Source: NÖLB, Topographische Sammlung
This project reconstructs the history of the Croatian minority in Lower Austria in the early modern period.
Funding
Land Niederösterreich, Abteilung Kunst und Kultur
Duration
November 2023 – July 2024
Principal Investigator
Cooperation Partners
Wolfgang Galler, Franz Sümecz
Description
The project will centre the communication and relations of exchange between the Croatian settlements and their German-speaking surrounding from the 16th to the late-18th century. These interactions have as yet hardly been subject of research. The sources particularly offer insight on conflicts between the Croatians and the German-speaking population and authorities. Often, it was the minority’s desire for Croatian-language pastoral service which led to disputes. In addition, economic activity (e.g. cross-border livestock trade) and the struggle for agricultural resources (e.g. pasture and arable land) harbored potential for conflict. Particular interest lies on the images of the linguistic minority conveyed by these official sources.
A fundamental socio-historical question concerns networks of marriage the extent to which they crossed ethnic boundaries. This question will be approached by the analysis of parish records, on the basis of which it will be possible to reconstruct marriage patterns.
A follow-up project on the history of the Croatian minority up until the present is currently being planned.