Galician's meetings in 2011 in Ostrau

Translated by http://www.online-translator.com

With definition of the appointment in Ostrau one year ago it was not to be seen that the Galician's meeting in the 9/24/2011 could step in competition with the visit of the pope in Germany. Even greater was the surprise than more participants than one year ago to the meeting appeared. Tables and chairs had to be still brought, so that more than 80 people could find her place. The pope's visit was an occasion for the statement that we could experience Galicia-German successively two popes whom we can call our compatriots. The pope from Poland came from Galicia and the current pope is a German. To confirm the traditional values of our Catholic villages to the north and to the west of Lvov, the meeting had been opened like every year with a service. Priest Gaden also turned out this time expert of the history of Galicia and the Habsburg monarchy and he encouraged the congregation to continue her meetings in the present manner.

In the “Land Inn Ostrau” the guests were warmly welcomed by Eugen Dreher. His greeting word was valid particularly that which visited the meeting for the first time, under it also visitors from Holland. Werner Kraus reminded first of the fact that one of many refugee's trails came at the end of the second world war on the 18th of February, 1945 completely exhausted in the area of the municipality of Ostrau in Saxony-Anhalt, followed by other similar trails. These were refugees from the circle of Kalisch in Poland who came, however, originally from neighbouring places in Galicia. This is the reason, why there are till this day still many descendants of the Galicia-German in the area around Ostrau near Halle and why since 1997 also in Ostrau Galician's meetings take place.

A word of the memory was valid for the honoured priest Weber who had passed away on the 5th of April, 2011 in Bad Schmiedeberg. He celebrated still on the 11th of March of the last year at the nursing home his 95th birthday with representatives of the parishes after whom he had looked in the course of his long life and with his compatriots, the people from “Bukowina”. The old people in Ostrau to present ones still had the honour to have belonged to his parish in the Warthegau after which he had looked as a young priest. The special in the life work of priest Weber is that he has lost this parishes also after the war not out of sight. Up to our 7th meeting in 2005 he has held the opening service and then in the hall he has told stories from his moved life. In recognition of his self-sacrificing and commendable life work the salary medallion of the salary order of the Federal Republic of Germany was lent him on the 15th of June, 2010.

Also at the beginning of the report on the situation of the “Hilfskomitee” (auxiliary committee) a word of the memory was valid for the late chairperson Oskar Wolf. After his sudden death on the 09.11.2010 a new chairperson had to be chosen on a special meeting of the representatives in Berlin. The new chairperson Horst Vocht is in Duisburg at home and belongs to the generation which is born in the Warthegau.

With the tip to the discussions within the representatives to the questions, as it should go on with the auxiliary committee, Mr. Kraus gave the following appraisal:

„The members of the so-called experience generation, the more than 80-year-old, withdraw from the active cooperation. Younger descendants of the Galicia-German are to be inspired only exceptionally for the native country Galicia, but there are them. The youngest representative in the Hilfskomittee is in the middle of 40 and there are attempts for a re-orientation of the auxiliary committee for the younger generation with the help of the Internet. Up to now there were already sites the Internet which were specified on certain places in Galicia, for example, about Bruckenthal, Koenigsau, Gelsendorf and not least the side about the Catholic villages with main focus to Wiesenberg. Now there is at new a side referring the auxiliary committee with the address www.galizien-deutsche.de which offers the most important sides also into English.

Today young people search worldwide on the Internet contacts with like-minded people - or also to dissenters. In the meantime, there are by the influence of the Internet and by the boundless travel possibilities trends in the youth to a multicultural society of any kind with renunciation of here own cultural values. This rescues the danger in itself to become homeless in a new kind to be linked with the feeling, to be at the same time everywhere and nowhere at home. To search for the own roots can offer hold and orientation in this situation and provide a feeling of the gratitude to the preceding generations.

The history of Galicia and the history of the Habsburg monarchy can teach the today's generation as people of different language and different religion on narrow space can live peacefully with each other. For young people the Internet has become already today means the understanding among nations. It could also be a way for personal contacts with people in East Europe“.

