This suitcase has traveled far – not, as one might expect, after the Second World War, but rather in the decades after the flight of the Nessner family. It was used to transport the traditional costumes of a Danube Swabian dance troupe from Baden-Württemberg as they toured to enclaves of Danube Swabians scattered around the world.
This placard is proudly carried by the dance and costume group of the Danube Swabians during parades. Oleg Kuchar / Donauschwäbisches Zentralmuseum, CC BY 4.0
This placard is proudly carried by the dance and costume group of the Danube Swabians during parades. Oleg Kuchar / Donauschwäbisches Zentralmuseum, CC BY 4.0
Elisabeth Nessner from
Kunbaja
deu. Kumbai, deu. Kumbaj

The settlement (Kun-)Baj was populated, given up and re-populated by different ethnicities over centuries. Around 1820, the first German settlers arrived. Most of them came from surrounding villages, but some may also have come from Württemberg.

Kunbaja at Google Maps
in Hungary arrives in Giengen an der Brenz in 1948. Her family has survived an arduous escape with horse-drawn wagons and bicycles, which initially takes them to Augsburg in Bavaria. In October 1944, they flee from the advancing Soviet army and also out of fear of reprisals from the civilian population. In Giengen, the 17-year-old is homesick: she misses her home, her friends, the sound of her language, the food; she also misses the dances and songs.
The local toy factory offers Elisabeth work, so she can help support her family. And she also seems to be lucky in other ways, because she happens to meet Matthias Merkle, who used to lead a traditional costume troupe in his home city of
Pančevo
hun. Pancsova, deu. Pantschowa, srp. Панчево

Pančevo is located in South Vojvodina, at the confluence of the Tamiš and Danube rivers, at the very edge of the Panonian Plain.

Pančevo at Google Maps
,
Serbia
srp. Srbija, deu. Serbien, srp. Србија, srp. Republika Srbija

Serbia (Serbian: Србија) is a country in southeastern or central Europe. The country is inhabited by 6.9 million people. Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. Serbia belongs to the so-called landlocked countries and is geographically classified as part of the Balkan Peninsula. The majority of the population are Orthodox Serbs.

Serbien in the Online Encyclopedia of the Culture and History of the Germans in Eastern Europe (German)
Serbien at Google Maps
) and wants to preserve this tradition in the West as well. He is looking for compatriots to support him. Elisabeth travels around a lot to source the required quantities of fabrics. Refugee women tailor the long skirts, blouses and aprons according to the traditional costumes of their own places of origin. 
In Giengen, Elisabeth meets Herbert Garlik, a man of around her age. He comes from the
Sudetenland
pol. Kraj Sudetów, deu. Sudeten, ces. Sudety, ces. Pohraničí, deu. Sudetengebiet, deu. Sudetenland, deu. Reichsgau Sudetenland, deu. Gau Sudetenland

The name Sudetenland (Czech: pohraniči/sudety, Polish: Kraj Sudetów) refers to partly disjointed, long border areas within the territory of the former Czechoslovakia along the border with the former German Reich. The Sudeten Mountains give the name to the region. The term, which had previously been used in a more general topographical sense, was increasingly applied in a political sense and in relation to the Bohemian, Moravian and Moravian-Silesian areas with a German-speaking population at the beginning of the 20th century and was adopted in a nationalistic manner. In 1939, the term finally became the name for the Reichsgau Sudetenland, established by the National Socialists as a result of the Munich Agreement (September 29, 1938).

Sudetenland in the Online Encyclopedia of the Culture and History of the Germans in Eastern Europe (German)
and escaped with his family to East Germany at the end of the war; now he is all alone in Baden-Württemberg. The two fall in love and marry in 1953 in their new hometown. Now the Sudeten German husband also gets involved in the dance and traditional costume troupe of the “Danube Swabians“ “Danube Swabians“ Three hundred years ago, thousands of people from different German regions emigrated to Southeastern Europe. Today, these emigrants and their descendants are called "Danube Swabians". Their story is one of departures and encounters, of cultural exchange and peaceful coexistence, but also of war, expulsion and deportation. .
The story of the suitcase also begins when Matthias Merkle founds the costume and dance troupe. In the following decades, the group performs throughout the region at numerous folklore events, Swabian balls and "homeland celebrations". The suitcase is used to transport the multi-layered garments and prevent them from getting creased. In 1976, the Danube Swabians travel to Argentina and Brazil for major performances. There they perform for the 25th anniversary of the settlement Entre Rios, which was founded by Danube Swabians. The Garliks also perform folk dances and plays with the dance and costume group in North America,
Austria
deu. Österreich

Austria is a country in Central Europe populated by about 8.9 million people. The capital of the country is Vienna.

Österreich in the Online Encyclopedia of the Culture and History of the Germans in Eastern Europe (German)
Österreich at Google Maps
,
Hungary
hun. Magyarország, deu. Ungarn

Hungary is a country in Central Europe, whose capital is Budapest. The country is home to about 10 million people and was part of the so-called Habsburg Empire for several centuries. Hungary has been a member of the European Union since 01.05.2004. The Danube is the largest river in the country.

Ungarn in the Online Encyclopedia of the Culture and History of the Germans in Eastern Europe (German)
Ungarn at Google Maps
and 
South Tyrol
ita. Alto Adige, deu. Südtirol

In today's usage, the name South Tyrol mostly stands for the autonomous province of Bolzano-South Tyrol in northern Italy. Historically, however - and in a more general, topographical and geographical sense - the term was already used in the 19th century for the southern part of the region of Tyrol, which until the end of World War I was one of the crown lands of the Habsburg monarchy (from 1867 Austria-Hungary) as the 'Gefürstete Grafschaft Tirol'.

Südtirol at Google Maps
. In order to quickly find their luggage at the airport, the members mark their suitcases with a white ribbon.
In 2006, the association disbands after 56 years. Between 2010 and 2015, the Garlik family repeatedly donates objects to the collection of the Danube Swabian Central Museum in Ulm, including various pieces of clothing, the dance group's placard used for parades, and numerous photographs and memories of the time when they traveled with the suitcase to the new homes of Danube Swabians around the world.
English translation: William Connor
DZM-Team
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