June 2011 Quiz

We all know that Sophia Hanifl (0) was born in Oggau, Austria-Hungary. Austria-Hungary was the last remnant of the Habsburg Empire in Europe. It consisted of a number of kingdoms all under control of the Austrian Emperor.

The question for this month is: at the time Grandma Sophia and her family left Oggau in 1891, which kingdom was Oggau a part of?

A. Austria
B. Bohemia
C. Croatia
D. Hungary

Check this post next month for the answer!

-- Answer

Oggau is currently located in the Austrian state of Burgenland. However, at the time that Grandma Sophia’s family left, it was technically part of the Kingdom of Hungary, so the correct answer to the quiz is: D.

Oggau, a village of about 1,800 inhabitants, is approximately 50 km (30 miles) southeast of Vienna in the district of Eisenstadt-Umgebung. The “official” name is “Oggau am Neusiedler See” due to its proximity to the Neusiedler See – a large lake in eastern Austria. The region is renowned for its recreation areas and wineries.

Burgenland is one of those European regions that changed hands many times over the years. For most of the Middle Ages, it was the westernmost part of Hungary. Starting around the 10th century, Germanic people began migrating to the region, until, by the time Grandma Sophia’s family left, the population of the area was about 70% Germanic. At that time, the region was known as “Deutsch Westungarn” (German West Hungary.)

With the final collapse of Austria-Hungary at the end of WWI, the region became part of the Republic of Austria, although, several cities with majority Hungarian populations opted to remain part of Hungary. The area unofficially became known as Vierburgenland – the Land of Four Castles. Eventually, the number “Four” (Vier) was dropped and the region became known simply as Burgenland.

In 1938, the region was annexed by Nazi Germany as part of the Anschluss with Austria. (Hungary also allied itself with Germany.) After the war, Austria was divided among the Allies and the Burgenland was given to the Soviets.

Finally, in 1955, with the signing of the Austrian Independence Treaty, the Soviets withdrew and the region once again became a state in the Republic of Austria.

In 2007, I was fortunate enough to visit central Europe. While I was not able to visit Oggau itself, the train from Budapest to Vienna went through that region. I was impressed by the natural beauty of the region. In many respects, it reminded me of western Wisconsin. But, after 5 days in the drabness of Hungary, just crossing the border from Hungary into Austria changed everything. Those poor Hungarians still have a LOT of work to do to recover from decades of ruthlessly brutal fascist and then communist governments! But, that’s another story…