Then the critical financial situation of the auxiliary committee was treated and founded, why the supply price must be raised for the paper “Das Heilige Band” from 15.- € up to now on 20.- € per year. It was appealed to the participants to maintain at least the paper “Das Heilige Band” as a connecting element of our ethnic group. To be able to continue his work, the auxiliary committee needs plentiful donations and new members. But it needs not only paying members, but also active employees who can take over duties.

From the activities of the auxiliary committee was to be reported even more: The “Zeitweiser” -the annual of the Galicia-German appears in the end of the year provisionally for the last time. During nearly 20 years Prof. Erich Müller from Berlin was responsible for the yearbook and has performed a great work. Now a certain end seems to be reached. Prof. Müller would like to finish for age reasons and for informal reasons his work as a cultural adviser. As a successor in the office of the cultural adviser Artur Bachmann from Berlin was chosen, a descendant from Brigidau in Galicia. He will concentrate first upon the realisation of the cultural conference which is planned for the week-end from the 04th to the 06th of May, 2012 in Lambrecht in the Palatinate.

Thankfully it was registered that by the handing over of the Galicia-German home archive to the Martin's Opitz library in Herne now, finally, a scientific processing of our archive continuance is possible. Special rights and favorable conditions are achieved for the Galicia-German who want to use this archive.

The second part of the implementation of Mr. Kraus was valid for the efforts to keep up the recollection of the native country Galicia with the help of a special literature offer. The book list of the auxiliary committee only is already enough to spend a whole winter behind the stove with this offer of books. But also about the Catholic villages to the north and to the west of Lvov there are publications. These are notebooks which were produced published by the author by copying in the copy shop. The list of these publications enclosed like last year 30 titles. Also novelties had arrived, indeed, at the expenses of other older publications.

To the view were also laid out the writings which act from other places in Galicia, for example, by Brigidau, Reichau and Machliniec. Also a picture collection from the calendar of the „alliance of the Christian Germans in Galicia“ from the time before the First World War, formed by Mr. Konrad from Stuttgart were laid out.

Still it is an important concern of Mr. Kraus to counteract against the systematic historical forgery in the east of Germany by such well-chosen publications which were not accessible earlier the people of this region. In addition he gave detailed grounds:

„Particularly many millions expelled in Germany after the second world war were threatened by a historical forgery. In a part of Germany, in the GDR, they were called only as ‚resettlers’ and were suspected to get back the old country. These reservations were quite topical when in the German newspaper on the day before the tip to the Galician's meeting appeared. The place where the text should be originally … they want to remember the heavy destiny of her parents and grandparents’ it was substituted with the inexpressive formulation: … they want to exchange experiences’. Besides, these are in the majority refugees and their descendants who maintain personal contacts with people in East Europe and make a contribution to the reconciliation where it is most necessary and most difficulty“.

The time between lunch and coffee drinking was used before all for talks. „We have every year in Ostrau our family meeting“ thanked a guest. From the collection result of 260.- € after deduction of the expenses 200.- € were determined as a donation for the auxiliary committee.

Finally it was to be discussed how it should go on with the Galicia-German meetings. On the Galician's meeting in Magdeburg the proposal had been presented by Mr. Hönig from Wolfsburg to organise an all-German Galician's meeting in Wolfsburg next year. Such a meeting was promised by the auxiliary committee for 2013. All-German Galician's meeting would mean that also the participants of other regional meetings are invited. This concerns the places Koenigsaue, Machliniec, Gelsendorf and of course also the Catholic villages of the Ostrau meeting.

In this connection Mr. Kraus recommended a Galician's meeting which takes place on one day, so that one can go from a vicinity of about 200 km on the same day there and back. This would be ideal for the Galicia-German in the space Wolfsburg. But also Halle, or Ostrau are removed less than 200 km from Wolfsburg. This is also valid for Hamburg and Potsdam near Berlin. The Galician's meeting in Ostrau, so it seems, will further take place of it without influence. The next meeting in Ostrau was fixed on the 9/29/2012. By the way, a big Galician's meeting will be announced with certainty in “Das Heilige Band“.