Chmeľnica

Chmelnica ( until 1927 slovak " Hopgart " - 1927-1948 " Hobgart "; German Hopgarten, Hungarian Komlóskert - to 1902 Hobgárt ) is a town in northern Slovakia, near the border with Poland, in 1248 under the name of Petersburg by German immigrants has been established. The village currently has about 900 inhabitants, the majority among themselves speak a Silesian German dialect.

Name

The name Hobgart, " Hofgarten " was first mentioned in 1352. When in the course of the 17th and 18th century increased the hops, the name was reinterpreted as " hop garden ". Then go to the 1907-1913 official Hungarian name Komlóskert ( Komló = hops, anchored = garden ), who since 1948 Slovak valid name Chmelnica ( Chmel = hops ) and the local coat of arms.

History

The first settlement by German took place in the years 1270-1284. They expected, as many former emigrants, a better life than in their home country. Hopgarten as it is still called by the Germans, but was looking for some just a stop, as many more traveled to Transylvania (now Romania). Slovaks, Ruthenians and Magyars came rarely after Hopgarten to settle there. If they did though, they had the local German dialect ( Outzäpsersch ) learn and thus they assimilated quite quickly and went to the German culture.

The Germans lived up to the Second World War, quite peacefully with the other ethnic groups. After World War II, Czechoslovakia was restored and the Germans were to be deported. However, since the Germans of Hopgarten had a very good relationship with the surrounding Slovaks and Ukrainians ( Ruthenians ), they were warned of this often when the Czech militia was approaching. Due to the quite early warning, the Germans were able in the woods or in other villages, which were inhabited mainly by Ukrainians, hide. On the evening of June 26, 1946 Czech soldiers surrounded the village and brought the German transit camp Stara Ľubovňa ( Altlublau ). But after the Slovak minister of Hopgart and the Slovak, Ukrainian- Ruthenian highlanders and mayor of the neighboring communities protested and thus expressed their solidarity with the Germans, they were released. A second deportation attempt on July 5, 1946 deprived the villagers after warning by Slovak neighbors by again hid in the community forest. The following weeks they stayed still hidden, but were able to continue to cultivate their fields. 101 people were tracked and reported, the majority - about 600 - succeeded, however, to remain hidden until it has been allowed the remaining Hopgartern in September 1946 to declare themselves as Slovaks and so to stay in the home. Finally, the Germans in the early 1950s, the Czechoslovak citizenship was granted.

Socialist era

Immediately after the re-establishment of the Czechoslovak state in 1945 the German language was banned and was also frowned upon, in addition was due to the influx of Slovaks the proportion of Germans less. Right after the ban was fixed by law, the German-speaking got a Slovak teacher. The Germans spoke still at home in the family among themselves German, and Slovak priest took the confessions in German language from.

The community forest was nationalized in 1948 and cut down in the 1970s. The farms were in 1973, after the villagers had resisted for over two decades, into the agricultural production cooperative. The most important employer was the screw factory in Stara Ľubovňa in time.

Current situation

Today, speaking in Hopgarten over 600 people of the 900 residents, including children, the German dialect or high German as their mother tongue. However, only a minority can be explained in censuses as a German, in 2001 only 107 out of 914, ie 11.71 %. In elementary school (1st - 4th grade) is Slovak language of instruction, but there the students get seven hours German lessons ( two more than in other Slovak schools offering German from the first class). From the fifth grade, students attend primary school Za Vodou in Stara Ľubovňa, where there are five German lessons per week. After completing primary school, there is the opportunity to attend a high school with a bilingual branch ( Slovak- German ) in Poprad. Despite these circumstances, it is difficult to say whether held by the German dialect, as there is a lack of new German words are then used in place of Slovak.

With the closure of the screw factory in Stara Ľubovňa after the end of socialism and as a result of declining income opportunities in agriculture is Chmelnica - as the entire region - affected by high unemployment. Against this background, it is expected with increased migration from the village.

Culture

See also

• Carpathian German