Go back to Villages, Page W      Go to Village Histories Index Page

Weiden bei Rechnitz
[Hungarian: Bándol (old Rakottyas); Kroat: Bandol; Romanes: Bandula]
Village of 130 residents in the Oberwart district.

First mentioned in a tax conscription of 1538 as "Rakottyas", an old Hungarian synonym for the German name "Weiden" (= willow tree). Owned by the Counts Erdödy, it was inhabited by only 8 lodgers (pauperes). Ten years later, in 1548, the tax collectors already reported some farmers, two lodgers and one soldier (pixidarius). By 1570, the area of farming land had doubled; there were still two lodgers (pauperes), two empty lodger's houses and three tenants (inquilini). By that time the village was already to some extent inhabited by Croatian refugees.

After the Bocskay (1605-06) and Bethlen (1621) uprisings, more Croatians followed, this time Greek-Orthodox "Vlahi". Two characteristic Vlahi surnames of Weiden (and surroundings), SMOLIAN and PARAPATIC can already be found in the land records of Kohfidisch (also an Erdödy possession) in 1613. One Georg Parapatic owned 3 sessiones - he is therefore supposed to have been a wealthy and influential person. He - or another Parapatic - may have founded the settlement of Parapatic-Brig (aka Bosniak-Brig or Parapatisch-Berg) near Weiden.

According to the ecclesiastical inspection of 1674, Weiden belonged to the parish of Neumarkt. Weiden had a cemetery of its own, by 1697 a portable altar too. So the priest of Neumarkt could say mass in a private house of Weiden.

In 1720/21 the village was inhabited by 25 farmers and 3 "free men" (nobles); 7 of them were Hungarians, 21 Croatians.

The first Vlahi settlers - as documented in the oldest church records of Neumarkt (from 1692 onwards) were: CACINOVIS (CIACSINOVICS), DRAGANOVIC, POKOMANDI, SMOLJAN, VUKICEVIC, VUKOVIC, BURSIC, KEGLOVIC, HERSIC. The baptism records of Weiden (separate books since 1789) include the noblemen (nobilis) Paulus KUNICH (22 May 1803) and Franz TALIAN (1826).

The Urbarium of 1676 lists the following names: BAUSA (2), BENDEKOUICH (BENEDEKOUICZ, 4), BURSICH (BURSICZ, 4), CSECZNOICH, DRAGANOICH, HERSICH (2), LAKICH (LAKICZ, 2), ORLICH, PRAPATICH (2), PRIGNUTICZ, RADICS, TIBOLT (2), VIDASICH (2), VUKICSEUICH (VUKICZEUICH, WUKICSEUICH, 4), ZEBICH (ZEBICS, 3). With the exception of Tibolt, all names are Croatian.

The parish of Weiden was founded in 1808 with Johann MAGDICS as first priest (died in Weiden in 1808). Most notable among his successors is Josef HOMPASZ, a nobleman born in Schandorf, who served from 1813 to 1837. In 1819 a church was built (St. Johann Nepomuk).Other priests: Andreas BARILICH, from Klingenbach (1837-58), Franz BARKOVIC, from Unterpullendorf (1864-73), Franz MIHOLIC, son of a teacher from the Muraköz area (1873-90).

Father Miholic is said to have found an old document (when demolishing an old chapel in the cemetery). Therein the (cathedral) chapter of Szombathely granted the (Vlahi) inhabitants of Weiden the right to settle, if and when they gave up their old (Greek-Orthodox) faith and became Catholics.

Teachers: Johann KOLARIC (1807-24), Georg GLUDOVAC (1824-46), Alexius KEGLEVIC (1906-46). Some inhabitants of Weiden are said to have been pig traders (imported from Serbia) until the late 19th century. Then they switched to trading horses, which they mostly sold in Sopron and Wiener Neustadt.

Statistical data: 55 houses and 347 inhabitants in 1900 (319 of them Croatians); 56 houses with 231 inhabitants in 1951.

SOURCE: Summarized and translated by Albert Schuch, November 2001 (Sources: Josef Loibersbeck: Um Hirschenstein und Plischa. In: Volk und Heimat 1962, # 23-24; Harald & Leonhard Prickler: Hoheitszeichen der kroatischen Gemeinden des Burgenlandes. Eisenstadt 1997, p. 216)

Family History Library microfilms:
Catholic: Római Katólikus Egyház, Bándol [FHL INTL Film 700652
Civil: Bándol (Vas). Anyakönyvi Hivatal [FHL INTL Films 665230 - 31]

Go back to Villages, Page W      Go to Village Histories Index Page