, native_name_lang =

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, image = Sibiu, Transylvania, Evangelische Stadtpfarrkirche, Glasfenster 1908, oesterreichische Protestanten.jpg , image_caption = Detail of a church window in Sibiu/Hermannstadt dedicated to the memory of the Austrian Protestants of Evangelical Lutheran faith. , image_alt = , image_upright = , total = , total_year = , total_source = , total_ref = , genealogy = , regions = Coat of arms of Transylvania

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

, languages =

(with the Transylvanian Landler dialect as well) , religions =

Evangelical Lutheranism Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

, related_groups =

Austrians , pop = 8–8.5 million , regions = 7,427,759 , region1 = , pop1 = 684,184 , ref1 = , region2 = , pop2 = 345,620 , ref2 = , region3 = , pop3 = 197,990 , ref3 ...

and

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

, footnotes = A German-speaking community which has been living in

Sibiu County Sibiu County () is a county ( ro, județ) of Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Its county seat ( ro, reședință de județ) is the namesake town of Sibiu (german: Hermannstadt). Name In Hungarian, it is known as ''Szeben ...

and in

Sebeș Sebeș (; German: ''Mühlbach''; Hungarian: ''Szászsebes''; Transylvanian Saxon dialect: ''Melnbach'') is a city in Alba County, central Romania, southern Transylvania. Geography The city lies in the Mureș River valley and straddles the rive ...

, Alba County, southern Transylvania since the 18th century onwards. The Landler or Transylvanian Landler (german: link=no, Siebenbürger Landler or Die siebenbürgischen Landler) were

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

(more specifically

Evangelical Lutherans Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

), who were expelled and settled from

Salzkammergut The Salzkammergut (; ; bar, Soizkaumaguad, label=Central Austro-Bavarian) is a resort area in Austria, stretching from the city of Salzburg eastwards along the Alpine Foreland and the Northern Limestone Alps to the peaks of the Dachstein Mounta ...

area,

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

near Hermannstadt (present-day

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...

) from 1734 to 1756 under

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Charles VI and Empress

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...

in the process of the

Josephine colonization The Josephine colonization (german: Josephinische kolonisation or Josephinisches siedlung, pl, kolonizacja józefińska) was a state-funded settlement campaign organised under the rule of Joseph II in the 1780s, in the then-new crownland of the ...

(german: Josephinisches siedlung or Josephinisches kolonization). This was done so given the fact that the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

needed to be

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

by excellence and the Landlers refused to convert to Roman Catholicism. They speak the Transylvanian Landler dialect (german: Landlerisch) which is a southern

German dialect German dialects are the various traditional local varieties of the German language. Though varied by region, those of the southern half of Germany beneath the Benrath line are dominated by the geographical spread of the High German consonant ...

. During the 18th century, 4,000 Austrian Protestants were expelled to Transylvania.

Background

The areas from which the ancestors of the modern Transylvanian Landlers stemmed were

Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, a ...

(german: Oberösterreich),

Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...

(german: Kärnten), and

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

(german: Steiermark). Since Transylvania had been depopulated by the

Turkish wars A series of military conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and various European states took place from the Late Middle Ages up through the early 20th century. The earliest conflicts began during the Byzantine–Ottoman wars, waged in Anatolia in ...

and the plague, the 634 expelled

ns were given vacant farms to work. Some of the Landlers who were deported from

in 1755 joined the

Hutterites Hutterites (german: link=no, Hutterer), also called Hutterian Brethren (German: ), are a communal ethnoreligious group, ethnoreligious branch of Anabaptism, Anabaptists, who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Refor ...

in Transylvania. Transylvania was also a very tolerant country in the past with respect to other religions or confessions as well as a prosperous land in natural resources, hence the Landlers founded the needed impetus and environment to thrive in, just like the Transylvanian Saxons did before them (see Siebenbürgenlied). In total, 4,000 Protestant Austrians were expelled and settled in southern Transylvania during the

Modern Age The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is applie ...

. The Transylvanian Landlers' German dialect is still maintained and is spoken by both those who moved to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

as well as the few Landlers left behind in their former villages of Neppendorf ( ro, Turnișor), Großau ( ro, Cristian), and Großpold ( ro, Apoldu de Sus). As in the case of other German-speaking ethnic groups in Romania, the Landler are politically represented by the

Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania The Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (german: Demokratisches Forum der Deutschen in Rumänien, DFDR; ro, Forumul Democrat al Germanilor din România, FDGR; in short or ) is a political party (legally recognized as an association of public ...

(FDGR/DFDR). A prominent member of the Transylvanian Landler community is Martin Bottesch who formerly served as the president of the County Council of Sibiu County between 2004 and 2012.

Gallery

File:HPIM1724.JPG, The Evangelical Lutheran fortified church in Turnișor (german: Neppendorf), belonging to the local Transylvanian Landler community File:Grosspold.jpg, Apoldu de Sus/Großpold File:RO SB Apoldu de Sus 7.jpg, Apoldu de Sus/Großpold File:ApoldudeSusSB (2).JPG, Apoldu de Sus/Großpold File:Cristian village, Sibiu County - the citadel church2.JPG, Cristian/Großau File:Bad Goisern Landlermuseum - Großpold Tracht.jpg, Landler museum in

Bad Goisern Bad or BAD may refer to: Common meanings *Evil, the opposite of moral good * Erroneous, inaccurate or incorrect * Unhealthy, or counter to well-being *Antagonist, the threat or obstacle of moral good Acronyms * BAD-2, a Soviet armored trolley ...

with Landler costumes from Großpold/Apoldu de Sus

References

External links

*
The Siebenbürger Landler ethnic group
*

{{Authority control Landler Hungarian people of Austrian descent Romanian people of Austrian descent Landler Landler History of Upper Austria History of Transylvania (1683–1848) Protestantism in Romania 18th century in the Habsburg monarchy

Background

Gallery

See also

Further reading

References

Further reading

External links