It
happened often, that the Scheindorf
Swabians, through their 90-year work of
building, developed a special sense of
community. They were able, through
sacrifice and cooperation, to accomplish
great works. These virtues were evident
in the ones who stayed home as well as
the ones who wandered far and wide. They
could never draw on wealth, because
their meager fields brought only a small
harvest. All the more, the community
facilities had to be protected, which
the previous generation built
themselves, because of love of community
and home. Building and rebuilding of the
church, the rectory and school, the
cemetery chapel, acquisition of the
bells and organ, supporting their own
school, etc. demanded enormous
sacrifice. An example of the creative
work is explained in the following
account about the building of the German
cultural center:
In 1935, the German culture
society in Petrifeld acquired a house,
which, through alterations and
additions, became the first German
cultural center. Scheindorf, the first
Swabian town in the area to return to
German traditions after World War I,
decided a year later to build a similar
cultural building. As so often before,
this time there was again an appeal to
the generosity of the townspeople both
at home and overseas. The "Americans"
donated 60,000 Lei; the "Scheindorfers"
raised 26,000 Lei. Added to this was the
tremendous effort of the young people as
well as the contribution of 100 beech
logs by the community. Because the
harvest time kept the adults busy and
the builders could not wait, the youth
of the area took part in the work of the
community. Thanks to the community
sacrifice and the hard work of all, it
was possible to officially open the
cultural center on November 11, 1936.
Many people took part in this memorable
occasion, representatives of nearby
communities, several priests, and also
some Romanian friends. Everyone who was
at the grand opening, or saw the center
later, acknowledged the achievement of
the Scheindorf Germans. Particular merit
was won by Father Hans Muller with the
building of the cultural center.
