Chapter 59 - Klingenbach History, Pt. 4 ... the Croatian Experience

So we're in central Europe in the year 1500.



Klingenbach is still in the Kingdom of Hungary.

Aristocrats and royals are wearing lovely flowing clothes.


They wear beautiful jewelry.


They decorate their castles with golden works of art like this Cellini sculpture.


They can even tell time with this early clock that has one hand to indicate a 24-hour cycle.


They live in places like Rakoczi Castle in Sarospatak, Hungary, built about this time.


Yes, I realize that I show people, places and things primarily relating to the nobility. I know there were a lot more peasants, but they didn't wear pretty clothes or jewelry, have art or live in castles. Whatever they had is lost to history so I choose to show the only artifacts that have survived, even though they did pertain to the upper classes.

So in 1500 everything was hunky dory - relatively speaking of course. Everyone back then shared vulnerability to invaders and epidemics; most of them in all classes died young. And everything was about to get a whole lot worse.

The Kingdom of Hungary had ruled for over 500 years. During its golden age in the reign of Matthias Corvinus, he actually occupied Vienna for five years. But beginning in the early 1500s, the Hungarians faced their worst enemy, the Ottoman Turks. It was a disaster for Hungary and basically an end of their empire.

A depiction of an attack on a castle.


At the Battle of Mohacs in 1526, the Hungarian army was defeated by the Turks.


Under the press of war, the central authority in the Kingdom of Hungary collapsed, and the kingdom was split into three parts which remained separate for about 200 years. The Klingenbach area was part of Royal Hungary controlled by the Habsburgs. The population in this area was severely reduced by the repeated incursions by the Turks.

Meanwhile, about 150 miles southeast of here, things were going from bad to worse in Croatia. Almost continual war against the Turks had decimated the population. [All told, in three centuries of Ottoman occupation, 3,000 settlements and over 550 Catholic churches and monasteries were destroyed. Under severe pressure some Croats converted to Islam, mainly in Bosnia, but the population in northwest Croatia resisted, which has led to the ethnic differences that persist today and was a big factor in the war in Bosnia in the 1990s.]

Three contemporaneous depictions of Croat suffering and war against the Ottoman Turks






The Austrian king, realizing that the Burgenland area in Austria had lost population and the people of Croatia were suffering greatly from the Turks, offered land and houses in Burgenland to Croatians. They jumped at the opportunity and over a period from 1533 to 1584, it's estimated that about 300,000 emigrated from Croatia to Austria.

The emigration of Croats into Austria.

The Croats fled from riverland areas of Gacka, Lika and Krbava, Moslavina in Slavonia and an area of present-day northern Bosnia near Tuzla.

The Croats left behind continued to fight the Turks. In the Battle of Szigetvar in 1566, 2,300 Croatian and Hungarian soldiers held back a 100,000-man Ottoman army for two months. They fought to the last man in a battle that Cardinal Richelieu of France called "the battle that saved civilization." It is believed that the battle delayed the Ottoman push against Vienna that year - and by extension, Klingenbach. Of course the Turks weren't done - they invaded several more times in the 16th and 17th centuries.

In 1593 at the Battle of Sisak, a vastly outnumbered force of Croat and Hungarian soldiers defeated an Ottoman Turk army. Another battle that prevented an Ottoman invasion that would have decimated Burgenland.

Sisak Fortress


A Hussar of the day


The Klingenbach area began the 16th century peacefully before being ravaged and depopulated by the Ottoman Turks. At the end of the century a whole new population resettled the area, and they have a strong presence in Burgenland today.

Chapter 58 - Grapes into Wine ... the Vineyard

Vineyards dot the Burgenland landscape. You can see the neat rows climbing up and down the hillsides as you drive around the state. I've been watching many vines grow during the summer and early autumn from the windows of our flat. People have been growing grapes and making wine in this area for thousands of years.

View of grapevines from our back window


Two weeks ago our friend, Ljuba, invited me to participate in her family's first day of grape picking this fall. I really enjoyed myself, but those who know me well know that my "participation" primarily took the form of taking pictures and asking questions. Of course I didn't want to overexert myself.

About 60 local families own rows of grapes in the vineyards outside Klingenbach although the numbers are decreasing from past decades. Once, the area was full of vineyards, but as the old people die off, their descendants cull more of the grapevines. The grandparents used to make 500 to 700 liters of wine annually; now it's more common to make about 300 bottles every few years. The wine is used for family celebrations or given away to family and friends. "Some secrets die with the old people," Ljuba said. "They didn't write it down." So now the vast majority of grape growers pick the grapes, then sell them to an area cooperative that makes the wine. They make grape juice for themselves from the lower quality grapes.

We met at Ljuba's family home where I met her parents Matthias and Anna Biricz. Matthias is a retired bookbinder. Also participating were family friends Eva and Lina.

The tractor will tow the trailer to the nearby vineyard.


Here's our seat on the trailer.


Here's the spotless liner that will hold the grapes.


