KULA history
By: Johann Wangler
THE HISTORY OF KULA AT 1930
In 1931, 10,336 inhabitants were recorded in Kula, there from were 2,608 (25,2%) German speaking (according to Dr. Legler: 5 Minuten Heimatkunde. “Neuland” of 04.12.1965/) At the same time in the district of Kula 51 % of the inhabitants were German speaking and of German origin, (according to Biber Dusan “ Nacizem I Nemci u Jugoslaviji 1933-1941” Cankarijeva zalozba u Ljubljani 1966,480 pages, p. 309).
The first Judge was the Serbian Ledjenac Djuro, the second Judge was the German Lorenz Heim.
One of the community clerks (the so-called ”Kleinrichter”) had the duty to publish the official news in the streets. He had for that purpose a drum which he had to beat before he was reading out the news of the city council, on the streets and places in Kula.
The Kleinrichter Andreas Bohnert, was my grandfather, he was a well known personality in Kula. And in the book” Kula und seine Deutschen” he and many of his funny stories are described.
THE SOUTHERN HUNGERIAN GERMAN
The southern Hungarian German is the name given by the Hungarians for the Donauschwaben. Eugen Szenklaray hit the truth in his description of the Donauschwaben when he says:
“The southern Hungarian German is in general very practical, home-like, and economically thinking man, industrious but close to stinginess in his savings. His Idol was to have a lot of money and land/property, as much as possible.
The Character of the Southern Hungarian German is Ernest and composed.
It is not easy to bring him to a burst of passion. In managing his own affairs he was very economical and successful.
He liked it if a stranger or his friends saw and honoured his wealth and competency.
His word is very reliable and his honesty and strait-forwardness are known, he obeys the laws and he is a friend of order.
To the inhabits of Nations surrounding him he adjusts only little in his Character and habits, he kept the customs and habitual manner of his originality.
But for the education of his Children the Southern Hungarian German is prepared to spend a lot of money.
The payment of the teachers in the Batschka region was equal or better than anywhere. The Hungarian language and patriotic consciousness in the German schools have been well attended to.
They have not been satisfied that their children only go to the village Schools, they wanted their children to be educated in higher schools. And they sent them to the German Gymnasiums in Temesvar, Szegedin, Subotica, Baja, or in a Grammar-school with the aim to become a Teacher, Priest, Advocates, Medical Doctor, or at least to be educated also in the Hungarian language.
2 Capitals of my report are not translated, they refer to the German settlement of the Batschka following the Ottoman expulsion, a history already well described.
In the Batschka, the migration may be considered in the following stages:
1.) Entrepreneurs and Craftsman who arrived with the Troops of the Austrian-Habsburg) 1702-1723
2.) The Caroline Colonisation, 1723-1740 (under the father of Maria Theresia)
3.) The Maria Theresian Colonisation, 1740-1780
a. The early Theresian Colonisation, 1748-1762
b. The Second Theresian Settlement Period, 1763-1772
4.) The Josephine Colonisation, 1780-1790 ( Josef II)
5.) The post-Josephine Colonisation, 1790-1900