Andau
Encyclopedia
Andau is a village in Burgenland
, Austria
, near the border of Hungary
. It is situated in the flat, lake-studded Seewinkel region which is part of the Little Hungarian Plain
.
. The German name was derived from the Hungarian one by dropping the first "z" : z'Antau - Antau - Andau. Another village in present-day Burgenland, Antau
(Selegszántó) had a similar etymology. In 1525 it was mentioned as "Anthau das dorff". During the 17th century the Hungarian name changed from Szántó to Tarcsa, first recorded in 1659 as Tarcza, Tarcsa seu Andau in 1679 and Tarcsa seu Ontau ad Pratum in 1680. Tarcsa is an old personal name which appears often in Hungarian toponymy. From the 18th century onwards both names were used consistently. In the 19th century the village was called unofficially Moson-Tarcsa to show its location in Moson county. In 1904 the name was officially changed to Mosontarcsa. After 1923 the official name was changed to Andau.
belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary
until 1921 as part of the historical county
of Moson
. The village was first mentioned in 1487 under the name Zantho (with modern orthography Szántó). In the late Middle Ages
the village belonged to the Magyaróvár
estate. Szántó was destroyed two times by the invading Ottoman
army, first in 1529, later in 1683.
The deserted village was re-settled in 1689 under the name Tarcsa. The first small Baroque
chapel was built in 1747 and it was enlarged in the 19th and later in the 20th century. During the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
Tarcsa was plundered by Ban Josip Jelačić
's troops.
The traditional way-of-life was shaped by the usage of natural resources of the region. According to Vályi's description from the end of the 18th century: "There is reed and rush growing in the lakes and the latter is used in mat weawing. The peasants sell their hay produce in Vienne."
According to a description from 1851: "Tarcsa or Andau is a German village in Moson county, near the Hanság, with 1037 Roman Catholic inhabitants and a parish church.... The villagers earn much money from hay and cartage services. The squire is Archduke Charles."http://www.arcanum.hu/gesta/lpext.dll/rmf/fenyes/2?fn=main-h.htm&f=templates
With the end of the First World War and the Treaties of St. Germain and Trianon
, the territory was given to Austria, where it formed part of the new state of Burgenland.
During the Hungarian revolution of 1956, 70'000 refugees escaped the communist regime by crossing the border from Hungary into Austria through a small wooden bridge, called the Brücke von Andau
. This was memorialized by James A. Michener
in his book The Bridge at Andau
.
its historical peak with 3058 people. That time onwards the population went into a gradual decline, with a loss of about 500 people in 30 years. The decrease is caused by low birth rates and migration similarly to many rural communities in Europe.
The community had two distinct components: Hungarians living in the village itself and manorial workers living in Albrechtsfeld manor nearby. Albrechtsfeld (Albrechtmajor, Albertföld) was established in the 19th century by the squires of the Magyaróvár estate. It was inhabited by indentured agricultural workers, mainly Hungarians, coming from the Rábaköz region. Their archaic way-of-life remained basically unchanged until the mid-20th century. Lack of property and economic hardships caused rapid emigration from the 1950s. A sociological study from 1964 recorded the last phase of existence of this community. That time there were 48 families working on the estate but only 2 or 3 families lived in Albrechtsfeld. Older people bought houses in Andau village while the younger ones moved into the towns. The manor was dissolved in 1965 when this special minority group ceased to exist. The population of Albrechtsfeld was always included in the census data of Andau. Partial data from the 20th century:
Burgenland
Burgenland is the easternmost and least populous state or Land of Austria. It consists of two Statutarstädte and seven districts with in total 171 municipalities. It is 166 km long from north to south but much narrower from west to east...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, near the border of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. It is situated in the flat, lake-studded Seewinkel region which is part of the Little Hungarian Plain
Little Hungarian Plain
The Little Hungarian Plain or Little Alföld is a plain of appr. 8,000 km² in northwestern Hungary, south-western Slovakia , and eastern Austria...
.
Name
The village was first mentioned in 1487 under the name Anthau al. nom. Zantho. Szántó means "field" in HungarianHungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
. The German name was derived from the Hungarian one by dropping the first "z" : z'Antau - Antau - Andau. Another village in present-day Burgenland, Antau
Antau
Antau is a town in the district of Mattersburg in Burgenland in Austria....
(Selegszántó) had a similar etymology. In 1525 it was mentioned as "Anthau das dorff". During the 17th century the Hungarian name changed from Szántó to Tarcsa, first recorded in 1659 as Tarcza, Tarcsa seu Andau in 1679 and Tarcsa seu Ontau ad Pratum in 1680. Tarcsa is an old personal name which appears often in Hungarian toponymy. From the 18th century onwards both names were used consistently. In the 19th century the village was called unofficially Moson-Tarcsa to show its location in Moson county. In 1904 the name was officially changed to Mosontarcsa. After 1923 the official name was changed to Andau.
History
Andau and all of present-day BurgenlandBurgenland
Burgenland is the easternmost and least populous state or Land of Austria. It consists of two Statutarstädte and seven districts with in total 171 municipalities. It is 166 km long from north to south but much narrower from west to east...
belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
until 1921 as part of the historical county
Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary)
A county is the name of a type of administrative units in the Kingdom of Hungary and in Hungary from the 10th century until the present day....
of Moson
Moson
Moson was a historic administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary in present-day eastern Austria and northwestern Hungary, on the right side of the Danube river...
. The village was first mentioned in 1487 under the name Zantho (with modern orthography Szántó). In the late Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the village belonged to the Magyaróvár
Mosonmagyaróvár
Mosonmagyaróvár is a city in Győr-Moson-Sopron county in northwestern Hungary. It lies close to both the Austrian and Slovakian borders and has a population of 30,200 ....
estate. Szántó was destroyed two times by the invading Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
army, first in 1529, later in 1683.
