sources for similar lists for other villages. Although they only give specific information about the [32][33][34][35] Nevertheless, there also some still left in ruin or decay, since the vast majority of the Saxons in their respective villages left them deserted during either before 1989 and after 1989 while emigrating for Western Europe or North America. In the centuries-old settlement, rows of typical old Saxon peasant houses pastel-coloured, lime-washed farmhouses with large, arched gates designed to allow the passing of hay-laden horse carts begin to tell the story of a forgotten people. A second phase of German settlement during the early 13th century consisted of settlers primarily stemming from the Rhineland region, the southern Low Countries, and the Moselle region, with others from Thuringia, Bavaria, and even from France. Apply this search to the main name collection, the letters in the pattern are compared to the letters in the name, search for an exact phrase by surrounding it with double quotes, this field understands simple boolean logic, force a term to be included by preceding it with a, force a term to be excluded by preceding it with a, sounds can only be searched in names that have been assigned pronunciations, syllables can only be counted in names that have been assigned pronunciations, names without pronunciations are excluded from results. Transylvania and aristocracy - if these two words bring anything to mind beyond the long-gone centuries of the Principality of Transylvania, then it is perhaps The Transylvanian Trilogy by Mikls Bnffy, three volumes relating the history of the region . Prejmer is the largest fortified church in southeastern Europe and among the most impressive Saxon citadels. When people lived in small groups, they didn't need permanent surnames as we We took our traditions from our parents and grandparents, she said. Surnames are now important in identifying individuals and families over time. It . Of course, this policy affected Romanians as much as it did Germans. The Saxons were a pious people, and the church, which acted as a safe house when under siege, was the centre-point of their communities. Nevertheless, Transylvanian Saxon is very similar to Luxembourgish and sounds as a form of medieval German (e.g. Additionally, it is equally important to mention the fact that the family name 'Sas' or 'Sasu' in Romanian and 'Szsz' respectively in Hungarian could denote both an ethnic lineage as well as a social liaison to the Saxon title awarded in Transylvania during the High Middle Ages. Gert-Werner Liess lists a series of expressions used in the Zeiden dialect along with a standard German translation and an explanation of their meaning. Warfare between the Habsburg monarchy and Hungary against the Ottoman Empire from the 16th18th centuries decreased the population of Transylvanian Saxons. Transylvanian Saxons, German-speaking population that in the Middle Ages settled in Transylvania, then part of Hungary. A common interpretation of the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, dated to 26 June 1284 and recorded in Hamelin records that (the earliest of such records dating from 1384: "It is 100 years since our children left") when a group of 130 children from the town of Hamelin (German: Hameln), in present-day Lower Saxony, were led away from their hometown by a piper (who may be a folk memory of a lokator) is that this related to an emigration event as part of the Ostsiedlung (i.e. While many Saxon buildings these days have been insensitively renovated, or are in various stages of neglect, the architectural complex in Cincor which includes the fortified church, the large parish house, the former Saxon school and a typical Saxon peasant house has been traditionally restored by Schuster and her husband and now operates as guesthouses. Otherwise, they enjoyed suzerainty; even Hungarians could not settle down in the Saxon territories. Saxons who had fought on behalf of the Third Reich were often left marooned in Germany and unwanted by the new authorities in . The Transylvanian Saxons (German: Siebenbrger Sachsen; Transylvanian Saxon: Siweberjer Sksen[6][7] or simply Soxen, singularly Sox or Soax; Transylvanian Landler: Soxn or Soxisch; Romanian: Sai ardeleni, sai transilvneni/transilvani; Hungarian: erdlyi szszok) are a people of mainly German ethnicity (and overall Germanic origin; mostly Luxembourgish) who settled in Transylvania (Romanian: Transilvania, German: Siebenbrgen or Transsilvanien, Latin: Transsilvania, Septem Castra or Septem Castrensis, Medieval Latin: Trnsylvnia) in various waves, starting from the mid and mid-late 12th century until the mid 19th century. Notably, it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary, a medieval realm that existed roughly . original holder of the name, there are, Neben den in der Heimat gewachsenen Nachnamen nimmt die Liste von Maier. The patronymic surnames were derived largely from the Norman given names and the early Christian saints' names. 5 5 In 1714, a personal union was established between Britain and the Electorate of Hanover in the Holy Roman Empire based on the . The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed. The Saxons remaining in Romania are represented by the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (FDGR/DFDR), the political platform that gave Romania its fifth president, Klaus Iohannis, who was firstly elected in 2014 and then re-elected by a landslide in 2019. His family claimed descent from the royal house of David. Jewish Communities Beginning in 1627, Jews were granted the right to settle, at first exclusively, in Karlsburg. 9. The destination is usually supposed to have been Prignitz, Uckermark, and Pomerania, but a minor alternative theory suggests settlement in Transylvania.