Serbs in Austria


The Serbs in Austria are the second largest ethnic minority group in Austria, after Germans. The first wave of Serbs to Austria began in the early 19th century, while the largest wave was during the migrant worker program of the 1960s and 1970s. Serb immigration to Austria is still active today due to economic and familial factors. Like in most Western European countries, the Serb community in Austria consists mainly of Serbs from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

History

Serbs were a notable minority of the Habsburg Monarchy, having settled Central Europe following the Ottoman conquest of Serbia. The Serbs with the aid of Austrian troops occupied Serbia in 1686–91, established the Kingdom of Serbia, and occupied it again in 1788–92.
The was founded in 1936 as "Österreichisch-Jugoslawischen Gesellschaft".

Demographics

According to the 2014 census, there were 132,553 Austrian citizens who declared Serbian as their native language. The real number of ethnic Serbs in Austria is estimated to be much higher – e.g. the membership of "Serbische Gemeinschaft in Österreich", an ethnic Serb association in Austria, exceeds 250,000 people. The common estimation is a total of 300,000.

Notable people

Military and political figures