Description of the attraction
The Museum of the Danube Swabians with an area of 1,500 square meters was created over five years and was inaugurated in 2000. Ulm, standing on the banks of the Danube at its very source, at the beginning of the 18th century was the center of migration of the German-speaking population - the Danube Swabians - along the river to the countries of South-Eastern Europe. Attracted by the lands empty as a result of hostilities, German traders, peasants, workers massively moved to the territory of Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia.
For 300 years since the beginning of mass migration, the history of the Danube Swabians has known periods of prosperity and attempts at extermination, resettlement and repression. 27 expositions of the museum are devoted to the life and political situation of the Swabians in different countries and periods. A small collective of the museum has done a great job in search of historical documents and exhibits that characterize the life of the once million-strong German diaspora and was practically destroyed as a result of repressions after the Second World War. Coexisting with different peoples, they adopted the life and customs of the local population, exerting, in turn, an undeniable influence on the development and industrialization of these lands.
The central place in the museum is occupied by a kind of symbol of the Danube Swabians - the Ulm boat, a house on the water, in which they began their journey into a new life.
The Museum of the Danube Swabians in Ulm has become not only a place for storing and studying the history of this people, but also a venue for various ethnic festivals, scientific conferences and exhibitions.
