History of the community of Glogowatz

LOCATION: The highway between Arad and Bucharest runs through the northern part of our community, to which belongs the incorporated villages of Mindruloc in the east and Neupanat in the northeast. In the north, Fackert (Baumgarten) borders on Glogowatz, and in the west Micalaca, now a part of Arad. The Marosch river, 4 km away, forms the southern border of Glogowatz towards Engelsbrunn. The coordinates of Glogowatz are 21deg. 8min. 34sec. E. and 46deg. 10min. 5sec. N

GEOLOGY/GEOGRAPHY: Our home community lies in the plain of the Marosch river, which geologically is part of the Pannonian plain. The Marosch often changes course and has left "dead" streams in our area, which form the northern Arad plain and the southern plain. The original soil of our community consists of swampland, and to a lesser extent, of alluvium.

The area north of the Marosch rises gently between the river and the highway. To protect against flooding, a dam, approximately 4 meters high, runs north of and parallel to the river in an east-west direction. The area between dyke and Marosch was forested approximately 120 years ago as a bulwark against floods. The horrendous floods of 1864, 1879 and 1932 occurred because the land had sunk. In 1970 the dam held back the raging waters.

Over time, the bed of the Marosch moved south, from its earlier location close to the community, by the "Schloßberg", leaving behind an almost still-standing arm of water, the "Old Marosch". Today, many sand banks and hollows extend north of the Marosch, a sign of the river's retreat.

Glogowatz lies about 134 meters above sea level, with the ground-water level being quite high in the municipality, ranging between 3 and 8 meters. The most important characteristic of this landscape is the very small difference in height. The only elevations in the locality were the "Fünfhügel" (five hills) at the edge of the municipality; on the first hill, a large cross and, all around the stations of the cross, were established.

Natural small formations are the area hollows which in years of heavy rainfall become swampy. These brick holes were made by human hand, in the Gulibar and by Hannafeld. From them the colonists took the loam to form bricks.

CLIMATE: Hot summers and cold winters are characteristic of the uniform climate. Glogowatz has the moderate climate of western Romania. Measurements over many years give the following average seasonal temperatures: winter months 0.6 °C, spring 12,7°C, summer 20,2°C, and autumn 11,5°C.

HISTORY: The Hungarian court chamber presented properties and settlements north of the Marosch to a few deserving personalities. Of the three new property owners in 1732 in the Arader district, Duke Rinaldo of Modena had the largest domain, of approximately 200 localities, including Glogowatz. Baron Johann George Harrucker (1664-1742) who along with the leader of the army, Prince Eugen, was for 27 years director of field provisions for the House of Habsburg, was one of the tenants and property owners of the areas north of the Marosch. For his services he was given extensive property by Hungary, among them Glogowatz. His son, Dominic, Baron von Harrucker (1696-1775) continued the settlement of our area. At his death he owned 65 localities.

Baron Harrucker advertised for settlers, predominantly in Bavarian Franconia, and brought them at his own expense, even on ships, to Gyula, the center of the Harrucker properties.

Between 1741 and 1756, the cameral supervisor, M. Lovasz von Eoetwenes, settled 24 German families from Franconia, mainly from the areas of Würzburg and Bamberg. In Glogowatz between 1765 and 1771, 167 families from different parts of the realm were settled. Thus the municipality Glogowatz already possessed 250-300 houses when in 1765 its own parish were established and in 1767 a Roman Catholic parish church was built.

Emperor Josef II is responsible for the third immigration wave to the Banat. The exact number of Glogowatzer settlers from this period is not known, but from baptismal and death registers, it can be seen that between 1779 and 1806, a total of 371 persons emigrated from different parts of the empire.

After 1806 the emigration wave decreased; only emigrants from surrounding Banater localities, (that is, internal migrants who had already resided some years elsewhere), arrived. Unfortunately, the entries in the registers do not always indicate the exact place of origin. Thus of the settlers, 16 came from Hungary, 14 from Franconia, 13 from Rhineland-Palatinate, 15 from Austria, 7 from Silesia, 8 from Bavaria, and 2 from Lorraine.

The itinerary of most colonists to the Arader area appears to be a long march on foot from all parts of the realm to Donauwörth, where they boarded transport punts awaiting and went to Budapest via Vienna. There, travel overland began in their own carts or in wagons of the property owners, over Ketschkemet, Gyula and Arad to their destination, Glogowatz. Some settlers selected probably the longer, but simpler water route to Titel at the mouth of the Theiss.

