along Dates and Events

The Historical Development of Jarek

(Bački Jarak, Tiszaistvanfalva) in Batschka

along Dates and Events (from 1786 until 1946)

by Inge Morgenthaler (nee Schmidt)

translated by Eleonore Oreskovich

Dates	E v e n t s
1267 - 1522	An estate named 'Ireg' (meaning entrenchment or ditch) near the later village of Jarek is mentioned several times in documents.
1786	700 Lutheran colonists, who had come to Vienna because of Josef II's recruiting, learnt that Josef's period of settlement had actually come to an end. They were sent to Ruma, where 200 of them got a tiny settler's area (5,75 yokes) on the estate of Earl Pejachevich. The rest did not get anything, neither paid labor nor accommodation by the resident catholic old colonists, who were afraid of losing their privileges. The newcomers had to spend the winter in holes dug into the hillside, and half of them died.
1787	80 Lutheran families with about 300 persons became settlers on a small territory (called 'Hotter') of 1800 yokes (1 yoke is 0.578 hectare) owned by the Vienna Court Chamber 15 kilometers from Novi Sad on the conditions of the imperial settlement patent. Jarek was the last of 7 villages founded under Josef II in Batschka. The territory was situated between the small and the big Roman entrenchments. In the beginning the settlers were free farmers and exempt from tributes or services.
1788	Because of a drought the settlers ran into great difficulties and had to apply to the public treasury (represented by the 'Aerar') for a loan of cereals and flour.
1796	Jarek and Temerin were bought by the Counts Nikolaus and Alexander Szecheny for 80.000 guldens, and the inhabitants ware subjected to patrimonial rule. They had to deliver the 7th part of their harvests and accomplish various services (called 'Robot').
1820	The population of Jarek grew considerably, and the exodus of the German inhabitants to the neighboring Serbian villages began.
1823	The Lutheran church in late Baroque style was consecrated on the Sunday after Gallus. It was financed by the 1.000 residents and cost 5.550 guldens. That was a tremendous achievement for that small community.
1848	In the course of the revolutionary riots Jarek was set on fire on August 31 and burnt down completely. Only the outer walls of the church were left. The villagers escaped with their bare lives and fled to the neighboring communities of Kleinker, Torschau, Werbas and Schowe. In contrast to Ruma they were readily received here, and so the people from Jarek were very grateful to those communities. Patrimonial rule was abolished. Now the people of Jarek were free from all tributes and services.
1849 - 1850	After the escape (called ”Ausreiß” (“Ausreiss”)) the refugees returned to their totally destroyed village and began a makeshift repair of their houses. A cholera epidemic caused numerous victims.
1852	Each family took up a loan between 80 and 200 guldens for the reconstruction of their house, which had to be paid off until 1860.
1860	As the villagers did not manage to approximately pay (come even close to paying) off these loans, all the inhabitants had to sign a common promissory note.
1871	The street Novi Sad - Jarek - Temerin was extended.
1894	An independent post office was established at Jarek.
1899	After the construction of the railway route Novi Sad - Stari Becej, Jarek got a station. The new parsonage was finished by the master builder Anton Diener.
1902	Major renovation of the interior of the church, which was still in good condition, when it was destroyed in 1946.
1904	Construction of the new community center by Anton Diener in the place of a former modest building.
1904 - 1918	Jarek got a Hungarian name: 'Tiszaistvanfalva'. It was called after Tisza Istvan, a Hungarian foreign minister.
1907 – about 1930	Many families emigrated from Jarek to the U. S., Canada and Argentina.
1909	A pharmacy was established at Jarek.
1914 – 1918	During World War I 200 villagers were drafted into the Austrian-Hungarian army. 85 of them were killed or missing in action or died in another way. A death toll of 43 % was high indeed for the small village.
1918	After World War I Batschka became part of the Kingdom of Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia, which was called Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929.
1922	Electric current was introduced.
1937	150th anniversary of the foundation of Jarek. The community celebrated a great festival together with many guest from the filial villages and relatives from Germany, too, who had found their kin in Batschka by ancestor research. Among other items a traditional wedding was enacted by all the inhabitants of the village. In front of the church they erected the ancestors' monument made of black marble and presenting the names of the settlers. Besides the first 'Heimatbuch' of Jarek was published to mark the occasion. This year will always be remembered as the solemn and glorious culmination in the 157-years existence of our home village and its inhabitants.
1939 - 1945	Almost all the able-bodied men of the village fought in World War II on the German side. As soldiers 48 men were killed and 34 were missing in action. As civilians 106 men, women and children died during their flight or in the camp. The toll of victims of World War II and its consequences was that 188 of 2.000 villagers of Jarek lost their lives.
1941	Batschka was annexed by the Hungarians, who were allies of Germany. Jarek was called 'Tiszaistvanfalva' again.
am 7./8. Oktober 1944	Almost all the inhabitants left their village on horse-drawn carriages or on trucks of the retreating German army and took to flight. Only few families and predominantly old people remained. So the village was evacuated almost completely. On many different routes the refugees reached the destroyed territory of Germany.
Dezember 1944 - 1946	Based on the' Avnoj Laws' Jarek became the partisans' detention and 'death' camp for over 17.000 Danube Swabians from the neighboring villages, who had not taken to flight. They were put in the empty houses which had previously been looted completely. More than 6 400 persons died of hunger, diseases and torture. They were buried in mass graves.
1946	The camp was dissolved; the survivors were distributed among other camps.
1946	Our grand and beautiful church, the landmark of Jarek, was blown up. At that time, under Tito's regime, meritorious partisans from all parts of Yugoslavia were accorded the houses of the village, now empty again. Today their descendants still live there. A new era of the village called ”Backi Jarak” began . . .

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Jarek had a Nickname and its called: "Schönhausen"

Because Jarek had developed into such a beautiful village especially between the First and Second World War, it received the nickname "Schönhausen".

To this contributed above all the beautiful farmhouses at the left and right along the “Hauptgasse” (Main Lane). But also in the “Kreuzgasse” (Cross Lane) and all the other lanes which discharged into the Hauptgasse and Kreuzgasse.

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