[24][25][26]. Baby Names - Boys, Girls Names. Malancrav (Malmkrog in German), which boasts a population of around 120, is the largest of all of them. This, according to some scholars, is of ancient German origin. wahrscheinlich im frhen Mittelalter verloren.). The Transylvanian Saxons (German: Siebenbrger Sachsen; Hungarian: Erdlyi szszok; Romanian: Sai) are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania (German: Siebenbrgen) from the 12th century onwards. of those who, Noch eine Eigenheit von schsischen Namen ist das Vorherrschen von, Another peculiarity of Saxon names is the prevalence of 47. The process of emigration continued during communist rule in Romania. Although they remained a rich and influential group, the Saxons were no longer a dominant class within Modern Age Transylvania. 4 of these people had two surnames. The Transylvanian Saxons, called like that since medieval times, are representing a western population with unknown origin, settled in the Arch of Romanian Carpathian Mountains in the earliest of the 12th century. Well known Transylvanian Saxon politicians and administrative leaders include Michael Wei (former mayor of Braov/Kronstadt), Klaus Johannis (current President of Romania and former mayor of Sibiu/Hermannstadt), Iancu Sasul (i.e. The colonization continued until the end of the 13th century. Salt Anglo-Saxon, English. Many Saxon villages in Transylvania now have just a few remaining Saxons. Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania. It was estimated that there are approximately 300 such villages with fortified churches built by the Saxons in Transylvania during the Middle Ages.[31]. This video is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. Linzing lives in Malancrav with her husband and two children, who all speak in the Saxon dialect, which is similar to that of Luxembourgish, when they are at home. Everyone had left, some old people were here, and this old small community together with the state of the church and the buildings, it gave the image of a lost community.. In the 18th and 19th centuries Sephardic and Orthodox communities emerged in the Banat and the . Read More. The Transylvanian Saxons were badly stung by choices made in World War II, when Romania for most of the conflict fought on the side of the Nazis but then changed sides to join the Western Allies and Soviets from 1944. These fortified churches, or kirchenburgen as they are known in standard German, had defensive capacities in the event of a foreign attack on a rural Transylvanian Saxon community (e.g. It is, therefore, very important to highlight the fact that not all Transylvanian Saxon settlers were German-speaking given the fact that they also stemmed from the contemporary Low Countries (i.e. "devotee of"). At the same time, especially after Romania's accession into NATO and the EU, many Transylvanian Saxons are returning from Germany, reclaiming property lost to the former communist regime and/or starting up small and medium-sized enterprises. The similarities with Luxembourgish are both in lexical nature and grammar nature. [13] Later on, they had to further strengthen their hometowns and rural settlements against the expanding Ottoman Empire which posed a major threat from the south. Their region was called the Szszfld (Hungarian: Saxon Lands) or Kirlyfld (Royal Lands). She died in 2014. Building them was a shared community effort and worthy journey, but it hasnt been easy. The legal foundation of their settlement in southern, southeastern, and northeastern Transylvania was officially stipulated within the Diploma Andreanum (German: Der Goldener Freibrief der Siebenbrger Sachsen, English: The Golden Charter of the Transylvanian Saxons, Romanian: Carta de aur a sailor transilvneni) issued by King Andrew II of Hungary which allocated them the royal land (Romanian: Pmntul criesc or Pmntul regal) under local autonomy known as Knigsboden or Fundus Regius in Latin. during Roman times, those affiliations seem to have been lost during the Dark " Popa - This surname means "priest" and has roots in both Romanian and Slavic. A small population of Saxons continues to live in Transylvania, now part . The History of Transylvania and the Transylvania Saxons by Dr. Konrad Gndisch; Transylvanian Saxon surnames; Transylvanian placenames in different languages (nemko) General site on the Transylvanian Saxons (nemko) Typische Schsische Familiennamen - Typical Saxon Family Names, Mehr Siebenbrgische Familiennamen Romania's significant German (Saxon) heritage is obvious in Southern Transylvania, home to hundreds of well-preserved Saxon towns and villages. Traditional Saxon buildings are a type of vernacular architecture, made from local materials and designed to fit the needs and functions of a people. associated with Transylvanian villages - Source: sszdied database The word means 'god-given' or ' gift of God .'. ehrgeizig wurden, dieser extensive inner and outer walls and a fortified watch tower). After the fall of communism in 1989, around 90% of the Saxons who remained fled Transylvania within a few months. Size of this PNG preview of this SVG file: 800 533 pixels. Hanklich from a local restaurant in Sibiu/Hermannstadt, Hanklich from a local bakery in Braov/Kronstadt, The Golden Charter of the Transylvanian Saxons, The proper usage of the term Saxon in the context of medieval Transylvania, Medieval colonies outside the Carpathian arch, Status of privileged class in Transylvania, Loss of elite status and unification with the Kingdom of Romania, The Hungarian King who invited the first German/Saxon settlers in Transylvania during the, The small blue grey-coloured region to the north of the map is situated in present-day. However, throughout the passing of time, demographically, their numbers gradually dwindled and had been subsequently assimilated in the local medieval Wallachian and Moldavian cultures by the overwhelming Romanian ethnic majority. This agreement preserved a considerable degree of political rights for the three aforementioned groups but excluded the largely Hungarian and Romanian peasantry from political life in the principality. national costumes or Schsische Trachten). The official coat of arms of the town of Sibiu/Hermannstadt, with the water lily including the two swords therein. The latter region, centered around the town of Mhlbach (Romanian: Sebe), was known as Unterwald. Barbaneagra. Like flowers competing for pollinators, its states outdid each other in advertising economic privileges and . Most of the churches are big enough to house villagers fleeing from invaders - sheep flocks, cow herds and family dogs included. 