The deserted village was re-settled in 1689 under the name Tarcsa. The first small Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
chapel was built in 1747 and it was enlarged in the 19th and later in the 20th century. During the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
Hungarian Revolution of 1848
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...
Tarcsa was plundered by Ban Josip Jelačić
Josip Jelacic
Count Josip Jelačić of Bužim was the Ban of Croatia between 23 March 1848 and 19 May 1859...
's troops.
The traditional way-of-life was shaped by the usage of natural resources of the region. According to Vályi's description from the end of the 18th century: "There is reed and rush growing in the lakes and the latter is used in mat weawing. The peasants sell their hay produce in Vienne."
According to a description from 1851: "Tarcsa or Andau is a German village in Moson county, near the Hanság, with 1037 Roman Catholic inhabitants and a parish church.... The villagers earn much money from hay and cartage services. The squire is Archduke Charles."http://www.arcanum.hu/gesta/lpext.dll/rmf/fenyes/2?fn=main-h.htm&f=templates
With the end of the First World War and the Treaties of St. Germain and Trianon
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon was the peace agreement signed in 1920, at the end of World War I, between the Allies of World War I and Hungary . The treaty greatly redefined and reduced Hungary's borders. From its borders before World War I, it lost 72% of its territory, which was reduced from to...
, the territory was given to Austria, where it formed part of the new state of Burgenland.
During the Hungarian revolution of 1956, 70'000 refugees escaped the communist regime by crossing the border from Hungary into Austria through a small wooden bridge, called the Brücke von Andau
Brücke von Andau
The Brücke von Andau is a small bridge over the Einserkanal/Hansági-főcsatorna, a small river which forms part of the border between Austria and Hungary. It is located near to the village of Andau .- History :...
. This was memorialized by James A. Michener
James A. Michener
James Albert Michener was an American author of more than 40 titles, the majority of which were sweeping sagas, covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating historical facts into the stories...
in his book The Bridge at Andau
The Bridge at Andau
The Bridge at Andau is a 1957 nonfiction book by James Michener chronicling the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Michener was living in Austria in the 1950s...
.
Population
Andau/Tarcsa was populated by native German Heidebauer peasants with a small Hungarian minority during the 18-19 centuries. The population was steadily growing from 1787 until 1971 when it reachedits historical peak with 3058 people. That time onwards the population went into a gradual decline, with a loss of about 500 people in 30 years. The decrease is caused by low birth rates and migration similarly to many rural communities in Europe.
| Year | Total | Germans Germans The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages.... |
Hungarians |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1787 | 870 | n/a | n/a |
| 1869 | 1,751 | n/a | n/a |
| 1880 | 1,980 | 1,674 | 167 |
| 1890 | 1,987 | 1,730 | 249 |
| 1900 | 2,192 | 1,906 | 282 |
| 1910 | 2,397 | 2,068 | 304 |
| 1920 | 2,648 | 2,234 | 401 |
| 1923 | 2,388 | 2,217 | 167 |
| 1934 | 2,655 | 2,401 | 252 |
| 1939 | 3,033 | n/a | n/a |
| 1951 | 3,003 | 2,810 | 192 |
| 1961 | 3,011 | 2,913 | 91 |
| 1971 | 3,058 | 2,984 | 64 |
| 1981 | 2,766 | 2,729 | 21 |
| 1991 | 2,624 | 2,522 | 64 |
| 2001 | 2,514 | 2,410 | 49 |
| 2006 | 2,453 | n/a | n/a |
Hungarians
Andau/Tarcsa was home of a small Hungarian community until the mid-20th century. The number of them was steadily growing in the second half of the 19th century until 1920 when it reached its historical peak with 401 people or about 15 % of the whole population. After the Austrian take-over many Hungarians left the village and emigrated to Hungary, a fact reflected in the data of the first Austrian census in 1923.The community had two distinct components: Hungarians living in the village itself and manorial workers living in Albrechtsfeld manor nearby. Albrechtsfeld (Albrechtmajor, Albertföld) was established in the 19th century by the squires of the Magyaróvár estate. It was inhabited by indentured agricultural workers, mainly Hungarians, coming from the Rábaköz region. Their archaic way-of-life remained basically unchanged until the mid-20th century. Lack of property and economic hardships caused rapid emigration from the 1950s. A sociological study from 1964 recorded the last phase of existence of this community. That time there were 48 families working on the estate but only 2 or 3 families lived in Albrechtsfeld. Older people bought houses in Andau village while the younger ones moved into the towns. The manor was dissolved in 1965 when this special minority group ceased to exist. The population of Albrechtsfeld was always included in the census data of Andau. Partial data from the 20th century:
| Year | Total | Hungarians | Germans Germans The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages.... |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 333 | 229 | 96 |
| 1934 | 293 | 219 | 73 |
| 1964 | 199 | 196 | 1 |
Sights
- Saint Nicholas Church - The first Baroque chapel was built in 1747. It was rebuilt according to the plans of Peter Koch in 1829-31. A new wing was added in 1931 by Karl Holey. The original 19th century tower and nave are Neo-Classical while the apse with the two round towers follows the Art Deco style. The furniture and the angel statues on the main altar were made in 1931. The huge fresco on the ceiling was painted in 1951. There is a cross from 1825 in front of the church.
- Brücke von AndauBrücke von AndauThe Brücke von Andau is a small bridge over the Einserkanal/Hansági-főcsatorna, a small river which forms part of the border between Austria and Hungary. It is located near to the village of Andau .- History :...