Heim ins Reich

 In my book  "Heim ins Reich" - Die Schicksale der Deutschen aus dem österreichischen Galizien im Zweiten Weltkrieg” I wrote:

“The Heim ins Reich ("Back to the Reich") policy was a central component of Nazi Germany's racial and territorial ambitions during World War II. Implemented between 1939 and 1944, this policy aimed to consolidate ethnic Germans living outside the Reich's borders into Nazi-controlled territories, particularly in occupied Poland.” (p. 94).

However, the slogan “Heim ins Reich” (“Back Home to the Reich”) was not created by either Hitler or Konrad Henlein. The phrase had already been in use earlier, especially after World War I, as a slogan among German nationalist circles advocating the annexation of Austria and other German-speaking territories of the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy to Germany.

Already in 1921–1922, a magazine titled “Heim ins Reich. Zeitschrift für den Anschluß Deutschösterreichs…” (“Heim ins Reich. Journal for the Union of German Austria…”) was published in Düsseldorf, promoting the idea of uniting Austria with Germany. In 1923, maps and propaganda materials were distributed in Graz bearing the inscription “Heim ins Reich! Friedensverträge sind nur Menschenwerk!” (“Back to the Reich! Peace treaties are only the work of men!”). The slogan was therefore closely connected with post-war revisionism and opposition to the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain.

Earlier still, Paul Rohrbach wrote:

“Ihr (die Deutschen) Wille ist auf den Zusammenschluss mit Deutschland gerichtet. Heim ins Reich! So lautet ihre nationalpolitische Losung.”

(“Their [the Germans’] will is directed toward unification with Germany. ‘Heim ins Reich!’ – this is their national-political slogan.”)

(Deutschtum in Not!, Wilhelm Undermann Verlag, Leipzig 1926, p. 10).

Paul Rohrbach (29 June 1869 – 19 July 1956) was a Baltic German writer and publicist concerned with “world politics.” He was born at Irgen Manor in Raņķi parish, in the Courland Governorate of the Russian Empire. Rohrbach exerted considerable influence on foreign policy debates during the Weimar Republic and published editorials in leading conservative German newspapers. He supported propaganda aimed at recovering Germany’s overseas colonies lost after World War I and, from at least the late 1920s onward, increasingly sympathized with nationalist and racial ideas that later became associated with National Socialism. During the Nazi period, Rohrbach continued publishing works on colonialism and travel writing, although he withdrew from active political engagement.

Only later was the slogan “Heim ins Reich” adopted and intensively used by the National Socialist German Workers' Party. During the 1930s, it became one of the principal propaganda slogans of the Third Reich, particularly during the Anschluss of Austria, the Sudeten crisis, and the later resettlements of ethnic Germans.

It is important to emphasize that the slogan originally had a nationalist and revisionist character, but it did not yet automatically imply the Nazi policy of forced resettlement. Only the propaganda of the Third Reich gave it a far more aggressive and imperial meaning. In practice, under the banner of “Heim ins Reich,” Nazi Germany later carried out the resettlement of ethnic Germans from Eastern Europe, including from Galicia, Volhynia, and Bukovina.

German Settlement in Central Europe Under The Habsburg Monarchy

  German Settlement in Central Europe Under The Habsburg Monarchy by Andrzej Philips

The book is available for purchase on eBay or on eBAY

The table of contents and the index of names can be viewed below.

This book is the result of many years of genealogical research, archival exploration, and personal reflection on the history of German settlement in Central and Eastern Europe under the Habsburg Monarchy.

At its core lies the story of one family—the Philipps family—whose journey began in Zilling in Lorraine and led, in 1784, to Galicia as part of the Josephine colonization. Through this family history, the reader is introduced to the broader processes of migration, settlement, and adaptation that shaped entire regions of the Habsburg Empire.

The first part of the book presents the history of the Philipps family in the context of Lorraine and Galicia, as well as the challenges of tracing ancestors across changing borders, languages, and archival systems. Particular attention is given to Ugartsthal and other Galician settlements, where German colonists established lasting communities.

Subsequent chapters expand this perspective by examining key institutions of German-speaking settlers, including the Evangelical Gymnasium in Stanisławów and the Lutheran pastorate in Ugartsthal. The book reconstructs the lives and work of pastors, teachers, and local leaders, offering a detailed insight into the religious and social structures of these communities.

A distinctive feature of this work is its use of diverse historical sources. Military records, archival documents, and especially old postcards are treated not merely as illustrations, but as valuable testimonies that allow us to reconstruct everyday life and individual biographies.

The scope of the book extends beyond Galicia to include German settlements in Bukovina, Transylvania, and other regions of Central and Southeastern Europe. Through selected case studies—such as the Transylvanian Saxons, Mennonite migrations, and individual family histories—the reader gains a broader understanding of the German diaspora within the Habsburg lands.

This is not only a historical study, but also a genealogical guide and a collection of microhistories. It brings together family narratives, institutional history, and cultural observations—from education and religion to cuisine and philately—demonstrating how deeply rooted and multifaceted the legacy of German settlement in this region remains.

Ultimately, this book is intended both for researchers and for descendants of these communities, offering them tools, context, and inspiration to rediscover their own past.