ETYMOLOGY: The place name of our homeland community is said to be of Serbian origin. Gyula Somogyi records the name as deriving from Glogow, the leader of a gang of robbers. The name was amended by the respective administrative authorities. From 1910 to 1918, when Hungarian rule ended, the place name was Oethalom. After 1918, the Romanian administration adapted the name to its language, as Glogowatz. In 1945, after the Second World War, Glogowatz became Tudor Vladimirescu, after the revolutionary of 1821, although our village and the inhabitants had no relationship to the leader of the Romanian revolts.

STREET NAMES: The development of the community began, according to word of mouth, with the Herrengasse (gentlemen lane) and the roads around the large church and the Schloßberg (castle mountain). The actual village, today the core of the community, was developed mainly between 1870 and 1920. The new village, on the other hand, was created mainly by Romanian rural settlers after 1956 at the northern edge of the municipality, and developed towards the station and chemical collective. Glogowatz had two other parts: "Gulibar", believed to be of Serbian origin, and "Hanafeld", whose name refers to the waters of the clav pit used for brick construction, in which the hemp was roasted and washed.

Even the lane names preserve a piece of settlement history. The Herrengasse (gentlemen lane) was probably, according to word of mouth, laid out by the first settler families. These were apparently well-to-do settlers from Mainz. Eselsgass (donkey lane) was apparently named after settlers of Elsass (Alsace), which is then a reference to the country of origin.

Originally, Lausgass (louse lane) is said to have been a flea-ridden lane inhabited by the poor during the second settlement period.

In the Kumesarasgass, in an old house, lived the commissioner. He was the representative of the military authority at that time.

Today, in the community center lane, the town council of the community is located.

Friedhofsgasse (cemetery lane) runs beside the cemetery; in Brettergasse (board lane) the houses used to have board fences and peaked roofs of unfinished boards.

Frankengasse (Franconia lane) refers to the important Frankish origin as is recorded in the church registers. Aradergass (Arad lane) is the last westward-lying lane towards Arad from the village center. Stroßgass was laid out in 1880, when, after the large inundation of December 1879 in Gulibar, 33 houses with 400 square klafter for each farmer were built.

In Langegasse (long lane) as well, house places for 33 tenants were handed out, where, after the collapse of their dwellings, new houses of 200 square klafter each were constructed.

Kaspersgass is named after Kasper, the owner of a variety store.

Tschikagass was named after the Hungarian dramatist Csiky, who was born in 1848 in Pankota and in 1891 died in Glogowatz. It is the only village lane designated after a Hungarian personality.

Kirchgass (church lane) begins from the large parish church, at the southwest periphery of the village. Here are the main school building, with administrative and management offices.

Deitschgass (German lane) was predominantly inhabited by Germans; the Krottagäßl was named after its narrow passage, just a path between Schloßberg and Eselsgaß, so narrow that beside humans, at times even a toad (Kröte) had no room; worth mentioning as well is Putzengäßl (named after the Putz family).

THE TOWNSCAPE OF GLOGOWATZ: The first houses of the Glogowatzer settlers were established around Schloßberg and in the southerly more lower-lying ground. The rammed walls and dung bricks were made of clay from reed and willow twigs, later mixed with chaff.

In the beginning, the houses were covered with reed and barley straw; later, shingles were used. The front room abutted the kitchen with its open chimney; attached to it were the chamber and the animal shed. Only country-style houses were built, with the peak of the roof facing the road. In the later "triangle houses", 2-3 rooms were added on facing the lane.

Because of the unevenness of the land, the lanes could not be laid out symmetrically but only in a bent and crooked fashion. In the beginning there were many fires and floods, so, more and more, the village developed towards the north.

Between 1880 and 1922, house construction crossed the highway and continued to the north along the railway line. During this time, the yards and lanes were set out more regularly than before, and more commercial areas were built.

Between 1956 and 1960, the area of Glogowatz, due to decree Nr. 81, expanded by 40 hectares. At that time 359 properties of 0.12 hectares each, were distributed mainly to Romanians, who with government loans of 18,000 Lei each, constructed the so-called "New village".

After the return of the expropriated German houses, an active building phase began in the entire village. Until 1968, 82 old houses were completely rebuilt with new rooms (in the triangle system) with bathroom, houses were built in the urban model, sidewalks were paved, cement fences erected and iron gates put in. Back gardens, grape arbors, fruit trees and flower patches decorated the properties.

The encircling railway station of the Arad-Deva line belongs to the townscape of Glogowatz; however, due to the long distances between populated areas, it was hardly used.

The large, but now unfortunately neglected, Leitinger steam mill still stands at the highway.

Towards Arad is the Krier teachers' school where up to the fourth grade was taught.

