Poppendorf in Burgenland
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Poppendorf im Burgenland ( village ) locality cadastral municipality Poppendorf im Burgenland |
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| Basic data | |||
| Pole. District , state | Jennersdorf (JE), Burgenland | ||
| Judicial district | Gussing | ||
| Pole. local community | Heiligenkreuz in the Lafnitz valley | ||
| Coordinates | 46 ° 59 '48 " N , 16 ° 13' 50" E | ||
| height | 238 m above sea level A. | ||
| Residents of the village | 412 (January 1, 2020) | ||
| Building status | 165 (2001) | ||
| Area d. KG | 7.57 km² | ||
| Statistical identification | |||
| Locality code | 00092 | ||
| Cadastral parish number | 31122 | ||
| Counting district / district | Poppendorf in Burgenland (10503 001) | ||
| Source: STAT : index of places ; BEV : GEONAM ; GIS-Bgld | |||
Poppendorf im Burgenland is a cadastral municipality in the market town of Heiligenkreuz in Lafnitztal in the Jennersdorf district in Burgenland . The Hungarian name of the municipality is Patafalva .
geography
Poppendorf is four kilometers from the Austro-Hungarian border . It is on the Graz - Budapest federal road .
history
From the beginning to the end of the First World War
Poppendorf in Burgenland, today a border town with Hungary, is mentioned for the first time in 1427 in the princely archive in Eisenstadt and in 1428 in the princely archive in Körmend. At that time it was not called Poppendorf, but Podaboch (Podabach). In the tax ID of the 16th century the place was called Pathafalva. The name Poppendorf was not found until 1604, but Patafalva (Pathafalva) in Hungarian. In 1698 the name appears in the Catholic visitation as "Ujfalu other Poppendorf".
The old name Podabach supports the assumption that the words "versus Theotonocus" in the letter of the Güssing landlord Walfers from 1157 are to be understood as referring to the villages on Körmend-Fürstenfelder Landstrasse, including Podaboch. Thus the existence of this place can be set to a time before the year 1157.
In the records of the Güssinger Zeitung it is mentioned that Ban Franz Batthyány in Patafalva owned four to five portals between 1524 and 1550 and Baron Franz Batthyány owned six houses in Poppendorf in 1599.
The 16th century was the time of the self-sacrificing defensive struggle against the Turks. Although Count Montecucculi defeated the Turkish army in 1664 and threw it back over the Raab, only 8 km from Poppendorf, no document about Poppendorf can be found about this time.
The further historical development is very much connected with that of Eltendorf (Hungarian: Ókörtvélyes) and Heiligenkreuz in the Lafnitztal (Hungarian: Rábakeresztúr).
Since 1898 the Hungarian toponym Patafalva had to be used due to the Hungarian government's policy of Hungarianization.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the First World War broke out . The shots in Sarajevo triggered the mobilization in Austria. Poppendorf was not spared either, and boys and men were called to the flags and arms. The community complained about 14 dead.
After the First World War, after tough negotiations, German-West Hungary was awarded to Austria in the Treaties of St. Germain and Trianon in 1919. The place has belonged to the newly founded Austrian state of Burgenland since 1921.
Until the annexation of Burgenland to Austria in 1921, the population suffered from the harassment of the Hungarian irregulars. The German-minded people in particular had to be careful. Often they had to flee to Styria via the Lafnitz. The irregulars arrested people, brought them to Güssing and only released them days later. Although the war had ended for three years in 1921, there was still no peace. The inhabitants of the border area still suffered from the fruits of the war.
The interwar period
After the First World War, in 1922, Entente officers stayed in Poppendorf. Due to Hungary's obligation, as laid down in the Treaty of Trianon, to cede “German West Hungary” to Austria, two large groups formed in the village. At the upper part of the village, up to the war memorial, the Germans were at home, from the war memorial down, the Hungarians were at home. The former mayor, Deutsch, was deposed by the returnees and former soldiers because of his friendly attitude towards Hungary. Since a large part of the population spoke in favor of Austria before the officers of the Entente, this area remained with Austria.
