Serbs in Austria
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Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
in
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
are the second largest ethnic minority group in Austria, after Germans. The first wave of Serbs to
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
began in the early 19th century, while the largest wave was during the
migrant worker A migrant worker is a person who Human migration, migrates within a home country or outside it to pursue work. Migrant workers usually do not have the intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work. Migrant worker ...
program of the 1960s and 1970s. Serb immigration to Austria is still active today due to economic and familial factors. Like in most Western European countries, the Serb community in Austria consists mainly of Serbs from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.


History

Serbs have very long historical presence on the territory of modern Austria. By the end of the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, migration of ethnic Serbs towards
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n lands was caused by expansion of the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. Exiled members of Serbian noble families were welcomed by
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
rulers, who granted them new possessions. In 1479, emperor
Friedrich III Frederick III may refer to: * Frederick III, Duke of Upper Lorraine (died 1033) * Frederick III, Duke of Swabia (1122–1190) * Friedrich III, Burgrave of Nuremberg (1220–1297) * Frederick III, Duke of Lorraine (1240–1302) * Frederick III of S ...
granted castle Weitensfeld in
Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...
to exiled members of
Branković dynasty The House of Branković ( sr-Cyrl, Бранковић, Brankovići / Бранковићи, ) is a Serbian medieval noble family and dynasty. According to genealogies created in the first half of the 15th century, the family descends via female ...
of
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. During the period of
Ottoman–Habsburg wars The Ottoman–Habsburg wars were fought from the 16th through the 18th centuries between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy, which was at times supported by the Kingdom of Hungary, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and Habsburg Spai ...
(from 16th to 18th century), Austrian policy towards Serbs was marked by special interests, related to complex political situation in various regions of the expanding
Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
. Emperor Leopold I issued several charters (1690, 1691, 1695) to Eastern Orthodox Serbs, who sided with Habsburgs during the
Vienna War (1683-1699) The Great Turkish War (german: Großer Türkenkrieg), also called the Wars of the Holy League ( tr, Kutsal İttifak Savaşları), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Pola ...
, granting them religious freedom in the Monarchy. Serbian Orthodox patriarch
Arsenije III Arsenije ( sr-cyr, Арсеније; ) is a Serbian given name, a variant of the Greek name ''Arsenios''. Diminutives of the name include ''Arsen'', ''Arsa'' and ''Arso''. It may refer to: *Arsenije Sremac (d. 1266), second Archbishop of the Serbi ...
visited Austrian capital (
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
) on several occasions, and died there in 1706. Serbian Orthodox metropolitan
Isaija Đaković Isaija Đaković or Isaija I (Grabovac, near Stari Slankamen, Habsburg monarchy, 1635 – Vienna, Habsburg Monarchy, 20 July 1708) was elected to the rank of Metropolitan of Krušedol ( Karlovci) in 1708. Isaija is best remembered as the first S ...
, who visited Austrian capital on several occasions since 1690, also died in Vienna, in 1708. During the 18th and 19th century, new communities of ethnic Serbs were developing in major Austrian cities, consisted mainly of merchants, officers and students, who were under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox
Metropolitanate of Karlovci The Metropolitanate of Karlovci ( sr, Карловачка митрополија, Karlovačka mitropolija) was a metropolitanate of the Eastern Orthodox Church that existed in the Habsburg monarchy between 1708 and 1848. Between 1708 and 1713 ...
. Th
Österreichisch Serbische Gesellschaft
(Austrian Serbian Society) was founded in 1936 as "Österreichisch-Jugoslawischen Gesellschaft". In 2011, the
Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Austria and Switzerland The Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Austria and Switzerland or Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Austria and Switzerland ( sr, Српска православна епархија аустријско-швајцарска) is an eparchy (diocese) of the Se ...
was created, centered in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
.


Demographics

According to the 2014 census, there were 132,553 (2.2%) Austrian citizens who declared Serbian as their native language. The real number of ethnic Serbs in Austria is estimated to be much higher – e.g. the membership of "Serbische Gemeinschaft in Österreich" (''Savez Srba u Austriji''), an ethnic Serb association in Austria, exceeds 250,000 people.
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
is home to 80,000 Serbian residents, making it the largest Serbian community outside of Serbia. The common estimation is a total of 300,000.


Notable people


Military and political figures

*Baron Gabriel von Rodich, general and Governor of
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
*
Paul von Radivojevich Paul von Radivojevich (1759 – 15 July 1829) was an Austrian army corps commander in the army of the Austrian Empire during the late Napoleonic Wars. He joined the army of the Habsburg monarchy in 1782 and fought in one of the early battles of ...
, general of the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
*
Paul Davidovich Baron Paul Davidovich or Pavle Davidović ( sr-cyr, Павле Давидовић) (1737, Buda – 18 February 1814, Komárom) became a general of the Austrian Empire and a Knight of the Military Order of Maria Theresa. He played a major ro ...
, general of the Napoleonic Wars *
Sebastian Kurz Sebastian Kurz (; born 27 August 1986) is a former Austrian politician who twice served as chancellor of Austria, initially from December 2017 to May 2019 and then a second time from January 2020 to October 2021. Kurz was born and raised in Me ...
, former Austrian politician who twice served as
chancellor of Austria The chancellor of the Republic of Austria () is the head of government of the Republic of Austria. The position corresponds to that of Prime Minister in several other parliamentary democracies. Current officeholder is Karl Nehammer of the Aus ...
*
Arsenije Sečujac Arsenije Sečujac ( sr-cyr, Арсеније Сечујац, german: Arsenius Feiherr Seczujacz von Heldenfeld; 1720 – 13 January 1814) was a Habsburg general who earned the rank of major general at the very end of his military career and was awa ...
, Habsburg military general *
Raoul Stojsavljevic Raoul Stojsavljevic (July 28, 1887 – September 2, 1930) was an Austro-Hungarian World War I flying ace credited with ten aerial victories. His later career took him to postwar service in aviation both military and civilian. His younger sister wa ...
,
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
*
Konstantin Vojnović Konstantin "Kosta" Vojnović ( sr-Cyrl, Константин Војновић; ; March 2, 1832 – May 20, 1903) was a Croatian Serb politician, university professor and rector in the kingdoms of Dalmatia and Croatia-Slavonia of the Habsburg monar ...
, politician and professor


