Josif – Slovák v Rumunsku / Josif – A Slovak in Romania
Author: Pavla Behrová
Published: 1 November 2013
The roots of the Slovak community in Romania date back to the 17th century, during the period of the Ottoman–Habsburg wars. At the time, Upper Hungary (present-day Slovakia) was under Habsburg rule. In 1683, the Turks suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Vienna and, over the following years, were pushed back beyond Buda. Yet the territory of Slovakia continued to be a battleground for destructive wars, leading to increased taxes and forced labour in Upper Hungary.
After the defeat of the Turks in 1718, almost the entire territory of Hungary was liberated. Hungarian landlords sought to reclaim and cultivate abandoned estates, which led them to impose greater obligations on their serfs and disregard their right to migrate. Initially, Slovaks travelled to the southern territories of the Kingdom of Hungary (modern-day Hungary, prior to 1918) only for seasonal work in agriculture and construction, returning home after the summer. During these journeys, they discovered the fertility of the soil in the southern regions and gradually began settling there permanently.
Their reasons for migrating were not limited to better soil; they were also fleeing hunger, exploitation caused by the wars, and religious persecution. The greatest wave of migration occurred between 1715 and 1720, primarily from the counties of Orava, Liptov, Zemplín, and Abov. Slovaks also arrived from settlements within today’s Hungary, which had become overpopulated. The first village on Romanian territory inhabited by Slovaks was Mokrá, settled in 1747. The largest Slovak settlement became Nadlak, where Slovaks arrived in 1803. Other villages followed – Pitvaroš, Čanádalberti, Butín, Vukovú, Brestovec, Veľký Pereg, and Cipár. The first families, skilled in woodcraft, came from the counties of Gemer and Zemplín, settling in Bodonoš, Borumlaka, and Varzaly in 1790.1
Josif was born in Romania 22 years ago, as his parents have lived there all their lives. He identifies as Slovak while holding Romanian citizenship. He speaks Slovak fluently but is also comfortable with Romanian. He says:
“I speak more Slovak than Romanian, but at school, we use Slovak. I mix Slovak with Romanian.”
He regularly visits his siblings in Slovakia, who left Romania to pursue their studies and never returned. He communicates with them in Slovak. He completed his schooling in Slovak but learned Romanian there as well. After graduating, he joined a Slovak folk dance ensemble in Romania – he has enjoyed dancing since childhood and is fond of Slovak traditions.
He is not currently seeking employment, as he hopes to study dance, and would be willing to leave Romania in pursuit of this goal. Speaking about the situation of Slovaks in Romania, he says:
“Under communism, life was better for Slovaks. There were mines, and everyone had a job. Now we’re dissatisfied. There’s no work – if you want a job, you have to go abroad. There are jobs in the cities, but they’re poorly paid. Wages have fallen, my father’s pension was cut. After the crisis, the government introduced unpopular measures.”
In his spare time, Josif enjoys watching Slovak, Romanian, and Hungarian television programmes. His dream is to marry a Christian woman, as he himself is a Christian. He explains:
“Romanians follow other religions. If it were a Romanian woman, and she wasn’t even a Christian, she’d have to be baptised into another faith.”
So far, however, he has not found true love. There are an estimated 18,000 Slovaks currently living in Romania. However, the majority of younger Slovaks no longer speak the language due to education and employment in Romanian. Josif is an exception – he has a genuine love for the Slovak language and culture. According to him, the main reason for the disintegration of the community is economic migration. Many people leave for bigger towns and cities, causing the cohesion of this minority to gradually erode.
“But maybe things will improve,” he adds hopefully.
1 KUKUČKA, Ján. Dejiny a tradície Slovákov v Rumunsku. Nadlak: Ivan Krasko Publishing, 2004. ISBN 9738324602.