The Romanian Orthodox parish church, built in the Byzantine style with two round towers, stands at the highway.

Approximately in the center of the highway is the small "Dreifaltigkeitskirche" (Church of the Trinity) with a cross in front of it; opposite it is the stop of our green electric train which since 1906 has connected Glogowatz with Arad, Pankota, and Radna. The engine still exists, but it no longer operates to Arad, but only up to the chemical collective.

At the eastern edge of the village, south of the highway is our Roman-Catholic cemetery, abutted by the smaller, Romanian Orthodox cemetery.

About 500 meters further east rise the five hills. On the first hill the chapel donated by Michael Schart was erected in 1852, around it the 14 stations of Christ's suffering, and on the summit, a stone cross.

In the lower part of the Aradergasse (Arad lane) lies Jerger's large farmhouse in which the "Erste Sparkasse" (first savings bank), a large pub with restaurant and bowling-alley, and a variety store were accommodated.

Further on is the Roman Catholic Gothic-style parish church, beside it the parsonage, opposite it the large school, (which today is the central school building with the administrative seat), then the former kindergarten, the former police station and the "Schloßberg" (castle hill), the old monastery ruins of Orod.

In the Gemeindehausgasse (community center lane) is the national community center, seat of the political-administrative offices of the municipality, beside it is the "Spritzschopfe", the fire station with hoses and tools.

In the community center lane is also the Grovalehrerschule (Grova teachers' school), beside it the earlier riding school, today seat of the collective, farther east the sports field, and at the end of the lane the entry gate to the cemetery and to the garage for the hearse. Also in the cemetery is a funeral home chapel.

In Gulibar stands the "Halderhaus"; here there used to be a butcher and the municipal stables for male breed animals.

Unforgotten and part of the townscape are the way crossings in the fields; the "Schwengelbrunnen" (a well) for humans and cattle; the fish pond at the edge of the village, where fish and ducks were bred; Grovalehrer's vineyard with summer house; the dam over the Marosch before the Auwald with the Waldhiederhaus, the Kaelwerschlucht, and somewhat more to the south, the Marosch river. Some time ago, water mills stood at the Marosch.

It is well-known that because of the increase in the total population and the high birth rate of the 19th century many Glogowatzer families moved to neighboring villages. For example, in 1843, 30 families and in 1846, another 30 families, moved to Fackert (Baumgarten), Neupanat, Sanktmartin and Zipar (Liget). These localities are marked by the Glogowatzer dialect.

FIRST WORLD WAR: On July 23, 1914, the command to mobilize was issued to the Glogowatzers. The list of Glogowatzers who fell and are missing in the First World War is long - 50 persons lost their lives in the First World War. Participation by the Glogowatz German population in the political power struggles within the German community was extremely small.

SECOND WORLD WAR: The suffering of the Glogowatzers began on June 22, 1941 when Romania on the side of the German Reich went to war against the Soviet Union. On July 4, 1943, 504 men from Glogowatz left to join the German armed forces.

During the military conflicts of the Second World War, 269 Glogowatzers fell on the battlegrounds, and 28 were declared as missing from their units. How much pain, mourning and tears are included in these numbers cannot be described in mere words. At home 5 died, and 54 were interned in various camps; a total of 356 Glogowatzers were victims of the war.

DEPORTATION: Then a new misfortune befell Glogowatz. In Glogowatz deportation to Russia began on January 14, 1945. All women between the ages of 18 to 32 years, and men from 17 to 45 years were deported to Russia. It is well-known that many became ill under inhumane circumstances and very many died. Of the deported Glogowatzers, 59 of our compatriots died in the Soviet Union.

POPULATION: To date, about 4200 Germans from Glogowatz have moved to Germany. From 1902 to 1982, 361 families moved to the United States of America, 54 families to Canada and 4 families to South America.

Inhabitants of the community: in 1910: 4055 Germans, 483 Romanians; in 1930: 3882 Germans, 487 Romanians; in 1966: 4070 Germans, 1830 Romanians.

POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE: In parliamentary elections most of the voters supported the civil Romanian parties from which the respective governments were formed. Much of the cultural life centered around the Glogowatzer federations and associations like the German-Catholic youth association, the "Mädchenkranz" and the male choral group.

