FAQ.maehren (Moravia)
May 1999
Please send any corrections or suggestions to goertz@cyberspace.org
CONTENTS
Contents:
Q1: Where is Maehren (Moravia)?
Q2: What was Maehren's recent history?
Q3: What were the administrative areas of Maehren (Moravia)?
Q4: Is there a listserv for Maehren family researchers?
Q5: Are there maps available for Maehren before 1945?
Q6: What books discuss hints and sources for East German searchers?
Q7: Any websites of interest to Maehren researchers?
Q8: When were civil registers introduced in Maehren?
Q9: What type of land records are available?
Q10: Where was Oesterreichisch-Schlesien?
Q11: Are there links to dictionaries on the web?
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Q1: Where is Maehren (Moravia)?
A1: Maehren was an Austrian crownland located East of Boehmen (Bohemia).
Its capital was Bruenn (Brno).
Q2: What was Maehren's recent history?
A2: Maehren had been a part of Boehmen (Bohemia) until 1849 when it became
a separate crownland together with Oesterreichisch-Schlesien
(Austrian-Silesia).
In 1890 the population was 70% Slavic (Czech, Moravian,Slovak) and 29% German. Germans lived mostly in the border areas towards Schlesien (Silesia) and Nieder-Oesterreich (Lower Austria), in various German enclaves (Iglau,Zwittau) and in all cities.
In 1890 the population was 95% Catholic, 3% Protestant and 2% Jewish.
In 1918 the Austrian monarchy was dissolved, and Maehren became part
of the new Czechoslovakia.
In 1938 Germany annexed the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia.
In 1939-1945 Maehren was declared part of a protectorate of Germany.
Maehren was cleansed of its ethnic German population in 1945.
The Western powers were silent on the ethnic cleansing.
Q3: What were the administrative areas of Maehren (Moravia)?
A3: In 1890 Maehren (Moravia) had the following Bezirke (districts):
Staedte (Cities):
Bruenn,Iglau,Kremsier,Olmuetz,Ungarisch-Hradisch,Znaim.
Bezirkshauptmanschaften:
Auspitz,Boskowitz,Bruenn,Datschitz,Gaya,Goeding,Gr.Meseritsc h,
Hohenstadt,Holleschau,Iglau,Kremsier,Kromau,Littau,Maehrisch -Truebau,
Mistek,Neustadtl,Neutitschein,Nikolsburg,Olmuetz,Prerau,Pros nitz,
Roemerstadt,Schoenberg,Sternberg,Trebitsch,Ungarisch-Brod,
Ungarisch-Hradisch,Walachisch-Meseritsch,Weisskirchen,Wischa u,Znaim.
The highest court was the Oberlandesgericht in Bruenn.
Lower courts were the Landesgericht in Bruenn,5 Kreisgerichte and
79 Bezirksgerichte.
Q4: Is there a listserv for Maehren family researchers?
A4: There is a GERMAN-BOHEMIAN-L genealogy list for anyone with a
genealogical interest in Boehman and Maehren (Bohemia and Moravia)
Mailing address for postings is
GERMAN-BOHEMIAN-L@rootsweb.com
To subscribe send the word "subscribe" (without the
quotes) as the only text in the body of a message to
GERMAN-BOHEMIAN-L-request@rootsweb.com (mail mode) or
GERMAN-BOHEMIAN-D-request@rootsweb.com (digest mode).
Q5: Are there maps available for Maehren before 1945?
A5: A Generalkarte von Mitteleuropa, 1:200,000 and a
Spezialkarte der Oesterreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie,1:75,000
may be purchased from
Bundesamt fuer Eich und Vermessungswesen in Wien (Vienna)
(Landesaufnahme)
A-1080 Wien VIII
Krothenthallergasse 3, Austria.
Q6: What books discuss hints and sources for East German searchers?
A6: Wegweiser fuer Forschung nach Vorfahren aus den Ostdeutschen und
Sudetendeutschen Gebieten sowie aus den deutschen Siedlungsraeumen
in Mittel-,Ost- und Suedosteuropa (AGoFF-Wegweiser):
Verlag Degener &Co, 91413 Neustadt, Germany (1991 and later)
(The out-of-print English edition is being revised presently)
Germanic Genealogy (by Edward R.Brandt et alii), 2nd edition.
1997, St.Paul MN, 517 pp.,1st edition, 1995.
W.Krallert: Atlas zur Geschichte der deutschen Ostsiedlung,
Velhagen &Klasing, Bielefeld-Berlin-Hannover 1958.
There have been some calls recently for books in English on
the German exodus and ethnic cleansing in East Germany and
Eastern Europe:
Thorwald, Jurgen: Es begann an der Weichsel. 1951
Das Ende an der Elbe. 1952.
English: Flight in the winter;
[New York] Pantheon [1951] 318 p. 22 cm.
CALL #: 940.542 T52F
De Zayas, Alfred M.
Anmerkungen zur Vertreibung der Deutschen aus dem Osten.
English: The German expellees : victims in war and peace /
Alfred-Maurice De Zayas ; [original German version
translated by John A. Koehler].
New York : St. Martin's Press, 1993.
xlii, 177 p., [24] p. of plates : ill., map ; 22 cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. [161]-169) and
index. CALL #: DJK 28.G4D413 1993
De Zayas, Alfred M.
