Hermann Wendel and his journey from Maribor to Bitola - 1920
In the late summer weeks of 1920, the german social democrat Hermann Wendel undertook a trip from Maribor to Bitola. He recorded his experiences in his book "From Marburg to Monastir. A South Slavic Journey".
On his journey through the Balkans after the First World War, Wendel not only visited Bitola in Macedonia, which was back then called Monastir. Among other things, he reports in his work from visits in Skopje, Veles, Prilep, Ohrid, Struga, Debar, Gostivar and Tetovo.
Who was Hermann Wendel?
Hermann Wendel was a German politician, historian, Balkan researcher, journalist and writer. He was born on March 8, 1884 in Metz, Lorraine, as son of a Prussian civil servant, and died on October 3, 1936 in Saint-Cloud near Paris.
Wendel was a supporter of the labor movement and an advocate of Franco-German understanding. From 1910 to 1918 he was a city councilor in Frankfurt am Main and an SPD (social democrat party) member of the Reichstag.
During the Balkan wars he stayed as a correspondent in Serbia, where he got knowledge of the Serbian language and culture.
In addition to writings on the labor movement, Wendel published numerous historical, political and ethnographic works on southern Slavs. Along with Gerhard Gesemann, Josef Matl and Alois Schmaus, he is one of the most important representatives of German Serbo-Croatian studies.
From Marburg to Monastir. A south slavic journey - Von Marburg bis Monastir. Eine südslawische Reise
All journeys in the world exist only for those who make them themselves; for others there is only what one can give through poor words. With this quote from Knud Rasmussen, Hermann Wendel begins his travelogue through the Balkans, into the land of the "Southern Slavs".
From Spielfeld (today district of Leibnitz, Austrian state of Styria) via Maribor the journey starts which should last to Macedonia. According to his words, he is traveling to the "young state in south-east Europe" and indeed, the state was young, which also included Macedonia, or New Serbia as the long-time occupier said at the time. This is also expressed in Wendel's work.
But, some brief informations as an introduction:
Macedonia was divided up by its neighbors in 1913 after the Ottomans were driven out. Bulgaria, Greece, Albania and Serbia were granted Macedonian territories by the so called Bucharest Peace Treaty on August 10, 1913. The northern part of Macedonia, also called Vardar Macedonia, was occupied by the Serbs and annexed to the Kingdom of Serbia when Wendel undertook his journey.
After the defeat of Austria-Hungary in the First World War, the Kingdom of Serbia united on December 1, 1918 with the short-lived state of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs that arose in the southern Slavic regions of Austria-Hungary to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the later kingdom Yugoslavia.
As an attentive reader maybe recognizes, the Macedonians are not mentioned in the state structure, by the fact that Serbia (as occupier) referred to the area as southern Serbia and to the inhabitants as southern Serbs.
Wendel's journey in the late summer of 1920 was one and a half year after the First World War in the Balkans in Macedonia. "South Serbia" had been under Serbian rule for 7 years, the area of what is now the Republic of Macedonia.
What's in a name? Names are smoke and mirrors
The sign says "Jordanović" but before that it could have been Jordanov or just Jordan. With this short (following) line by Wendel, the oppression that the Macedonians had to experience under alternating occupiers becomes evident.
But even though the Bulgarian renamed him Jordanov, the Turk changed him to Jordan, the Serbs in Jordanovic, the inhabitants of Macedonia were aware of one thing: They are Macedonians, and not Serbs, Turks or Bulgarians (and also Greeks).
So we read, or we quote from page 75, about the meeting of the author with the man named "Jordanović" in Veles:
... At the loophole of his fruit and vegetables an old man, almost venerable, undoubtedly drooled; At no cost does he scare away the legions of flies from the reddish flesh of figs that are half-split from ripeness; the wobbly sign at his head identifies him as Mr. Jordanović. But the ending shines more brightly than the first eight letters. What is the bet? Under the Turks his name was simply Jordan, in 1912 he meticulously transformed into a Serbian Jordanović, in 1915 he stood harmlessly at his loophole as a Bulgarian Jordanov and for two years has been living calmly as Jordanović again; Names are smoke and mirrors.
The problem is irritating me. "What are you, Serb or Bulgar?"
The old man squinted suspiciously; croaks: "A Macedonian!"
Two Muslims, with fez, in sleeveless, embroidered jackets, answer; "Macedonian!"
"But aren't you also Serbs?"
"Now we belong to the Serbian state; that is why we are now Serbs."
Čedomir (the driver) looks and listens, leaning against his car; he growls contemptuously: "not ten real Serbs" in the whole nest; He has lain here long enough. ...
I am a Serb, but these are Macedonians!
A similar, almost the same situation again in Prilep - but with a completely different main actor. A little boy, a Serb, and thus, let's say he was a "independent witness" in the case we are talking here. Because he tells us how he described the people around him, in this situation, he refers to some other boys.
We quote from page 83. The situation Wendel described happened in the center of Prilep on a Sunday:
Sunday is; Prilep squints through half-closed eyelids; celebrate the workshops of its famous blacksmiths and tinners; the axes and hoes made here are in great demand as far as Prizren and Skopje. Even the merchants today don't give a damn about their reputation as particularly shrewd businessmen; they hold their kef (=fun, joy); but rich houses in high walled, green gardens along the Oraovacka Reka testify to the delicious merits of trading in the popular paprika or opium. Prilep is more pleasant than the hardly smaller Veles.
A priest, knees drawn up on his horse, sways across the square. A wedding procession on the wooden bridge; Bridal couple, godparents and guests presented in the city, but half ashamed, half proud, probably according to the old custom, a boy carries a mighty cake on his head first.
Do Serbs or Bulgarians walk there, festively adorned and sure of their feast and pleasure? Hear a Serb, he asserts one thing, turn to a Bulgarian, he swears the other; few cities were as controversial in the Macedonian nationality war as Prilep,
Boys playing on the bridge; one is not embarrassed by questions.
"I'm a Serb, but that", and he points to the others, "are Macedonians".
"Where are you from?"
"From Niš!"
"Are the others Serbs too?"
"Jas sam stari Srbin i oni su novi Srbi" he replies smartly, "I am an old Serb and they are new Serbs."
However, the "new Serbs" do not look so completely convinced.
What are you? Uncomprehending shy look...
In Resen on Lake Prespa, Wendel meets again some young boys when he wants to visit a church that caught his eye. And these boys were at first incomprehensible what the stranger wants to know from them. So we read on page 93:
A plain, nicely cultivated with maize and tobacco, spreads the maternal arms towards those who slide downhill.
Čedomir steers through the green gardens and white houses of Resen and stops at the foot of a small church with a strange, open bell tower; it is worth looking at, yes.
Čedomir!
Swarms of boys around the car.
"What are you?"
Uncomprehending shy looking up.
"He's a Turk!" screams the choir.
"So? And you?"
"Macedonians!" it shoots like a gun.
SOURCE: Von Marburg bis Monastir. Eine südslawische reise; by Wendel, Hermann, 1920