That's Klingenbach on the next hill.


In the past there was no room for the tractor to drive between the rows so it was parked at the end of a row where the grape pickers hauled the grapes in sacks to dump into the trailer. Now they use plastic buckets. The family used to have grapevines all over the area, but a few years ago they culled many of the rows where the plants were over 80 years old. Now with the rows farther apart, Matthias can drive the tractor down the rows to make it easier for the pickers. The oldest vines the family now has are about 33 years old.


The family has rows of grapevines in 24 scattered fields. They grow six varieties of grapes, four red and two white. Ljuba explained that the red are worth more, but the variety is determined by location. Some areas are better for red because of the angle of the sun as it reaches the row. Rain is important in April and May for the amount of grapes and their sugar content - the higher the sugar content, the higher the quality and the more money they earn. Sun is important in August and September; rain in September tends to lessen the sugar content. There was more rain this year than usual, the effect of which will be determined when the grapes are taken to the cooperative.

With five people as we had on this day, it takes only a few hours to pick the grapes from the row. In the past they frequently had 15 to 20 people taking all day to pick several rows. The larger groups enjoyed a picnic lunch with wine from previous harvests; now the picking can be finished in a morning as it was on our day.

Left to right: Me, Anna, Matthias, Eva and Lina


Different grapes are picked at different times. On this day we were picking Zweigelt and Blauer Portugieser, both grapes for red wines. All over Burgenland on that day people were picking those two grape varieties and taking them to the cooperative.

The grapes are cut with garden shears at the base of the bunch. About 1 1/2 kg (3.3 lbs) of grapes makes 1 liter of wine, and 9,000 kg of grapes can be obtained from a hectare. A hectare is almost 2 1/2 acres.

Ljuba shows a bunch of grapes on the vine. The darker the grapes, the higher the quality.


Judicious pruning is vitally important to quality. In February the main stalk is tied off. The rest is trimmed so the grapes will grow on the thick stems. On some vines the main stalk is cut back, and the medium stalk will become the main stalk next year.


The best combination is five bunches of grapes on a stalk. If there are too many bunches on a stalk, the grapes will be good enough only for table wine.


Ljuba and Eva work on opposite sides of a row.


Matthias and Anna came out a few days earlier and discarded lower quality grapes. They can determine quality by how the bunch grows. Grapes on a thin secondary stalk are sour, and they won't earn money for poorer grapes.


Matthias demonstrates that the birds get their share. Small scarecrows are used, but obviously the birds aren't too frightened of them.


I actually did cut a couple of bunches.


I always did want to drive a tractor, but this is the closest I'll ever get!


Ljuba said this seat on the back of the tractor is where her grandmother rode for decades to and from the vineyards.


This seat on the front of the trailer is where Ljuba and I sat on the ride. It felt like riding on the buckboard of a western wagon.


Matthias and Ljuba begin the process of filling the trailer with buckets of grapes.


Matthias and Ljuba


Schoolchildren in Austria take hikes through the countryside every year. A group of about 30 Klingenbach third graders were on an eight-kilometer hike when they passed by us in the vineyard.


The ladies made sure that every child had a bunch of grapes to add to the lunch they carried in their backpacks.


Anna's a good-natured and tireless worker. Here she's smiling and continuing to work even after her hand swelled up after a bee sting.


The trailer's filling up.


All these grapes from one row of vines


Next Matthias took the grapes to the wine cooperative. That's in the next wine blog.

Chapter 57 - Klingenbach History, Pt. 3 ... Middle Ages

In this blog I'll be moving back and forth on dates, but that's the only way I could figure out how to do it. Different kingdoms kept seizing power in this area, and the Klingenbach area to have bounced back and forth across national boundaries.

Europe at the First Millenium in 1000

Note that Klingenbach is in the Kingdom of Hungary, just slightly east of the border of the Holy Roman Empire. The Kingdom of Hungary existed in central Europe from 1000 to 1944.

I always like to show a few women from each era. There were a few powerful women in central Europe during this time, usually as a result of a husband, father or son dying. This is Richeza, Regent of Poland after her husband's death. She lived from 996-1063.


In the Holy Roman Empire, one of every emperor's primary tasks was to secure the kingdom and its borders. To that end the eastern part of the empire was given to the Babenbergs in 976. The territory was called the "eastern mark" or "Osterreich" (German name for Austria).

The Babenbergs controlled most of Austria, including the area close to Klingenbach, and were ambitious builders. They transformed Austria into a center of medieval culture. Forests were cleared, towns and monasteries were founded, and in 1156 Vienna became the capital. Leopold V participated in the Third Crusade where he was insulted by Richard the Lionheart of England. Leopold kidnapped Richard when the English king was trying to make his way home (blog #45). The legend of the derivation of the Austrian flag comes from Leopold doffing the belt from his blood-soaked tunic after a battle during the Crusade, leaving a white slash across the middle.