Anmerkungen zur Vertreibung der Deutschen aus dem Osten.
English: A terrible revenge : the "ethnic cleansing" of the east
European Germans, 1944-1950 / Alfred-Maurice de Zayas ;
[original German version translated by John A. Koehler].
1st pbk. ed. with additions.
New York : St. Martin's Press, 1994.
xlii, 179 p. : ill., maps ; 21 cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. [153]-171) and
index. CALL #: DJK 28.G4D413 1994
Germans Europe, Eastern History 20th century.
World War, 1939-1945 Refugees.
World War, 1939-1945 Atrocities.
Population transfers Germans.
Helfert, Erich A.:
Valley of the shadow : after the turmoil my heart cries no
more-- / Erich Anton Helfert.
[S.l.] : Donald S. Ellis ; Berkeley, Calif. :
Distributed by Creative Arts Book, c1997.
xxiii, 343 p. : ill, maps, port. ; 24 cm.
CALL #: 940.548243 H474v
World War, 1939-1945 Personal narratives.
World War II, 1939-1945 Refugees.
Refugees Sudeten Biography
Q7: Any websites of interest to Maehren researchers?
A7: Check the websites
http://www.genealogy.net/gene/reg/rindex.htm
http://www.iarelative.com/czech/
http://www.genealogy.net/gene/reg/SUD/sudet_en.html
http://www.qrz.com/gene/reg/SUD/sudet_crarch_en.html
http://www.qrz.com/gene/reg/SUD/lit-hb.html
http://www.qrz.com/gene/reg/SUD/sudet.html
http://www.qrz.com/gene/reg/SUD/sudet_en.html
http://www.adnc.com/web3/lynnd/gfaq.html
http://www.netway.at/ihff/indexa.htm/ in deutscher Sprache
http://www.netway.at/ihff/index.htm/ in English
Oesterreichisches Staatsarchiv:
http://www.oesta.gv.atresearch
Microfilmed parish books of the Sudetenland area at Leipzig:
http://www.genealogy.com/gene/reg/SUD/kb-leipzig.html
Stiftung Martin-Opitz-Bibliothek Herne.
(ehemals B|cherei des deutschen Ostens)
Inhalt: \ber die Bibliothek. Die Martin-Opitz-Bibliothek....
e-mail: charly@charly.ping.de
http://w3g.med.uni-giessen.de/~geneal/kp/fome/andere/mob.htm l
Herder -Institut Marburg e.V. Gisonenweg 5 - 7, 35037 Marburg/Lahn
Telephon: 06421/184-0, Telefax: 184-139
e-mail: herder@mailer.uni-marburg.de....
http://www.uni-marburg.de/herder-institut/bibliohp.html
http://w3g.med.uni-giessen.de/~geneal/kp/fome/andere/herderm b.html
http://www.uni-marburg.de/herder-institut/klassi.html
If you have no access to the Web (www), you can direct web files to your email box by sending a request to
getweb@usa.healthnet.org
or to
getweb@unganisha.idrc.ca
with the message HELP or
get http://.....
Q8: When were civil registers introduced in Maehren (Moravia)?
A8: They were introduced in 1939.
LDS MICROFILMS:
Czech records have not been microfilmed by the LDS, and
there are no current plans, due to the Czech government.
Q9: What type of land records are available?
A9: Some land records go back to pre-1500 times and are usually
deposited in the district archives.
Modern land records were introduced in 1874
Czech: POZEMKOVE KNIHY or GRUNTOVNI KNIHY
For summary of archives see
http://www.genealogy.net/gene/reg/SUD/crarch-list.html
http://feefhs.org/frl/czs/dg-arch.html
ARCHIVES:
Statni Ustredni Archiv v. Praze; Malastrana, Karmelitska 2;
118 01 Praha 1; CZECH REPUBLIC. Tel. 531 551.
BOOKS:
"A Handbook of Czechoslovak Genealogical Research", by
Daniel M. Schlyter. (GenUn, 1985, 1990). 131 pages.
($15). ISBN 0-912811-06-4. {Excellent in-depth guide
to research, detailing record types, archival addresses,
microfilms available, translation helps, etc.}.
OUT OF PRINT. A revised version, entitled "A Handbook
of Czech and Slovak Genealogical Research" is planned.
Q10: Where was Oesterreichisch-Schlesien?
A10: Oesterreichisch-Schlesien (Austrian-Silesia) remained with Austria
after the Breslau peace treaty of 1742 with Prussia as an Austrian
duchy and crownland. It was also called Maehrisch-Schlesien.
In 1890 it comprised the following districts:
Staedte (cities) of Troppau,Bielitz,Friedek.
Bezirkshauptmannschaften (land districts) of Bielitz,Freistadt,
Freiwaldau,Freudenthal,Jaegerndorf,Teschen,Troppau.
Q11: Are there links to dictionaries on the web?
A11: Links to Dictionaries to Estonian, German, Hungarian, Latin, Slovak,
Slovene, Russian, and others are found at:
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~pedro/dictionaries.html
http://www.dcs.napier.ac.uk/~st5004/dictionaries.html
Corrected 30 April 2000