Greetings!  Dear people of Torschau,
When this years homeland village meeting signals the establishment of the first
Protestant German community of Torschau which has existed for 200 years,
so this is a renewed proof of their love for their homeland and awareness
of their history.
   Gustav Adolf Famler, the author of the first homeland book, Torzsa und seine
Ansiedlung (Torschau and its settlement) was published on the occasion of the
100 year jubilee on the 15th of May 1884 written among other things in the
Foreword: I have written it for you and your children you learn to know your
homeland (Heimath) from it and whoever knows their homeland, knows themselves
you learn to love your homeland from it. A decade after that Ludwig Karman
presented the Geschichte der Torzsaer Ortsgemeinde und der reformierten
Kirchengemeinde, von der Ansiedlung 1784 bis die Gegenwert. (History of the
Torschau local community and the Reformed congregation, from the settlement of
1784 up to the present).  He showed in it how Torzsa has developed a thriving
prosperity. And so it was, as Peter Wick wrote that Torscha came to be valued as
the most beautiful and richest community in old Hungary, and this special
position it also maintained in Yugoslavia. We also have him to thank for Torza
1784-1934.  Eine hundertfünfzigjährige deutsche Gemeinde in Jugoslawien
(Torschau 1784-1934. A 150 year German community in Yugoslavia), a contribution
to the German cultural work abroad.
   Shortly before being driven out Emma Barkmann published her work Torscha,
eine Volksdeutsche Siedlung in der jugoslawischen Batschka (Torscha, a German
settlement in the Batschka region of Yugoslavia), with the statement that
Torschau is in economic, social, political, or also pure sociable manner
continually educated.
   In 1965 the homeland village committee presented an expanded edition of the
village chronicle by Peter Wack for the 150 year celebration.  The Bilddokumente
Torschau, ein Bildband ber die ehemalige deutsche Gemeinde Torschau in
Jugoslawien (Picture documentary of Torschau, a volume of pictures about the
former German community of Torschau) brought out by the homeland committee of
1977.  Then followed the small Chronik der Gemeinde Torschau (Chronicle of the
Torschau community) by Ludwig Schick and finally the writing shown now for the
200 year celebration is also by Ludwig Schick.
   So they have once again done exemplary work and contributed in addition, that
Torschau when the name is also changed in the meantime was kept alive in the
consciousness of us all.  Because of this the people of Torschau,  especially
its homeland committee, are to thank.  But thanks also to the representatives of
the Torschau homeland committee in the board of directors of the area
association of the countrymen of the Donauschwaben, the gentlemen Ludwig Schick
and Johann Wombohr.
   With the best wishes for a thoughtful memorial.


   Yours, Ludwig Schumacher (district chairman)