Burgenland
Over the centuries the Burgenland region has been the scene of fierce battles and thus the land was devastated and desolate. In the eighth century, when the Pannonian plain was part of the Franconian empire, Bavarians and Slavs started to move into this area.Even today about 12% of the population belongs to ethnic minorities. The Croats (7% of Austria´s population) live in separate villages (linguistic islands) found all over Burgenland, while the Magyars (2% of the entire population) are found almost exclusively in the district of Oberwart and in the south. In the province of Burgenland we also find the largest percentage
of Protestants (14%). The arrangement of villages and farmsteads is strictly geometrical,
proof of planned settlement. The villages of the north Burgenland are based on the Angerdorf, a village form where the main road through the village widens in the centre to form a large square, which was used for grazing the cattle.
The farm model most frequently found is the Streckhof, where the living quarters, the kitchens, the bedrooms, the stables and the barn are built one behind the other, under one roof. The long period of submission has left its marks on Burgenland, that is why city centers are almost non-existent.
