Banater Schwaben Memorial, Mannheim, Germany

North side of monument Transcribed by George Brettrager	& inscriptions Neudorf Places in the Banat/Yugoslavia Neuhof Alt-letz Neukaransebesch Brestowatz Neupanat  Charleville Neu- und Großsanktpeter Deutschelemer Neusiedel Deutschzerne Nitzkydorf Ernsthausen Ofsenitz Etschka Obad Franzfeld Orawitz Georgshausen Orschowa Glogon Orzydorf Großbetschkerek Ostern  Großkikinda Pankota Heideschütz Paratz Heufeld Paulisch Homolitz Perjamosch Jabuka/Apfeldorf Perkos Karlsdorf Pesak Kathreinfeld Rekasch Kubin Reschitz Kudritz Rußberg Klek Sakelhausen Lazarfeld Saderlach Mastort Sanktandreas Modosch Sanktanna Mokrin Sanktmartin Molidorf Sarafol Mramorak Sentlein Nakodorf Schag Pantschowa Schimand Pardan Schöndorf Ploschitz Segenthau Rudolfsgnad Sekul Sartscha Semlak Setschan Sigmundhausen Setschanfeld Steierdorf-Anina Sigmundsfeld Temeschburg Soltur Tolwad Sanktgeorgen Traunau Sankthubert Triebswetter Startschowa Tschakowa Stefansfeld Tschanad Tschestereg Tschawosch Weißkirchen Tschene Werschetz Ulmbach Zichydorf Waldau Ruskodorf Warjasch   Weidenthal Places in the Banat/Hungary Wetschehausen Alt- und Neusanktiwan Wiesenhaid Elek  Wiseschdia Kübekhausen Wojteg   Wolfsberg   Zipar
South side of the monument Transcribed by George Brettrager 430,000 Germans lived in the Banat in 1941.  Places founded, settled and inhabited by Germans in the Banat/Romania.	& inscriptions   Albrechtsflor Grabatz Alexanderhausen Großdorf Altringen Großjetscha Altsadowa Großkomlosch Arad Großscham Aurelheim Guttenbrunn Bakowa Hatzfeld Baratzhausen Hellburg Baumgarten Hodon Bethausen Jahrmarkt Billed Johannisfeld Birda Josefsdorf Blumenthal Kalatscha Bogarosch Karansebesch Bresondorf Keglewichhausen Bruckenau Kleinbetschkerek Butin Kleinjetscha Buchberg Kleinomor Busiasch Kleinsanktnikolaus Charlottenburg Kleinsanktpeter Darowa Kleinschemlak Denta Kleinsiedel/Ketfel Detta Klopodia Deutschbentschek Knees Deutschbogschan Königsgnad-Tirol Deutschpereg Königshof Deutschsanktmichael Kowatschi Deutsch-und-Großsanktnikolaus Kreuzstätten Deutschsanktpeter Lenauheim Deutschstamora Liebling Dognatschka Lindenfeld Dolatz Lippa Ebendorf Lovrin Eichenthal Lugosch Engelsbrunn Lunga Ferdinandsberg Marienfeld Franzdorf Matscha Fratelia Mercydorf Freidorf Morawitz Gertianosch Moritzfeld Gier Nadrag Giroda Nero Giseladorf/Panjowa Neuarad Giulwess/Iwanda/Rudna Neubeschenowa Glogowatz Neuburg a.d. Bega Gottlob

Memorial to the Banater Swabians

Unveiled in Mannheim Main Cemetery

by Richard S. Jäger, First Chairman of AKdFF & Chairman of H.O.G. Neupanat
Translated by George Brettrager

            On Sunday the 22^nd of July 2001, the Kreisverband[1] Mannheim of the Landsmannschaft der Banater Schwaben e.V.[2] issued an invitation to a memorial event on the occasion of the 50^th anniversary of the deportation of 10,000 Banater Schwaben to the Baragan Plain.[3]  Three thousand Germans from the Banat live in Mannheim and Baden-Württemberg is the sponsor state of the Banater Schwaben.  More than 500 participants—among them a Swabian lady still living in the Banat—followed the appeal of the Kreisverband under the leadership of the district chairman Richard S. Jäger to the memorial event.