As can be seen from these disputes within the church, that time was not a good one. In addition to the sudden reorientation to the west, the residents also had to get used to the fact that it was no longer so easy to get to the market or the factories in St. Gotthard; after all, you had to cross a state border. So that this could happen without problems, there were some conditions to be observed for the "small border traffic". Only reliable residents of the border towns were allowed to cross the border and they needed border traffic permits issued by the authorities. The permit for “small border traffic” could be revoked at any time by withdrawing the ticket. Already in 1922 there was harassment at the border crossing 'Heiligenkreuz - St. Gotthard'. According to a report by the Jennersdorf border police commissioner, Burgenland workers who worked in the St. Gotthard factories had to struggle with difficulties when crossing the border. For example, border crossing permits issued for a period of two to four months were not recognized by the Hungarian authorities on the grounds that Hungary only issued border crossing permits for 30 days. It should be noted that the Hungarian authorities collected 20 Hungarian kroner each time the notes were renewed. Such harassment has not made life easier for the population.
But there were also positive moments in the interwar period. In 1923, for example, the 'Fürstenfeld - Heiligenkreuz - Güssing' post bus line and the Güssing-Jennersdorf line were put into operation. That was a big step forward because it made it easier to get to the train station and into town. The electrification of the village in 1924 was also positive. However, at that time only the village was connected to the electrical network. Poppendorf-Berg received the electric light only after the Second World War , in 1949. In 1923, Poppendorf also got a mailbox. Until then, the post in Eltendorf or Heiligenkreuz in Lafnitztal had to be posted. From 1937 to 1945 the mailbox was a post office I. After 1945 it became a mailbox again. In 1927 the mailbox was connected to the telephone network.
The period from 1938 to 1945
The Second World War brought great suffering again. The first years of the war were only noticeable in Poppendorf when the boys and men had to move back in and therefore there was a shortage of workers. But when the first news of death came in from the field, the war was more noticeable.
In 1945 the German troops were in retreat on all fronts and the enemy was getting closer and closer. The people fled from the village to the mountains, where they found shelter in the cellars of the vineyards. When the first shells hit Poppendorf, the people felt the war in all its cruelty. Two Poppendorfer died from shrapnel.
Post-war years
For the village and its residents, the war resulted in 48 houses being burned down, many shot and badly damaged, cattle and valuables disappeared. After the end of the war, the village recorded many casualties, 28 dead and 14 missing.
Then came the Soviet occupation forces. In the past you could do your errands in nearby Fürstenfeld, it was no longer possible. The Lafnitz, which had been the border so often, had now even become a dividing wall. It was the line of demarcation. Nobody could cross the border without ID. This constraint only gradually subsided until the controls ceased entirely in the summer of 1953 and the Russian soldiers were gradually withdrawn from the border area. Trade and traffic with neighboring Styria could now be resumed at full strength.
The situation on the Austro-Hungarian border was completely different. Initially, the state border was open to all traffic since the end of the war. This sometimes had negative consequences for the border residents, as the population had to fight against gangs of thieves who came from Hungary across the border. From autumn 1947 the border was closed and strictly guarded by the Hungarian side, the small border traffic was only possible with difficulty. To prevent any irregular traffic, the Hungarian authorities erected barbed wire fences, the so-called “iron curtain”, which were surrounded by minefields. The border crossing in the neighboring municipality of Heiligenkreuz to St. Gotthard was closed, only the road customs office to Rábafüzes (Raabfidisch) remained. There was almost no tourist traffic any more. The now visible and insurmountable border, the barbed wire fence, had an immediate impact on the lives of the border residents. All those who had relatives in the Hungarian border towns of Raabfidisch or St. Gotthard and wanted to visit them could cross the border without any major difficulties until the barbed wire fence was erected. In the course of the tightening of the borders, this was only made more difficult or not possible at all.
However, the population's will to live was not broken. With diligence and commitment, the people began to repair damage and build new houses.
On January 1, 1971, the communities of Poppendorf and Heiligenkreuz were merged to form the community of Heiligenkreuz in Lafnitztal. Due to this merger, organizational precautions had to be taken, such as B. the new election of the community council and the appointment of a mayor for Poppendorf. The previous mayor of Poppendorf, August Schlener, took over this office.
In the course of the amalgamation of the municipalities, the elementary school in Poppendorf was closed and the school-age children from Poppendorf were assigned to the elementary school in Heiligenkreuz.
