German Newspaper Publishing in Osijek

Abstract

This paper provides a historical overview of German newspapers published in Osijek. In the period between the liberation from the Turks and the end of World War Two, almost half of Osijek’s population were Germans, which enabled them to play a significant role in all aspects of city life, and newspaper publishing was no exception. A review of German newspapers published in Osijek revealed that they differed in content, publication frequency and longevity. After reading and reviewing both scholarly and scientific literature, it was concluded that most facts about the newspapers were not completely, but partially preserved in a non-chronological order. Newspaper publishers operated in difficult circumstances and frequently changed editors and owners. However, today, we can claim, that German newspapers published in Osijek were vital, diverse in form and important to (educated) readers and their needs and habits. The newspapers were similar to magazines and covered all facets of life, including politics, science, economy, art and culture. Such newspapers covered everything their readership might find interesting, and many Croats contributed to those German newspapers as associates. This paper is based on the review of research and scholarly and scientific papers. The intention was to follow the logical and chronological structure of German newspapers.