In our community, in 1880 there was a brass band under the direction of Valentin Schaudenecker. The second was created on March 7, 1906 under the direction of Jakob Minich. Until 1984 a further 6 bands existed under the direction of, respectively, Michael Ganz in 1927, Nikolaus Marx in 1931, George Ardelean in 1935, Paul Dumelle and Johann Wild in 1949, Anton Hollich in 1954, and finally the last one which Anton Hoff led until 1984. There were also recreational orchestras under the direction of Anton Hollich, Wendelin Kaiser, Franz Haidt and Anton Sölöschi. Through the years several amateur theatre groups were under the direction of Martin Freisinger, Franz Pretz and Sofia Hoffmann.

When on March 27, 1847 the first fire burned in Glogowatz, the local fire engine was used. In 1913 the first fire-brigade association of Glogowatz was created. It was not until 1928 that, upon arrangement with the Romanian government, the second Glogowatz fire-brigade association was formed. First commander of fire-brigade was Wendelin Vormittag. In the association other than the standard exercises and matches, an active cultural activity was maintained until by the end nearly all members had emigrated.

In Glogowatz there were successively three young women's groups, a hunt association, and a rifle association founded in 1867. A riding school was founded in 1848. In October 1929 the German-Catholic youth association of Glogowatz was created. In the thirties, soccer games began in Glogowatz, later followed by handball and gymnastics.

THE PARISH: Our parish first belonged to the deanery of Petschka and later to the Arad deanery.

The first church in our community was built in 1765. In 1766 our community was given its first priest. Later, our parish also had chaplains. Around 1840, our parish had 4 employees, a housekeeper, a cook, and 2 servants. Three ecclesiastics come from our community: Adalbert Johann Merle, Emmerich Vormittag, and Josef Hoffmann. At the moment, Glogowatz has one priest, Father Franz Pettla, who was born in Bakowa and was ordained on August 15, 1937. On Oct 1, 1963, Father Pettla came to Glogowatz and is now the deanery priest of our home community.

In 1756 the first chapel was built and consecrated in honour of St. Apolonia. In 1766 the first church was built and consecrated in honour of St. Johannes of Nepomuk.

In 1865, in a big blaze, the church and the rectory burned down to the walls, along with 19 houses which left 19 families homeless. According to word of mouth, the present church began to be built in 1886 and was consecrated in the name of St. Johannes of Nepomuk by Bishop Josef Nemeth on November 20, 1887. The church construction cost 43,368 Gulden. Statues of St. Johannes of Nepomuk, the church patron, and on the main altar statues of St. Florian and St. Wendelin decorate the church. Four bells hang in the tower, donated by several compatriots; the large bell was consecrated to St. Anna in 1923.

The Chapel of St. John beside the main church by the rectory was consecrated in the name of the patron of our church, St. Johannes of Nepomuk.

To our community also belongs a small church, funded to a large part from donations of the families of Sebastian Rauch and Mathias Schmalbach. Construction ended June 16, 1889 on Trinity Sunday, and the church was consecrated by the priest of Baumgarten, Kasper Riesz. The only bell in the Church of the Trinity (on the main street) was donated by Simeon Triff and his wife Luise.

The chapel on the first "Fünfhügel" of the hill of Calvary was donated on May 3, 1852 by blind Michael Schart, and the picture on the altar was built in honour of the Mother of God.

Wooden and stone way crosses in some lanes and on dirt roads belong to the townscape. In total, the community had 27 crosses, among them the "white cross" and the "blue cross". The cross on the main church was erected in 1887; the cross on the main street in front of the Church of the Trinity in 1846.

To help with the burial of poorer citizens, and to partially help with the expenses of those left behind, the Glogowatz Burial Association was founded in 1907.

A cemetary has existed since August 6, 1779 on the eastern border and was consecrated by Father Stefan Pevy of the deanery of Petschka. On August 20, 1843, the first Glogowatzer (Mrs. Michael Baumgartner, nee Schneider) was buried in the new cemetery (which is located approximately 500 m from the old one).

LANGUAGE: The mixture of Frankish, Palatine and Swabian elements is reflected in the nature and in the language of our Glogowatzer compatriots. In addition, there are Bavarian elements and influences from other languages, which have led to the characteristic Glogowatzer dialect.

TREFFEN: The first meeting of the Glogowatzers took place on May 6, 1978 in the "Pschorr Keller" in Munich. Almost 300 Glogowatzers attended. The second meeting took place on May 26, 1979 with about 450 participants in the "Bürgerbräukeller" in Munich, the capital of Bavaria.

HEIMATBUCH: Our "Heimatbuch" was published by our homeland community organisation and its head, Anton Dumelle, in 1988.

MEMORIAL STONE: On May 16, 1994, the festive consecration of the memorial stone by our compatriot, Monsignor Emmerich Vormittag, took place in the "Waldfriedhof" of Munich.

Translation: Monika Ferrier, December 2002