Writers and artists

* Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, reformer of the Serbian language *
Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Jovan Jovanović Zmaj ( sr-cyr, Јован Јовановић Змаj, pronounced ; 24 November 1833 – 1 June 1904) was a Serbian poet. Jovanović worked as a physician; he wrote in many poetry genres, including love, lyric, patriotic, poli ...
, poet * Pavle Julinac writer *
Mina Karadžić Wilhelmina "Mina" Karadžić-Vukomanović ( sr-cyr, Вилхелмина "Мина" Караџић-Вукомановић; 12 July 1828, in Vienna – 12 June 1894, in ''ibidem'') was an Austrian-born Serbian painter and writer. She was born in ...
, painter and writer *
Paja Jovanović Pavle "Paja" Jovanović ( sr-cyr, Павле "Паја" Јовановић; ; 16 June 1859 – 30 November 1957) was a Serbian painter who painted more than 1,100 works including: '' The Wounded Montenegrin'' (1882), '' Decorating of the Bride'' ...
, Realist painter * Mileva Roller, painter of the
Vienna Secession The Vienna Secession (german: Wiener Secession; also known as ''the Union of Austrian Artists'', or ''Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs'') is an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau, that was formed in 1897 by a group of Austri ...
movement *
Laza Kostić Lazar "Laza" Kostić ( sr-Cyrl, Лазар "Лаза" Костић; 12 February 1841 – 27 November 1910) was a Serbian poet, prose writer, lawyer, aesthetician, journalist, publicist, and politician who is considered to be one of the greatest ...
, poet *
Madita Edita Malovčić (born 21 January 1978), known by her stage name, Madita, is an Austrian singer and actress of Bosnian descent. Her father is Bosnian folk singer Kemal Malovčić. Madita's music ranges from synth-pop to R&B to jazz. Early lif ...
, singer


Athletes

*
Marko Arnautović Marko Arnautović (; born 19 April 1989) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Bologna and the Austria national team. Arnautović began his career in his native Austria playing in the youth teams for a ...
, football player *
Marco Djuricin Marco Djuricin ( sh, Marko Đuričin, sr-cyr, Марко Ђуричин; born 12 December 1992) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Rijeka. He came to prominence in his native Austria with Sturm Graz, scoring 24 g ...
, football player *
Aleksandar Dragović Aleksandar Dragović ( sr-cyr, Александар Драговић, ; born 6 March 1991) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serbian SuperLiga club Red Star Belgrade and the Austria national team. He is well k ...
, football player *
Marko Stanković Marko Stanković (; born 17 February 1986) is an Austrian former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. He also represented the Austria national team on one occasion in 2008. Club career Born in Krems, Austria, Marko Sta ...
football player *
Zlatko Junuzović Zlatko Junuzović (, ; born 26 September 1987) is an Austrian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. From 2006 to 2017 he represented the Austria national football team. He was known as a free-kick specialist. Early life Ju ...
, football player *
Aleksandar Rakić Aleksandar Rakić (born February 6, 1992) is an Austrian mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2011, Rakić has also competed for the Fina ...
, MMA fighter * Goran Djuricin, football coach and former player *
Damir Canadi Damir Čanadi (born 6 May 1970) is an Austrian professional football manager and former player who is currently the head coach of Croatian Football League club HNK Šibenik. A former midfielder, he has previously managed a number of lower and to ...
, football coach * Neno Ašćerić, basketball coach and former player * Luka Ašćerić, basketball player *
Jasminka Cive Jasminka Cive (born ) is an Austrian female kickboxer and mixed martial artist, based in Austria. She competes professionally since 2005 and is the current ISKA Flyweight champion and mixed martial artist. Biography Born in Serbia, Jasminka C ...
, kickboxer and mixed martial artist


See also

*
Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
*
Serbian diaspora Serbian diaspora refers to Serbian emigrant communities in the diaspora. The existence of a numerous diaspora of Serbian nationals is mainly a consequence of either economic or political (coercion or expulsion) reasons. There were different wa ...
*
Austria–Serbia relations Foreign relations exist between Austria and Serbia and their predecessor states. Austria has an embassy in Belgrade. Serbia has an embassy in Vienna and a general consulate in Salzburg. Austria is a European Union member and Serbia is a Europ ...
*
Gastarbeiter (; both singular and plural; ) are foreign worker, foreign or migrant workers, particularly those who had moved to West Germany between 1955 and 1973, seeking work as part of a formal guest worker program (). As a result, guestworkers are ge ...


References


Literature

* * * * {{Portal bar, Austria, Serbia
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
* Ethnic groups in Austria
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
Serbian Orthodox Church in Austria
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...