Theresientaler Heimatbund
History and Pioneer Emigrants
to Deutsch-Mokra and Koenigsfeld
By Romeo Bernreuther
© copyright 1996 by FEEFHS; all rights reserved
First Draft Posted: 26 September 1996
History and Pioneer Emigrants to the villages Deutsch-Mokra and
Koenigsfeld
By Romeo Bernreuther
In 1775 Maria Theresia, emperor of Austria-Hungary ordered the recruitment and employment
of a group of about 100 skilled workers for working in the large forests of the
Karpato-Ukraine. They came from the Salzkammergut in Upper-Austria in the vicinity of the
towns Ischl, Ebensee und Gmunden. The timber was needed for the salines (salt mines) near
the river Theiss in the south. Together with their family-members, nearly 220 persons left
Upper-Austria in October 6, 1775 and arrived in a small village of 16 houses to which
they gave the name Deutsch-Mokra.
Deutsch-Mokra grew up very fast so a couple of families setteld down about some kilometers
to the south and founded Koenigsfeld in 1815. Others moved to Dombo, Brustura and
Russisch-Mokra.
The population of our villages was completed by later immigrants: from Upper-Austria
families DAZER, KOERN an STERZL came at the end of the 18th century. ILAUSKI,
GALOZI and KELTONIK came from Galicia and URBAN and KUCHAR from Bohemia.
HORBAS are said to come from Slovenia.
The isolation of the villages favoured the survival of customs brought from the austrian
Salzkammergut. Not only at dialect or songs but also in architecture the austrian origin can
easily be seen.
Emigrations:
The comparison of surnames from the 1775-immigration list an the actual list of our datebase
reveals that many families must have left Deutsch-Mokra very soon. Until now we could not
find out whether they moved back to Austria or left for other villages nearby.
As mentioned above the population grew very fast: Therefore many families emigrated manily
at the beginning of 20th century.
To Buschtino/Theiss (Hungarian: Bustyahaza) moved in 1908 families with the surnames
OBERBUECHLER, ZAUNER, HORBAS, REIS, STERZL, SCHLEICHER and ZILLER.
36 persons left our villages for Tjacovo.
To Velky-Sevljusch (Hungarian: Nagy-Soelosz) moved OBERBUECHLER, ZEPEZAUNER,
ZAUNER and SCHLEICHER.
In Trnovo WEISS, FRINDT, HOLZBERGER, URBAN, ZEPEZAUER - families settled
down
To Gross-Tarna (Hungarian: Nagy-Tarna, Romanian: Tarna-Mare) went: from Deutsch-Mokra:
HOLZBERGER, POJTINGER, KAIS, KOENIGSBERGER, URBAN, ZEPEZAUER and
ZILLER and from Koenigsfeld: REISENBUECHLER, FRINDT, DAZER, PLAKINGER
PREINESBERGER and KUCHAR.
Some families PLAKINGER and HOFFER moved to Kirchdrauf / Zips.
Some ZAUNER and HOFFER left for Kalnischt (slow. Kalniste).
Between 1900 and 1970 more than 300 persons emigrated to the USA, specially to
Milwaukee and Canada.
In 1944, when the Soviet Army approached most of the inhabitants were evacuated by the
German Wehrmacht. They and their families now live in Germany or Austria.
Many of the few families that remained in Deutsch-Mokra and Koenigsfeld have been
resettled to Siberia from where they came back in the 1960's and 1970's.
To submit your pedigree information to the database, please contact:
Romeo Bernreuther
Ahornstr. 8
D - 71384 Weinstadt
GERMANY
Telephone: +49-7151-660161
Fax: +49-7151-993289
eMail address: Romeo_Bernreuther@ccwn.fido.de
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