Landesverband der Donauschwaben, USA
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The History of the Danube Swabians

By Hans Kopp

from the book “the Last Generation Forgotten and left to Die” The history of the Danube Swabians”.

All Rights reserved. ISBN No. 0-9701109-0-1

Epilog

        As history has shown, the land the Germans had settled during the past centuries had a turbulent past. Cultures came and disappeared. They built and destroyed, rebuilt and destroyed the land again time after time. History has also shown that several Germanic cultures rebuilt this land during several periods of its turbulent past. The most notable periods of rebuilding the land came during the Franken Empire under Charlemagne (Karl dem Großen), the Hungarian Kingdom and the Empire of German Nations and later the Austrian Empire. Under the Empire of German Nations it was the Germans known today as Danube Swabians who settled in Hungary after the Turkish Wars. They rebuilt the land only to be destroyed again by the communist governments of Hungary, Romania and Yugoslavia after the Second World War which brought the end of the Danube Swabian era in these countries.

Statistics, where the Danube Swabians used to live. By Karl Weber of Bulkes.

In                                             Hungary                      Yugoslavia                Romania                           Total

Population in 1918                   650,000                      550,000                     350,000                      1,550,000

Population in 1941                   656,000                      558,000                      328,000                      1,542,000

Survivors after 1948 from         530,000                      425,000                      280,000                      1,235,000

Fled before the end of WWII     50,000                      220,000                        50,000                         320,000

Soldiers from                             80,000                        90,000                         50,000                        220,000

Lives lost 1941-1948                 50,000                          85,00                         30,000                        165,000

Remaining population after 1944 450,000                       200,000                      210,000                         860,000

Expelled from after 1944                                           220,000

Escapees from death and labor camps 1946-1954      80,000

        The majority of the Danube Swabians returned to the land of their ancestors, in Germany and Austria. Today, Danube Swabians can be found on all five continents and in more than 16 countries. Their major settlements in North America can be found in Akron, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Kitchener, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Montreal, New York, Trenton, Philadelphia, Rochester, St. Louis, Toronto and Windsor.

It is estimated that Danube Swabians are living in more than 15 countries after WW II.

Germany                                                 550,000

Austria                                                    120,000

USA, Canada and South America            340,000

Hungary                                                   254,000

Romania                                                  152,000

Yugoslavia                                                  5,000

Others                                                       14,000

Liberal estimated total                           1,440,000         with descendants             1,815,000?

        From these liberal estimates one can make the assumption that the population of the Danube Swabians has reached closely the population it had in 1941, after the loss of close to 200,000 lives, as victims of the post WW II genocide, mostly in Yugoslavia. Further, one must speak of reality and assume that their descendants have integrated into the population of their respective countries and one day may be totally assimilated by them. But hopefully their institution may survive this and the following Centuries to keep their memory alive.

The Danube Swabians recognized and totally committed themselves to the “Charta der Heimatvertriebenen” (Charter of the expelled) of July 19^th 1950, in which it states: “We who were expelled from our homes do not seek revenge. This decision is sincere and holy inscribed in our mind despite the endless suffering, pain and injustices brought upon us during the last decade”. Directed to the future it states: “We who were expelled from our homes will direct all of our efforts and resources to support the formation of a “United Europe” and a free world in which all people of all Nations can live without fear or oppression”.

Today the Danube Swabians live up to this commitment. This they demonstrate in their annual pilgrimages and commemorations throughout the world where they make their homes. May the survivors and their descendants live in peace regardless of what country they live in or what language they may speak today, for peace and faith are always in our hearts.

The last generation of Danube Swabians has admirably made valiant efforts to build and maintain cultural centers for their children, where their children can learn, understand, maintain and carry on the traditions of their forefathers with pride. My book “The last Generation forgotten and left to die” is but a small contribution to that effort, so that the New Generation, in whatever continent they may live, will never forget their roots.