The Gottscheer Arbeitsgemeinschaft
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FEATURES The Gottscheer Arbeitsgemeinschaft by Viktor Michitsch, translated by Edward Skender This article was written in 1980 to commemorate the Gottscheers genuinely looked forward to the com- 20th anniversary of the founding of the Gottscheer panionship of their fellow countrymen. Their shared Arbeitsgemeinschaft (AG), the Cooperative Associa- stories of events and experiences provided comfort, tion of Gottscheer Organizations. strength, and courage. Each knew that he was not alone and that he did not have to face his fate by him- Immediately after the Second World War, during self. Today, we must truly thank the people who saw which the Gottscheer homeland was lost, and during the situation and handled it with extraordinary sensi- the time when Austria was beginning its normaliza- tivity. They did their work selflessly to help their tion and consolidation, the Gottscheer clubs in neighbors and friends for the sake of the community, Vienna, Graz, and Klagenfurt, which existed well while at the same time having to struggle themselves before the war, were reactivated. They immediately for their own daily bread! established relief associations for the Gottscheers and other German refugees from Carniola [Krain], first in In Austria, it was such that the individual associa- Graz, then in Klagenfurt, and somewhat later, in tions had to work independently, not the least Vienna. Stout-hearted men, such as Dr. Franz Perz, because of the existing military zones of occupation; Dr. Oskar Plautz, Dr. Walter Linhardt, Prothonotary later they were able to develop a central advisory Dr. H. Karnitschnig (Graz); Professor Peter Jonke, board which coordinated assistance efforts by work- Sepp König, and state counselors Walter Samide, ing with the reestablished government agencies. The Hubert Truger, Albert Koscher (Klagenfurt); and situation for each individual Landsmann, however, Professor Franz Kraus (Vienna), to name a few, was different. Already toward the end of the 1950s, a knew that it was necessary to help their homeless need developed for closer cooperation. The role of countrymen—to give them assurance and hope that the individual clubs was expanding beyond that of they could find help in their desperation—even given providing basic assistance. It was now necessary to the limited possibilities that existed at that time. The establish a record of the property lost in the resettle- feeling that the neighborliness from back home was ment and also to begin to preserve and keep the cul- still alive gave them the courage to overcome the dis- tural inheritance of our ancestors and homeland. The mal, almost hopeless situation. need for a common effort to move forward proved to be a pressing one. The emigration of our countrymen To be sure, the relief associations had to attend to overseas, especially to the United States of America fundamental human needs. Material needs were the and Canada, offered an alternate course of action. most immediate. Clothing, housing, and employment Thank God all those responsible recognized the plea were all lacking. Our people had no incomes—and of those times. In the USA—in the greater New York what they bore especially hard—was that they were area—there were helpful organizations already work- foreigners in Austria, with all that this status con- ing under a common coordinator, the Gottscheer veyed. The old servants of the Austrian monarchy Relief Association. Thanks to its good works, the were now foreigners in the mother country. What that relief operations were effective. To give all the names meant can only be appreciated by those who experi- of the leading persons there would exceed the space enced it. It was especially hard on the older people of this article; they are recognized elsewhere, and who no longer had any relatives. They rightly asked: even then not totally. In Europe, there was no corre- Are we now guilty just because of this wretched war? sponding umbrella relief association. This was a Why do we now have to bear the consequences? drawback that had to be remedied. To do so, how- With this also came the sorrowful searching for miss- ever, involved legal difficulties. ing and lost relatives. The reestablishment of the Gottscheer Zeitung in Here, the newly-established relief associations 1955 was a unifying bond that offered a suitable offered themselves as a substitute homeland. Their basis for cooperation. At the very least, the exchange organized meetings were well attended; the of mutually needed information was now possible. September 2002 The Gottschee Tree 1 The Gottscheer Arbeitsgemmeinschaft (continued) Still, this had to be made to work better, especially outlined in this charter and for the realization of their since the publication of the paper remained on a common goals. Accordingly, the AG agrees to act as quarterly basis, and later on a regular monthly basis. counsel to its members.” Likewise, “the members of After overcoming various difficulties and the delays the AG agree to inform the AG of such matters on of legal formalities, the