            After the solemn entry of the banner delegations, couples dressed in traditional costume, the priests and honorary guests, the memorial event took place.  The choir of the Banater Schwaben sang the song “O Baragan, o Baragan, jetzt sind wir in der Wüste dran”[4] at the opening.  After the greeting to the honorary guests, the district chairman of the Banater Schwaben, Richard S. Jäger, outlined the life of suffering of his compatriots after the Second World War.  “Nobody has had to pay as cruelly for the most brutal war of all times as the expatriate Germans.  Revenge and retaliation were practiced on you; even six years after the end of the war—when peace prevailed in the rest of Europe—ten thousand innocent people, children and old people, were deported to the wide Plain of Baragan in the vicinity of the Black Sea just because they were Germans.  Not until 1956 were these innocent people allowed to return to the Banat homeland.  Already in January 1945, eighty thousand Germans from Romania were abducted to the Soviet Union for 5 years of forced labor; 15,000 were starved to death there.”  State Legislature Representative Klaus Dieter Reichardt—also on behalf of the representative of the state government for expelled people and emigrants, Secretary of State Heribert Rech MdL[5]—and CDU[6] party Chairman Dr. Sven-Joachim Otto—also on behalf of the mayor of the City of Mannheim—invited by Kreisverband Mannheim of the Landsmannschaft der Banater Schwaben e.V., unveiled a memorial stone in the main cemetery.  This draws attention to the fate of the Germans who fled and resettled from Romania, the former Yugoslavia and, to a smaller extent, from Hungary, who—as District Chairman Richard S. Jäger emphasized—“have found a new, very good home in Mannheim.”  “Expulsion and trampling of human rights under foot must be prevented in Europe forever,” Party Chairman Dr. Otto described a lesson from history like that; which the party chairman of the SPD,[7] Dr. Frank Mentrup, also endorsed in his greeting.  He also reminded that one is not allowed to treat people inhumanely on the basis of ethnic origin, of background.

            Klaus Dieter Reichardt cautioned against conducting the necessary battle against the extreme right excesses in German politics and at the same time forgetting the battle against extreme left excesses.  “As it was right to fight the Republicans[8] politically, it is wrong to make the PDS[9] acceptable politically.”

            The district chairman of the CDU, Professor Dr. Egon Jüttner, reaffirmed in his greeting: “The CDU remains especially closely connected to the exiles and emigrants who have found a new home in Germany and have given up revenge.”  He demanded the reversal of the cut in the means for cultural and historic work of the exiles and that the City of Mannheim now, through the city archives, works up the history of the displaced persons who came to the city after 1945 was universally approved on the initiative of the CDU district council faction.  Other honorary guests were the CDU City Councilwoman Regina Trösch and Wolfgang Schwöbel, manager of the Mannheim cemeteries.  For the federal association of the Landsmannschaft der Banater Schwaben, the deputy federal chairman Bernhard Krastl spoke; he thanked the district chairman and the entire Kreisverband for the exemplary work in the service of our ethnic group.  Others present were: Josef Jerger, state chairman of the Donauschwaben[10] in Rheinland-Pfalz, and Johann Leitenbor, chairman of the Kreisverband Frankenthal and many HOG[11] chairmen.

            After the memorial speeches, a solemn Mass took place, celebrated by homeland priest Kaufmann and Fr. Reinelt from the St. Laurentius Church in Mannheim-Käfertal.  Fr. Reinert, who experienced the fate of the exiles from the Sudetenland[12] himself, said in his sermon, “like 50 years ago, we celebrate the Mass today in the open air, when tens of thousands of people were abandoned in a desert steppe, had to dig themselves a hole in the earth and only one protected them, Our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faith and trust in God were for the Banater Schwaben—like for most of the exiles—the last glimmer of hope.”

            They then set off in a procession to the unveiled memorial to the Banater Schwaben.  Dr. Otto—on the part of the City of Mannheim—and State Legislature Representative Reichardt—on the part of the sponsor state Baden-Württemberg—carried out the unveiling.  Fr. Reinelt gave the blessing.  Richard S. Jäger, district chairman of the Banater Schwaben, presented the memorial and declared: “this stone is a memorial to the language, a stone book of contemporary history.  It is a memorial against war and against the destruction which it brought about; a memorial against ethnic cleansing and disregard for human rights.  For our victims and deceased, this is a worthy memorial and for we living a piece of lost homeland.”  On the sides of the memorial, 202 former German villages in the Banat are immortalized by name. 

            Three former deportees laid down a wreath with 50 red roses for their fellow sufferers who died in the deportation during the song “Ich hatte einen Kameraden.”[13]  The ceremony was surrounded musically by the “Evangelischen Stadtposaunenchor Mannheim e.V.,”[14] under the direction of Josef Krug and the Banater Choir from Frankenthal under the direction of Mrs. Muhl.  A really special thanks to Wolfgang Schwöbel, manager of the Mannheim cemeteries, who cosponsored this impressive ceremony.

            The collection—which was intended for the erection and care of the memorial—produced 1405.7 DM.[15]  Please direct other donations for the memorial to Landsmannschaft der Banater Schwaben – KV Mannheim, Konto 34045941 BLZ 67050505 with the Sparkasse Rhein-Neckar-Nord.  Sincere thanks to all contributors.

            Since the charitable status is recognized for the Kreisverband Mannheim, sums of money are tax-deductible as special expenses.  For donations up to 100 Euro, the submission of the transfer order satisfies the tax office.  Certificates of donation are gladly issued on request.  A videocassette of the entire ceremony can be ordered with Kreisverband Mannheim.  Tel.: 0621-3365886. 

The Board

[Published at DVHH.org, Oct. 2004]