At the end of the 17th century, Baranya was captured by the
Habsburg monarchy, and was included in the
Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary after the
Battle of Mohács (1687). Under the Habsburg rule, German settlers were taken from different parts of Germany, the so-called
Danube Swabians. The
Stifolder or
Stiffoller Shvove are a Roman Catholic subgroup of the so-called
Danube Swabians. Their ancestors arrived ca. 1717–1804 from the Hochstift Fulda and surroundings, (
Roman Catholic Diocese of Fulda), and settled in Baranya. They held their own German dialect and culture until the end of WW II; after the war, the majority of Danube Swabians was expelled to
Allied-occupied Germany and
Allied-occupied Austria subsequent to the
Potsdam Agreement. Only a few people can speak the old Stiffolerisch Schvovish dialect. Also a salami is named after these people. In 1918, the entire Baranya was captured by Serbian troops and was administered by the newly created
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, but as a
Republic, see:
Baranya-Baja Republic. By the
Treaty of Trianon of 1920, the territory of the county was divided between the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed to Yugoslavia in 1929) and Hungary. The south-east of the county was assigned to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, while the remainder was assigned to Hungary. The former Yugoslav part of the pre-1920 county was occupied and annexed by Hungary during World War II and the pre-1920 borders of Baranya county were restored in 1941. The post-1920 borders were restored again after World War II and the territory of the county reduced again. Until the end of World War II, the inhabitants were all Catholic
Danube Swabians, also called locally as
Stifolder, because the majority of their ancestors arrived in the 17th and 18th centuries from
Fulda (district). Most of the former German settlers were expelled to
Allied-occupied Germany and
Allied-occupied Austria in 1945–1948, consequent to the
Potsdam Agreement. Anyway a big
Germans of Hungary Minority live in Baranya today. Since 1991, when Croatia became independent from
Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav part of pre-1920 Baranya county is part of Croatia. Between 1991 and 1995 it was under occupation of
rebel Croatian Serbs, while from 1995 through 1998 the
United Nations administered that area (
United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium) as a transitional body. In modern times there is a
Magyar and
Serb minority in Croatian Baranja and a Croatian minority in Hungarian Baranya.
Roma minority is present in both parts, as well as
Germans (mostly until 1945). Today, the present Hungarian county of
Baranya also include some lands in the west that were not part of the historic Baranya county (after World War II most of the district of
Szigetvár – previously part of
Somogy county – and some other localities was transferred to Baranya county). ==Demographics==