various Gottscheer clubs in their agendas as would be consequential to the Europe eventually came together on a coordinated set Gottscheers as a whole, or that would necessitate a of bylaws. The names of the organizations were gen- common approach.” At meetings that will need to be erally changed to Gottscheer Landsmannschaft, and held, “any questions and solutions that concern with that the unity among them became apparent. Gottscheers as a group will need to be discussed and Also the purpose of the new bylaws reflected the debated, to assure a common approach or action in new, changed situation. The clubs’ goals were the interest of all the Landsleute [fellow Gott- expanded to fit the broadening of their organization’s scheers].” aims. Social services questions shrank in urgency as the issue of compensation for losses from the reset- The AG consists of, and belongs to: the Gottscheer tlement came to the fore. Likewise, the cultural work Relief Association, New York; the Gottscheer Relief had to be put on a broader basis. Association, Toronto, Canada; the Gottscheer Lands- mannschaft in Germany; the Gottscheer Lands- In Germany, the regional Gottscheer groups in mannschaft in Klagenfurt; the Gottscheer Bavaria, Baden-Würtemberg, and northwest Ger- Landsmannchaft in Graz; and the Gottscheer Lands- many operated under the bylaws of the main club, the mannschaft in Vienna. [The First Austrian Mutual Gottscheer Landsmannschaft in Germany, and Aid Association of Cleveland, the Peter Kosler adjusted their activities accordingly. Because the Gottscheer Verein in Ljubljana, Slovenia; the Gottscheers were so spread out in the Federal Repub- Gottscheer Altsiedler Verein in Pöllandl, Slovenia; lic, the regional groups were a necessary creation in and the Gottscheer Heritage and Genealogy Associa- order not to lose contact and to set up workable tion of the United States, joined the AG after this arrangements for the work of the organizations. article was written in 1980.] In accordance with the Many reciprocal visits took place. charter, an annual meeting is held, usually during the Gottscheer Kulturwoche. In urgent cases, an extraor- August 14, 1960, has a special meaning for the over- dinary meeting can be called. all development of cooperative work among Gottscheer clubs. On this date, after much prepara- The terms of office of the chairpersons and the tion, and during the celebration of the 630th anniver- recording secretary are two years. The incumbents sary of the founding of Gottschee, which took place may be reelected. The current [1980] chairman, Dr. in Ulm [Germany], and was sponsored by our Viktor Michitsch, has until now been unanimously regional clubs in Bavaria and Baden-Würtemberg, reelected, and he has served for almost 20 years. The the charter meeting of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der first recording secretary, Fritz Högler, was succeeded Gottscheer Landsmannschaften (the AG), or Cooper- by Dr. Josef Krauland. After his death in 1973, his ative Association of Gottscheer Organizations, took deputy, Dr. Herbert Krauland, was elected to succeed place. The especially active individual associations him, and is now [1980] the incumbent secretary. approved this necessary step after they had approved the AG’s charter. Dr. Viktor Michitsch was elected as The AG is not incorporated as a legal entity, but chairman. The chairmen of the individual associa- operates under a loose agreement by the individual tions served as vice chairmen; the recording secretary Gottscheer organizations for the purpose of dealing was the then editor of the Gottscheer Zeitung, Fritz with common issues and for communication. In this Högler, who especially welcomed the decision. way, the individual member organizations retain their complete independence. They are not bound to fol- Paragraph 1 of the final charter stipulates: “The low the direction of the AG, and can rely instead on Cooperative Association of Gottscher Organizations their independence. Notwithstanding, the AG works is the affiliation, or council, of Gottscheer organiza- with its member associations on all questions tions for the purpose of coordinating their work as referred to it. This allows important matters to 2 The Gottschee Tree September 2002 The Gottscheer Arbeitsgemmeinschaft Visit to Rann (continued) by Robert Rees receive the benefit of broader counsel and discussion. Rann [now BreĞice] in [the former] Untersteiermark, A centralized approach for dealing with referred is not far from the eastern border with Croatia. We issues is important in our Association. Such issues drove through the city of Novo Mesto [Rudolfswert], are: the wartime compensation settlement; cultural passed over the Gurk river and had a fleeting view of opportunities; participation in the historical confer- the Castle Otoèec. The castle sits on an island in the ences that our Association attends; Gottscheer publi- Gurk river. While it was originally constructed for cations and their development; the coordination of defense in the wars with the Turks, it is now a first- common arrangements; and the promulgation of class hotel.