In the mid-1970s, a company settled in the village, the “Merino” company from Feldbach. However, this company could not offer enough jobs for the locals, so the commuter rate rose more and more. A second attempt to offer women a job was the establishment of the Andiola company (underwear factory) in the 1980s. This company soon closed its doors and relocated production to St. Gotthard (Hungary), where the labor was even cheaper.
What remained were small family businesses (inns, carpenters, grocery stores, warehouse cooperatives) that could hardly offer jobs.
Over the years some associations and institutions were created to promote social and cultural life in the village. So z. B. in 1980 a tourism and beautification association. Founding chairman was Ing. Josef Gilly. In economic terms, many setbacks had to be accepted. The population of Poppendorf was structured agrarian in terms of their employment and characterized by large families. However, Poppendorf was too small to give work to all job seekers. The decline in agricultural employment opportunities and the lack of jobs in the region meant that many were forced to look for work elsewhere or to emigrate. As after the First World War, there was another and much larger wave of emigration after the Second World War. Once again, the goals were overseas countries, mainly Canada and the USA. The number of emigrants increased from year to year. From 1953 to 1955 over 55 Poppendorfer left their home.
Many people who did not want to emigrate overseas did seasonal work (green work) every spring and did not come back until autumn. Everyone tried to earn their living where they could earn it. The farmers were forced to pursue a sideline. As a result, the number of people working in agriculture fell sharply in the 1960s and many men had jobs such as construction workers or industrial workers. The location directly on the "Iron Curtain" was the reason that no industrial company wanted to settle here. The result was a sharp increase in commuting. The majority of the workers became day commuters to Güssing, Fürstenfeld or Jennersdorf. Many of them were weekend commuters as industrial and construction workers with the destinations of Styria, Graz and the Vienna Basin.
present
Today 402 people (main residences as of January 1, 2009) live in Poppendorf. There are 165 households, of which only 2 live from agriculture, but about 127 from gainful employment. The tremendous social change can be derived from this. Although the hotter area and the number of inhabitants are almost as large as they were in 1810, today only about 9 people live on the agricultural area, at that time it was almost 85%!
Poppendorf is developing more and more into a residential community. With the support of the community, the construction of residential complexes was accelerated and developed building sites for single-family houses were made available in order to stop the ongoing trend of emigration, especially young villagers.
The farms in the village have also taken a new path and completely dedicated themselves to the horse industry, which cooperates excellently with the gentle tourism of the region.
In economic terms, however, there have been further setbacks. In the village there is only one business, an inn. Many employees are still forced to work as a weekend commuter in Lower Austria or Vienna or as a day commuter in the neighboring Styria and Graz. Reason enough that many young people are moving away and settling in the metropolitan areas. The companies that were located in the immediate past in the cross-border business park 'Heiligenkreuz im Lafnitztal - St. Gotthard' offer some relaxation in terms of quality jobs.
emigration
Emigration is not insignificant in the historical development of the village . In addition to North and South America as their main destinations, some also emigrated to Brazil, Australia, Switzerland and Germany.
America migration
The emigration from Poppendorf in Burgenland to America is very closely related to the emigration from the southern parts of the historical and current regions of Burgenland. Regional and local peculiarities are causally related to the geographical location, the historical and economic development of this municipality.
With its emigration quota, Poppendorf in Burgenland is at the top of all Burgenland municipalities. The number of proven 372 American immigrants is already considerable. In the great emigration period of the interwar period, 71 people emigrated, after 1945 even 83. The destination of the Americans from the Lafnitz valley was Pennsylvania , initially mainly the region around Allentown .
Timeline of emigration
The Poppendorf emigration was probably initiated by a young maid in November 1890. Her name is not known, as it was not documented in writing, but only passed on orally by Josef Reichl - emigrant from Zahling. Together with two girls from Eltendorf , she left her home and settled in Allentown. The emigrants from Poppendorf in Burgenland, which have long been documented, could be found by researching the registers and passenger lists from 1893. Twelve emigrant pioneers left Europe via the port of Antwerp and arrived at the Ellis Island immigration control station on May 31, 1893 . Of these 12 people, 11 have settled in Bethlehem, America and 1 in New York .