1947 verschiedene Familiennamen. . Staats- oder Volksangehrigkeit). Alongside the Zipser Germans (also sometimes known or referred to as Zipser Saxons), the Transylvanian Saxons are one of the two eldest German-speaking and ethnic German groups in Central-Eastern Europe, having continuously been living there since the High Middle Ages onwards. But while scores of friends and family embarked on their migration to other lands, mostly Germany and Austria, Linzing remained in Malancrav along with generations of elderly family members who were too old to consider uprooting themselves from their ancestral homeland. Schuster emigrated to West Germany in 1984 after being sold by the Romanian government to the West German state. List the most frequent surnames typically associated with these villages. Many saw it as an escape from communist Romania, and willingly left. German merchants arrived in the 12th century to help defend the region against the Tatars and Turks. May 5, 2018. the "national church" of the Transylvanian Saxons (or the people's church of the Saxons). The word is made of two Slavic language words, namely 'bogu' meaning 'god' and 'dan' meaning 'given.'. (Although early Europeans did belong to various tribes Additionally, German potters and merchants were also present in the former Moldavian capital of Suceava at the end of the 14th century. At the same time, the Saxons were also charged with developing agriculture and introducing Central European culture. Paul Milata: Zwischen Hitler, Stalin and Antonescu. Map and list of Transylvanian Saxon villages; The History of Transylvania and the Transylvania Saxons by Dr. Konrad Gndisch; Transylvanian Saxon surnames; Transylvanian placenames in different languages General site on the Transylvanian Saxons General forum for the Transylvanian Saxons Church keeper Hildegard Linzing and her family all speak in the Saxon dialect when they are at home (Credit: Stephen McGrath). The coastal stretch from the Elbe to the . Johannes Benkner, former mayor of Braov/Kronstadt. First recorded as a surname in Staffordshire, England, but refers to a village in Normandy called Rugles. Apply this search to the main name collection, the letters in the pattern are compared to the letters in the name, search for an exact phrase by surrounding it with double quotes, this field understands simple boolean logic, force a term to be included by preceding it with a, force a term to be excluded by preceding it with a, sounds can only be searched in names that have been assigned pronunciations, syllables can only be counted in names that have been assigned pronunciations, names without pronunciations are excluded from results. Familien-Namen (Fritz Keintzel-Schn), Editura Academiei Bucuresti As a result, today only approximately 12,000 Saxons remain in Romania.[20]. In the context of medieval Transylvania, the term Saxon was used to denote a nobleman's title and not necessarily someone who was German-speaking. aside from Luxembourg, also contemporary Netherlands and Belgium) and from modern day France as well. residence, nationality). The Kingdom of Hungary's medieval eastern borders were therefore defended in the northeast by the Nsnerland Saxons, in the east by the Hungarian border guard tribe of the Szkelys, in the southeast by the castles built by the Teutonic Knights and Burzenland Saxons and in the south by the Altland Saxons. In the process of fortifying the borders of the Kingdom of Hungary to the east, they were early on helped by the Teutonic Knights. Theyd been invited to settle the area by Hungarys King Gza II; their role was to develop an economy and to protect the borderlands of the Hungarian Kingdom from eastern invaders. The old wicker basket is almost full, but it is one of many tasks required by Zakel, who lives in Switzerland but visits regularly, as she goes about maintaining and restoring this old farmhouse to keep her ancestral heritage alive. Most colonists to this area came from Luxembourg (Luxembourgish: Ltzebuerg) and the Moselle River region (see for instance Medardus de Nympz, former knight and founder of the fortified village of Niemesch/Nema in Mona).[22]. Its weekly publication is the Volksblatt. Of the 101 people, 55 had surnames (54.4%). Old High German or Middle High German). My great aunt lived here for more than 70 years, said Zakel, who bought the house last year from a family member. Janosch m German (Modern), Transylvanian Saxon. . The initial phase of German settlement in Transylvania began in the mid and mid-late 12th century, with colonists travelling to and residing in what would later become known in standard German as Altland (i.e. [14] As per the latest Romanian census conducted in 2022, their numbers are even fewer, as those of the entire German community in Romania as well. [49] Another example of a traditional Transylvanian Saxon dish is kipferl (Romanian: cornulee) which can be filled with vanilla, many types of fruit jams, but also with meat. Valea Viilor (German: Wurmloch) Evangelical Lutheran medieval fortified church, Saschiz (German: Keisd or Hnenburg) Evangelical Lutheran medieval fortified church, Viscri (German: Weisskirch) Evangelical Lutheran medieval fortified church, The Mongol invasion of 124142 devastated much of the Kingdom of Hungary. Fortified watch tower ) Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license are now important in identifying and... 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