Babenberg Coat of Arms


Modern Austrian flag


So the Klingenbach area straddled the border of Babenburg Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary. In 1241 the Mongols, led by Batu Khan, attacked an unsuspecting and unprepared Hungary with three armies and during the invasion killed half of Hungary's population - although 20% to 40% of the population died in epidemics (always common during wartime). The armies swept the plains and had just begun an invasion of Austria when Batu Kahn learned the Mongol Ruler, the Great Khan, had died after a drinking binge. Batu Kahn immediately withdrew his troops and returned with his armies to Asia to contend for the throne, but not before ordering the wholesale execution of prisoners. Eastern Europe, including Hungary (and presumably the Klingenbach area) lay in ruins, but Western Europe was saved by an idiot drinking too much. And people say there's no good in alcohol!

One good thing that came out of the Mongol invasion was the discovery by the locals that although the Mongols had destroyed the countrysides and villages, they had bypassed the few forts and fortified cities. During the next 200 years many stone forts were built which later saved central and western Europe from the Ottoman Turks. Now that's what I call an unintended consequence. Some historians claim the Mongols didn't want to fight in the more densely-populated German states where wetter weather affected the glue in their sinew-backed bows. So I guess that means there's some good in humidity!

Apron Dress from this time


After the Babenberg line went extinct (a lot of that in those days because of the extremely high maternal and infant death rates), the Habsburgs seized control in 1278 and maintained it for 640 years.

The Holy Roman Empire technically existed from Charlemagne's coronation in 800 to 1806, but it never really existed as a cohesive empire. It was composed of a loose confederation of sovereign states and served mainly as a front for the imperial pretensions of the Habsburgs and attepts by the papacy to exercise religious control of Europe.

Crown of the Holy Roman Empire


Orb of the Holy Roman Empire


The empire did provide some useful functions, primarily the maintenance of a measure of unity among its component states, mainly the German-speaking states of central Europe. Later emperors, all rulers of Austria, were mere figureheads.

Avignon Bridge, built by Holy Roman Emperor from 1171-1185


There's an old saying about the Habsburg plan to dominate Austria by dynastic marriage. "Others make war but thou, O happy Austria, make love!" There was no shortage of wars in Europe during the Middle Ages, but Maximillian I in 1500 had a better plan. He married his children and grandchildren into the royal houses of Europe. His big mistake - to my mind - was marrying cousins to each other, then double cousins and triple cousins, uncles and nieces, etc. I suppose it didn't occur to him that interbreeding can cause all kinds of problems. After a few generations the royal houses of Europe, primarily Austria, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Burgundy and Southern Italy, contained quite a few idiots and madmen.

There was a significant Jewish presence in Austria during the Middle Ages. They were granted rights in 1244, 1338, and 1624 and expelled in 1492 and 1669. They finally received religious freedom in the 1780s.

Europe in 1200

Note that Klingenbach still lies just to the east of the border between the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary.

The territories of medieval Hungary were second only to the Holy Roman Empire itself, and its population was the third largest in Europe. The Kingdom of Hungary consisted of present-day Hungary, Transylvania, Slovakia, Ruthenia in present-day Ukraine, Vojvodina in present-day Serbia, Burgenland in present-day Austria (where Klingenbach is located), Slavonia, Dalmatia in present-day Croatia and other smaller territories.

The first Christian king of Hungary was Stephen I who was crowned in 1000 and later canonized as a Catholic saint. This is the Holy Crown of St. Stephen, scepter and orb of Hungary. It crowned over 50 kings of Hungary.


There was a flowering of architecture during the Middle Ages in the Holy Roman Empire. Many cathedrals were built throughout Europe. Here is one of the most famous, the Gothic Notre Dame de Paris, built from 1163 to the 1240s.


And here is the Gothic St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, popularly and affectionately known as Stephansdom. Construction began in 1147, and renovations have continued until the present day.


Here are the types of clothes rulers wore in 1200.


These shoes were popular in 1200. Talk about your painful-looking clogs!


Europe in 1300

Notice how the Holy Roman Empire has fractured into many smaller states. England, France and Hungary have unified and increased their territories while central Europe and Italy have split into ever smaller duchies and principalities. Klingenbach is still in the Kingdom of Hungary very close to the border of the Duchy of Austria.

Here are two powerful women of the time. Their power derived from dead husbands of course. Like so many people of that area, they died young. This is Regent Queen Ryksa Elzbieta of Bohemia [present-day Czech Republic] (1288-1335).


This is Queen Regnant Marie of Hungary (1372-95).


Art continued to flourish. This is a painting of Otto IV of Brandenburg and a lady playing chess in 1320.


And of course Gothic architecture ...

This is the City Hall in Saarland, Luxembourg, France, begun in 1300.


And this is Bran Castle in Transylvania, built in the 1330s. It is the family seat of the famous Count Dracula. One can just imagine dark deeds being dastardly committed in the dungeons!


So the Middle Ages were about to evolve into the Renaissance, at least in Italy, France and England. In the Klingenbach area of central Europe, the dark clouds of war and invasion loomed.