The separation from Hungary and the war created new conditions that encouraged emigration. In addition to the bad economic situation already described, there were some people who neither wanted to stay in Hungary nor had found a suitable livelihood in Austria. The very uncertain, bad times between 1918 and 1921 did not exactly help to bind young people to this country. There were also many who already had relatives or friends in America. They may have wanted to come sooner, but the war stopped them.
The development of emigration after the Second World War was phenomenal, unique and in contradiction with the Burgenland emigration trend. With 83 emigrants to America (a total of 99 emigrants) after 1945, Poppendorf in Burgenland is at the top of all Burgenland communities. The large number of researched 372 immigrants from America is in itself considerable, so the ratio of the three emigration periods to one another with 218 emigrants in the pre-war migration, 71 emigrants in the inter-war migration and 83 emigrants in the post-war migration is unusual. The total number of immigrants to America is certain, but due to a lack of documentation it cannot be researched or estimated. In the two years 1953 and 1954, 48 young people from Poppendorf in Burgenland moved to America, most of them to Canada. With the population of 571 at the time, that is around 10 percent of the total population. If you add the 42 young men who did not return home from the war to the 99 emigrants of the post-war period, you will only recognize the great loss that this village suffered.
It is also worth mentioning that the emigration phase in the interwar period in Lafnitztal, including that from Poppendorf in Burgenland, was characterized by a large wave of re-emigration. These returnees were mainly those who only wanted to go to America for a few years but were prevented from returning due to the events of the war. However, many of these returnees left their old homeland after a while and went to America forever.
In the Jennersdorf district, Poppendorf in Burgenland was overrepresented in terms of its population when emigrating. The focus of the emigration years are in the years 1899 to 1913, 1922 and 1923 and 1953 to 1955, whereby the years 1901 with 33 and 1954 with 28 emigrants to America formed the high point.
The emigration to America was by no means continuous, but shows very large fluctuations.
In the local and school chronicle of the Poppendorf elementary school it is noted in connection with the emigration: “As already mentioned, many people were forced to leave their homeland and look for work elsewhere due to the events of the war and the hardship of the post-war years. Many of these job seekers traveled to North America in the years before and after World War I. They have made an existence there and live in good conditions. After the Second World War a movement started again. This time the destination of the hike is Canada. "
Commemorations
On the occasion of “100 Years of Emigration”, the first official home meeting of many Poppendorf emigrants took place in Poppendorf on July 28, 1990, which was initiated by the Burgenland community. At this celebration a stone with a plaque was unveiled.
As part of a small ceremony on June 23, 2008, the countless emigrants from this village were once again remembered. The President of the Burgenland Community, HR Dr. Walter Dujmovits, proclaimed Poppendorf in Burgenland to be the home village of the Burgenlanders abroad because of the extraordinarily high number of emigrants.
Club life
Over the years some associations and institutions were created to promote social and cultural life in the village. So z. B. in 1980 a tourism and beautification association. Founding chairman was Ing. Josef Gilly. The Poppendorf-Dorf volunteer fire brigade was founded as early as 1888, and a second one in Poppendorf-Berg in 1952. The rural youth has also existed since 1952.
Web links
literature
- Local and school chronicle of the Poppendorf elementary school.
- Walter Dujmovits: The Burgenlanders ' migration to America , Stegersbach 1975.
- Martina Planer: Heiligenkreuz in the Lafnitztal through the ages. , Diploma thesis, University of Vienna 2000.
- Franz Michael Koller: Destination America - Transatlantic labor migration in the 19th and 20th centuries using the example of the municipality of Patafalva / Poppendorf (formerly Hungary / today Burgenland) , Master's thesis, University of Salzburg 2009.
Cadastral communities: Heiligenkreuz im Lafnitztal | Poppendorf in Burgenland
Locations: Heiligenkreuz im Lafnitztal | Poppendorf in Burgenland
Market place: Heiligenkreuz in Lafnitztal Villages: Poppendorf in Burgenland Hamlet: Neuheiligenkreuz Rotten: Heiligenkreuzer Bergen Scattered houses: Poppendorfer Bergen • Schmalzgraben
Counting district: Heiligenkreuz i.Lafnitzt. | Poppendorf in Burgenland