Bukovina from about 1780 to 1940. Today, there are hardly represented up to a few individuals. In its 150 - year history, the Bukovina Germans were a predominantly peasant population. In the summer of 1940, Bukovina was occupied as a result of the Hitler -Stalin Pact of 1939 by the Soviet Union militarily. One of resettlement into the German Empire in late 1940, the People Group completed almost entirely with approximately 96,000 people.

Settlements

The immigrant Germans did not distribute evenly on the Bukovina, but tended to establish their own places or districts. Such communities include Karlberg ( Gura Putnei ) Fürstenthal ( Voivodeasa ) and beech grove ( Poiana Micului ). In other villages formed the German colonies of its own, usually while largely retaining the original, mostly Romanian city name, such as German - Badeutz ( Badeuţi ). Finally, a significant proportion of immigrants settled in the cities ( including Czernowitz, Radautz, Suceava, Gurahumora ).

History

From the 14th century

Since the 14th century there lived a small group of German craftsmen and merchants in Moldavia. She disappeared due to the assimilation completely through the Csango during the 17th century.

1774/1775 the Habsburgs annexed the predominantly populated by Romanians, but also minorities of Hutsul, Lipowanern and Armenians area of ​​north-western Moldova, which is called since Bukovina or book the country.

Habsburg rule

1774-1786 continued under the Habsburg rule a scheduled, but in parts also spontaneous settlement of German craftsmen and farmers in existing villages. The evacuees were from the Zips ( Upper Hungary ), the Banat, Galicia ( Protestants ), the Rhine Palatinate, Baden and Hesse from the principalities and from impoverished regions of the Bohemian Forest. Population growth and shortage of land led to the establishment of new settlements in Galicia, Bessarabia and Dobruja.

The developing German bourgeoisie in Bukovina belonged in the 19th century intellectual and political elite of the country. Official and the language of education were mostly German, which was particularly taken by the upper classes.

After 1840 led to the impoverishment of the country lack even the German peasant sub-layers, so that after 1850 some to America, especially to the USA, emigrated.

1849-1851 and 1863-1918 was the crown land Bukovina within the Habsburg Monarchy. In comparison with the other Austrian crown lands Bukovina remained a primarily supplying raw materials, rather underdeveloped province on the periphery of the empire.

In 1875 the University of Czernowitz was founded. The eastern German -speaking university was used as such until 1920.

In 1910/11 it came to the " Bucovina compensation ", a political agreement between the communities of Bukovina peoples in matters of self-government institutions and political representation in the parliament. In the census of 1910, the Germans made ​​up about 21% of the population, with which the Germans professing Jews were included with 13%.

During the First World War, the total population of Bukovina remained basically in their loyalty to the Austria -Hungarian Empire.

Romanian rule

After the end of the First World War and the dissolution of Austria -Hungary, Bukovina was annexed to Romania 1918-1919. The Bukovina Germans were - like many other ethnic groups in the newly created Greater Romania - after 1918 continues to be a national minority. As a result Rumänisierungsmaßnahmen were carried out against non- Romanian clubs, cultural institutions and schools. The political representatives of the Germans sought financial and political support in the German Reich.

With the rise of Hitler in 1933 attacked Nazi ideas on the Bukovina. Analogous to the development of the Bessarabian Germans in neighboring Bessarabia was formed a " renewal movement " that sought a nationalist revival that Germany was idealized and aligned anti-communist. A breeding ground for this movement was the discrimination of minorities by the Romanian Romanisierungspolitik. Initially resisted some bukowina German clubs and organizations of "renewal movement ". Nevertheless, a pro- rich German sentiment was at the Bukovina Germans at the latest from 1938.

German - Soviet non- aggression pact in 1939

The end of the Germans sealed in Bukovina - In 1939, when Germany and the Soviet Union closed the German -Soviet non-aggression pact before the outbreak of the Second World War, was - without the person concerned knowing about it. In a secret protocol was agreed that Bessarabia fall at a territorial reorganization in Eastern Europe to the USSR and the German population to be resettled on a voluntary basis in accordance with the also closed since 1939 German -Soviet Border and Friendship Treaty. In addition to the areas bessararbischen Soviet troops occupied in June 1940 - contrary to the agreement - the North Bukovina.

Resettlement in 1940

In July of 1940 German - Soviet negotiations on the resettlement of ethnic Germans. The resettlement offer in the fall of 1940 under the motto home castle to the Reich until the end of October, almost the entire German population (including those living in the Southern Bucovina remained Romanian ) on. It was around 89,000 people German. It was transported by rail, so that the Take-away baggage allowance was very low. After a stay in camps in the German Reich, the resettlers were mainly located in occupied Poland, where they were often rewarded with confiscated farms. After the invasion of Germany and the allied Romania to the Soviet Union in 1941, the entire Bukovina was under Romanian administration.

Flight in 1944 and a new beginning

As 1944/45, moved closer to the eastern front, the companies located in the Polish territories Bukovina Germans fled like the rest of the German population living there to the west. After 1945, still about 7,500 left in the Bukovina Germans settled out in the Federal Republic of Germany. The existence of the German minority in Bukovina is a thing of the past except for a few individuals.

Statistical analysis of the origin file found in 1964 that still around 69,000 people of about 89,800 resettled from Bukovina people lived. The Wehrmacht losses of the ethnic group was approximately 3,500 people. Approximately 52,000 members of the ethnic group lived in 1964 in the former West Germany and 2,300 in the former East Germany.

Many settled in Munich. In our own settlements Bukovina German lived in Stuttgart, Darmstadt, Salzgitter Lebenstedt, Treuchtlingen, Wemding, Marxheim and Kirchheimbolanden. In the postwar period, integrated Bukovina Germans, like other displaced persons in the Federal Republic of Germany or the German Democratic Republic. Part of the Bukovina Germans emigrated overseas.

Since the Bukovina Germans had their property left behind in 1940 in Bukovina, and had received no compensation during the period of the Third Reich, they took part in 1952 in load balancing. This offered a partial financial compensation.

Today's organization

Through regularly scheduled meeting of the cohesion and the memory of the home is kept alive. After the Second World War, the Bukovina Germans founded in Germany, the country team in the Bukovina Germans. The political representation of the Bukovina Germans and other German-speaking groups in present-day Romania, the DFDR ( Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania ).