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I. History And Settlement Area

The ethnic group of "Croats from Burgenland" is represented today in three countries: in Austria (Burgenland, Vienna), Slovakia (several towns near Bratislava) and in Hungary (along the Austrian border). The ethnographic term " Croats from Burgenland" denotes the descendants of those Croats whose landlords had them populate the devastated villages and depopulated areas of the then West Hungary in the course of the 16th and 17th century. Historians estimate that now more than 450 years ago some 60.000 to 100.000 persons were settled in this area.

Members of the Croatian ethnic group live in six out of seven political districts in Burgenland. Only in the southernmost part of the province, in the district of Jennerdorf, there are no Croatian or mixed communities. In none of those districts ethnic Croats are a majority, from a relative point of view, most ethnic Croats live in the district of Oberpullendorf and in absolute figures most of them live in the district of Eisenstadt. All six districts have Croatian "language islands" which themselves are intermingled with German speaking communities. Only the district of Oberpullendorf and in part the district of Eisenstadt show a more or less compact ethnic Croatian respectively an increasingly bilingual speaking area. There are no more 100 percent ethnic Croatian speaking communities; the largest ethnic Croatian speaking populace can be found in smaller communities (500 to 1500 inhabitants, 80 percent to 95percent Croats) in the district of Oberpullendorf.
A major part of the ethnic group has settled, above all on economic grounds (lack of jobs in Burgenland), in Vienna. This process started already after WW I and has continued until today. Those people are partially weekly commuters or live permanently in Vienna, The ethnic Croats from Burgenland who live in Vienna are well organized in terms of culture and as a political ethnic group.

II. Figures And Development

In 1991 there were in Burgenland, according to official statistic data, 19.460 people who declared that their native language is Croatian or that Croatian is their spoken language. In Vienna some 6.300 persons made such a declaration. According to Church inquiries some 35.000 persons in Burgenland wish to hear their Sunday service in Croatian, and according to the estimates of the Ethnic Croatian Cultural Association at least 15.000 ethnic Croats from Burgenland live in Vienna. This discrepancy shows all too well the issue of official inquiries.

III. Social Situation of the Ethnic Group

Regarding their social integration the members of the ethnic group do not differ at all from the average inhabitant of Burgenland. They participate in the social life as well as any other member of the majority. As regards the labor market, the ethnic Croats are as integrated as any citizen from Burgenland.
However, it should be stressed at this point that many people from Burgenland have to commute for professional reasons into the large agglomeration areas (Vienna, Graz) since there are very few communities in Burgenland with companies, which could offer jobs for a larger part of the populace.
But this fact reflects more on the members of the ethnic group since it is very rare that they can use their native language on the job. This consequence has a very negative impact on the use of their native language and hence their language competence. More often then not, it is possible to speak Croatian only privately, at home with your family, among friends, in the village in, etc. Those circumstances, the increasing mobility and the growing influence of mass media largely restrict the area in which one can speak still Croatian.

The continuing advance of assimilation:
The ethnic group is in a continuos decline, especially the kids and the adolescents speak less and less Croatian. Even those who still speak Croatian find that their linguistic competence is generally declining.

IV. Support and Perspectives

In order to improve the position of the Croatian ethnic group, the following measures need to be taken urgently:

1. Redress the inadequacies in the educational system from the kindergarten to the university;
2. Meet the Art. 7 of the State Treaty of Vienna in the sense and in cooperation with the ethnic group;
3. Remove the restrictive, partially even detrimental Ethnic Group Act 1976 and create new provisions that would protect ethnic groups;
4. Create a climate favorable for ethnic groups, beyond all soapbox speeches and lip service. Members of an ethnic group can be motivated only in an adequate environment to profess to their ethnic group language, to use it and to pass it on to their descendants.

Collective Rights

1. Own Organization and Representation

a) Ethnic Group Organization

According to Art. 7 Z.1 of the State Treaty of Vienna, ethnic Croats have the right to their own organizations. There are many associations with supraregional importance.

• Croatian Cultural Association in Gradišce (Hrvatsko kulturno društvo u Gradišću - HKD), Eisenstadt: in terms of figures the largest and oldest organization of ethnic Croats, culturally taking care of the Croatian-speaking populace, representation in matters regarding ethnic group policies.
• Cultural Association of Ethnic Croats from Burgenland in Vienna (Hrvatsko Gradišćansko kulturno društvo u Becu - HGKD)
• Ethnic Croatian Press Association (Hrvatsko štamparsko društvo - HŠtD), Eisenstadt. Publisher of a Croatian weekly and other publications in Croatian.
• Ethnic Croatian Academic Club (Hrvatski akademski klub - HAK), Vienna-Eisenstadt.
• Ethnic Croatian Cultural and Documentary Center (Hrvatski kulturni i dokumentarni centar - HKDC), Eisenstadt.
• Adult Education Center of Ethnic Croats from Burgenland (Narodna visoka škola Gradišcanskih Hrvatov - HNVŠ), Eisenstadt.
• Association for the Education of Ethnic Croats from Burgenland (Društvo za obrazovanje Gradišcanskih Hrvatov - DOGH), Trausdorf.
• ZORA Association of Ethnic Croats – Pedagogues - from Burgenland (ZORA Društvo Gradišcanskih pedagogov), Eisenstadt.
• Scientific Institute of Ethnic Croats (Znanstveni institut Gradišcanskih Hrvatov - ZIGH), Eisenstadt.
• Presidium of the Austrian Socialist Party Mandatories from Croatian and Mixed Ethnic Communities in Burgenland (Prezidij SPÖ-mandatarov iz hrvatskih i mišanojezicnih opcin u Gradišcu), Eisenstadt.
• Working Community of Ethnic Croatian Politicians in Burgenland (Djelatna zajednica hrvatskih politicarov u Gradišcu - DZ ), Kroatisch Geresdorf. People’s Party counterpart to the Presidium
• Pannonian Institute (Panonski institut - PAIN), Güttenbach.
• Cultural Co-operative (Kulturna zadruga - KUGA), Großwarasdorf.
• Burgenland-Croatian Center (Gradišćansko-hrvatski Centar - CGH), Vienna.

Nearly all ethnic Croatian or mixed community has today an "tamburica" group. Croatian folklore and tamburizza music is very popular even with the majority populace and also known over the borders of Austria. More often then not tamburizza groups are "put up for display" in large manifestations or when representing at home or abroad. In part, they don’t depend on public funding but can fund themselves from their show earnings.

b) Ethnic Groups Council

The provisions of the ethnic groups Council for ethnic Croats can be found in the ethnic Groups Act 1976 and the pertaining Regulation.
The Ethnic Groups Council shall serve as an advisory body to the Federal and Local Government in matters of ethnic groups and draw up an annual budget proposal for the distribution of funds earmarked for a certain ethnic group.
With the constitution of the advisory body, the ethnic group has the possibility to tap larger amounts of funds. It is therefore understandable that this is also the reason or the only reason why all associations and especially the large political parties want to be represented as well as possible in the body.
Out of 24 seats, the SPÖ and the ÖVP hold at the moment 5 seats and the Catholic Church two seats ("party curia ").
In the so-called "impartial curia" 4 more seats are taken by organizations close to the parties respectively by party organizations. The remaining 8 seats are taken by associations which can not be linked to any party and which are not obliged to follow any parliamentary party instructions.
Therefore, de facto the Socialist Party has 8 votes and the People’s Party six votes in the Ethnic Groups Council.

2. Bilingual Topographic Inscriptions

According to Art. 7 Z. 3 of the State Treaty of Vienna, ethnic Croats from Burgenland have the right to use bilingual topographic inscriptions in areas of Burgenland with an ethnic Croatian or mixed population. According to the Ethnic Groups Act 1976 this right is given in areas where the figure of the ethnic population reaches a proportionate amount of (25%) of the populace.
Bilingual place signs were put up in 47 communities respectively parts of villages in July 2000. However, bilingual signposts, directional signs and other topographic indications of public nature which fall under the category of topographic signs are still missing.
Several years ago, some communities have already put up bilingual street names and directional signs. However those fall within the jurisdiction of the community or are the result of a private initiative.

3. Media Coverage

It not necessary to explain in detail the importance of media in an information society. A minority and its language are especially effected when shortcomings in this field prevail. More often then not, media products from Croatia can not be easily accepted on the grounds of linguistic differences. Based on the century long inadequate supply and in any case also on account of shortcomings in the educational system, many ethnic Croats have "forgotten” how to read (and write) in Croatian or have never learned the language properly which is an additional problem above all in connection with printed media. Since the editions are small, product costs are relatively high and the corresponding publishers still depend on support from public funds.
In the field of printed media, ethnic Croats issue the following periodicals:

• Croatian Weekly (Hrvatske Novine): publisher: Ethnic Croatian Press Association. The newspaper is published on Fridays on 16 to 28 pages. The newspaper is at a large extend written in ethnic Croatian but some articles are also regularly written in standard Croatian. The coverage concentrates on the situation and the problems of ethnic Croats from Burgenland, but covers regularly also other ethnic groups in Austria and in other countries.
• Church Courier (Crikveni Glasnik), published by the Archdiocese Eisenstadt, Pastoral Office, Croatian Section, published weekly on 8 pages, occasionally as a double edition in color. The editor in chief is the corresponding Head of the Croatian Section with the Pastoral Office of the Archdiocese Eisenstadt; there are two additional editorial employees and numerous volunteers. The Courier ("Glasnik", i.e. Bote) is the Croatian communications and information organ of the Archdiocese Eisenstadt.
• Glasilo: Organ of the Ethnic Croatian Cultural Association (Hrvatsko Kulturno Društvo), published quarterly on 12 to 20 pages in color. Published and edited by association’ s members of the Board. The organ reports on events in ethnic Croatian communities and mixed communities, concerns and problems of ethnic groups in Austria and in Europe as well as on various activities of the association and other ethnic group organizations.
• New Voice (Novi Glas): The association organ of the Ethnic Croatian Academic Club (HAK/Kroatischer Akedemikerklub) published quarterly in variable scope (approximately 40 pages). The editorial staff consists of association’s members of the Board. Topics: minority policies in general and especially with regard to ethnic Croats from Burgenland, Croatian literature, students respectively adolescent topics, socio-political and cultural issues. Languages: ethnic Croatian, Croatian, German English (sometimes). Novi Glas sees itself as a discussion forum of ethnic Croatians from Burgenland. It attempts to show current issues in the field of minority policies, culture, science and language in a controversial way.
• The Way (Put): Association Gazette of the Ethnic Croatian Cultural Association in Vienna (HGKD i.e. Kroatischer Kulturverein in Wien). Published bimonthly on approximately 40 pages. Edited by association’ s members of the Board. Topics: minority policies, culture, reports from the ethnic Croatian’s scene in Vienna, belles-lettres.
• Burgenland Calendar (Gradišce Kalendar): Published by the Ethnic Croatian Press Association annually, at the being of the year. The edition has approximately 300 pages in A-5 size. Contents: calendar of feasts and memorial days, literature and belles-lettres, history, biographies, articles on linguistics and social sciences.
• Pannonian Almanac (Panonska ljetna knjiga): Published by the Pannonian Institute, annually on approximately 500 pages. The editor in chief is the Chairman of the Pannonian Institute. Contents: articles on important historic events and jubilees, texts on exhibitions, articles about nations and ethnic groups in the Pannonian area.

Until the constitution of the Ethnic Groups Council, the associations had very little funds for the publishing of books. With the set up of the Ethnic Groups Council further associations were established and funds were available for various projects. The scope of projects encompasses scientific works on literature, monographs, various technical books up to children’s and picture books, comics, CD and videotapes.

Broadcasts of the Austrian Broadcasting Company ORF are emitted daily through the regional program, except on Sundays, from 12, 43 until 12,45 o’ clock (news) and from 18,20 until 19,00 o’clock. At the begin of the 70-ties Croatian radio broadcasts were introduced by the ORF and continuously extended from 20 minutes/week to present broadcast times.
Contents: daily 2 and 10 minutes news, 30 minutes according to week-day of various focal points dealing with reports on culture, broadcasts for children and youths, interviews, musical request program. The broadcasts intend to provide the ethnic group with information from all walks of life. The contents of information should correspond to the general duties of the ORF.
The only TV-broadcast in Croatian is titled "Hello, Croats" ("Dobar dan, Hrvati", i.e. Guten Tag, Kroaten) and is emitted through the regional program each Sunday from 13,30 until 14,00 o’clock (re-runs on each Monday from 01,40 until 02,10 o’clock). This program is running since 1989. Contents: news and reports from the life of ethnic Croatians from Burgenland. The program is produced by the Croatian Editorial from the regional studios of Burgenland (above).

Internet: most associations and organizations of ethnic Croats from Burgenland have an Internet address. Some have even home pages that contain important information about the association but also on the ethnic group in general.

4. Contacts with the Parent Country

There were always contacts with Croatia, but official contacts with Zagreb were institutionalized in the 70-ties. Official contact partners on the side of Burgenland were various ethnic Croatian associations, among them the Cultural Association and the Academic Club. With the start of the democratization process, the break-up of ex-Yugoslavia and the begin of the war on the Balkans, the official contacts were heavily reduced. The slow build-up of contacts has started again.
The contents of those contacts was and still is primarily cultural cooperation in the particularly in the interests of the ethnic group (various language courses in Croatia, exchange of theatre and folklore groups, writers and other artists, support in the publishing of books, etc.).
Economic relations are limited to a few joint projects. In this field, the ethnic group has a need to improve this situation.
In addition to official contacts there are of course many private contacts. Very intensive contacts were established primarily through and on the subject of folklore. Even during the war on the Balkans, during which the ethnic Croats from Burgenland engaged themselves in humanitarian aid (all sorts of collections, accommodation of refugees), many private friendships were made.

5. Ethnic Group Funding

The Ethnic Group Act contains provisions on the funding of ethnic groups. The amount of the annual ethnic group funding is determined through the federal budget.

Cultural activities of ethnic Croats from Burgenland are co-funded by the local government in the amount of one percent of the overall federal budget for culture. The most important funding authority for the ethnic Croats in the Office of the Federal Chancellor (S 16 millions per year). The Ethnic Groups Council is the only authorized body to make an allocation proposal with regard to those funds; the Office of the Federal Chancellor. regularly adopts the proposal.

Individual Rights

1. Education

According to Article 7 Z.2 of the Austrian State Treaty, ethnic Croats from Burgenland have the right to receive primary education in the native language and to a proportionate number of own secondary school. Detailed provisions are contained in the Educational Act for Minorities for Burgenland.

a) Primary School

In September 1994 a new Act became effective for Burgenland regarding the "Educational Act for Minorities " (Official Gazette 202/1994) which is characterized by dedicated teachers as "the begin of the end of the bilingual educational system in Burgenland ". The major inadequacies of this Act regarding teaching in primary schools are:
Parents have the possibility to withdraw at any time their child from bilingual classes in schools which are traditionally bilingual. Parents can put teachers under pressure ("If my child gets weak grades, I‘ ll just withdraw him/her from the bilingual class "). According to the view of educational authorities in Burgenland, children who are withdrawn from bilingual classes are subject to the "normal" (single language) curriculum.
The Act should have defined at least the minimal requirements for the use of Croatian, a minimal language level or a teaching goal to be achieved. It would be ideal for the preservation of the language if there were obligatory bilingual classes in traditionally bilingual areas.
The Act is criticized by many ethnic Croatian organizations. A scientific study criticizes the Act on grounds of numerous provisions, which are detrimental to ethnic groups and because of its inconsistency. Known lawyers have stated that the Act is unconstitutional, but so far politicians have failed to make up their minds whether to go through with amendments or not.
The only positive point in the new Act is the provision according to which schools which so far didn’t have any bilingual classes can form now bilingual pre-school groups (up from four enrollments), pre-school classes (up from seven enrollments) and classes from the 1st to the 4th grade (up from seven enrollments). This provision took into account a ruling of the Constitutional Court according to which the right of elementary education in the language of the ethnic group exists under certain circumstances throughout Burgenland. Based on this decision, a bilingual class was formed at the primary school in Eisenstadt in 1999. Some primary schools, which are not bilingual, offer ethnic Croatian as an elective subject.

b) Grammar School

Bilingual grammar schools respectively classes which operated so far on an experimental level were put now on a legal basis. Additionally, several grammar schools offer Croatian as an elective instruction subject.

c) Secondary General Education Schools

The Act provides the establishment of one secondary general education school (secondary school or secondary school with scientific bias). School experiments with bilingual classes on other AHS schools in Burgenland were not considered. They remain experiments, which will continue exclusively on the basis of the good will of the minister in charge.
If one considers the geographical situation of Burgenland, it is evident that hardly no one from Neudorf or even Oslip (in northern Burgenland) is going to attend the bilingual secondary school in Oberwart.
Article 7 provides for a "proportionate number of own secondary schools ". While for example ethnic Slovenes in Carinthia have two secondary schools, the numerically larger group of ethnic Croats from Burgenland (including ethnic Hungarians from Burgenland) has the legal right to a single bilingual school. In this case the implementation of Article 7 was not met to the letter.

2. Kindergarten

The Kindergarten Act of Burgenland (Official Gazette of the Province 35/1995) provides for bilingual kindergarten.

Today, a kindergarten is in most cases the first place on which the children are confronted with the importance of language and the ability to master it. This is where the path is prepared for the linguistic development of children. If in a bilingual kindergarten both languages are not used with the approximately same value (games, songs, instructions from the nanny, etc.), the child will feel subconsciously that one language is more important, better, more beautiful, etc. A language, which is used seldom, for a short period of time or only in certain situations, is thought of as being inferior and will be even rejected in extreme cases. When a child forms such an opinion it is only with great effort and consequent persuasion that his/her attitude can be corrected again.
The Kindergarten Act for Burgenland declares kindergarten in certain communities as bilingual kindergartens. The language of the ethnic group is "kindergarten language" in addition to the German language. Parents may, again, withdraw their children. In other kindergartens in Burgenland ethnic Croatian can be accepted as "kindergarten language" if so demanded by 25 percent of parents with Austrian citizenship. If a bilingual kindergarten does not have at least one kindergartner who speaks the language of the ethnic group, the provincial government has to appoint an assistant kindergartner. The language of the ethnic group must be used in the necessary scope, at least six hours per week , at best one hour per day. According to the law, "the kindergarten has the duty to contribute to language learning " and "bearing especially in mind the linguistic and cultural diversity of the Province of Burgenland, to promote school-attending maturity".
In the daily business of kindergartens, the amount of the use ethnic Croatian as "kindergarten language" depends primarily on the speaking ability of the kindergartner and his/her personal involvement. If the kindergartner speaks ethnic Croatian at all , depends on the decision of the City Council or the mayor. In some kindergartens ethnic Croatian is spoken and children play in this languages while in others they learn just some ethnic Croatian songs or poems.
Many parents try at least at home to prevent the linguistic assimilation of their children, but many settle just for the assimilation and thus take away the chance from their children to learn through play two languages at the same time.

3. Official Language

According to 7 Z.3 of the State Treaty of Vienna, the ethnic Croats from Burgenland who live in a community with ethnic Croatian or mixed populace, have the right to use ethnic Croatian as official language..
According to the regulation on "Specification of Courts, Administrative Bodies and other Bodies at which, in addition to the German language, ethnic Croatian can be used as official Language" (Official Language Regulation) ethnic Croatian can be spoken as official language in the following communities:

• Eisenstadt-Surroundings: Hornstein/Vorištan, Klingenbach/Klimpuh, Oslip/Uzlop, Siegendorf/Cindrof, Steinbrunn-Zillingtal/Štikapron-Celindof, Trausdorf/Trajštof, Wulkaprodersdorf/Vulkaprodrštof, Zagersdorf/Cogrštof;
• Güssing; Güttenbach/Pinkovac, Neuberg im Burgenland/Nova Gora, Stinatz/Stinjaki;
• Mattersburg: Antau/Otava, Baumgarten/Pajngrt, Draßburg/Rasporak;
• Neusiedl am See: Neudorf/Novo Selo, Pama/Bijelo Selo, Parndorf/Pandrof;
• Oberpullendorf: Frankenau-Unterpullendorf/Frakanava-Dolnja Pulja, Großwarasdorf/Veliki Borištof, Kaisersdorf/Kalištrof, Kroatisch Minihof/Mjenovo, Nikitsch/Filež;
• Oberwart: Rotenturm an der Pinka/Verešvar, Schachendorf/Cajta, Schandorf/Cemba, Weiden bei Reichnitz/Bandol.

Many communities in which a substantial number of ethnic Croats is living were not included in the above Regulation, as well as the capital of the Province Eisenstadt in which also several hundred ethnic Croats are living.

More information on the following site:

          CGH - Gradišćansko-hrvatski Centar