Place:Lomnička, Stará Ľubovňa, Slovensko, Czechoslovakia

Klein Lomnitz (German spelling) was a small village in what was the Upper Hungarian county of Zips (German spelling).^[1] Founded in 1294 by ethnic Germans/German speakers from the town of Käsmark (German spelling) , it was primarily an agricultural village.^[2]

German speaking peoples began settling the area of Upper Hungary as early as the 1100s, and “were the most influential and prosperous citizens, dominating the political and commercial life of the major towns.”^[3] The German population began losing it’s dominance in the mid-1400s, and following the Turkish invasion of Lower Hungary in 1526 many Magyars immigrated into the region.

By the beginning of the 1800s, the Zips remained one of three (and the best known) ethnic German areas of Upper Hungary. It was divided into two regions, the Upper Zips and the Lower Zips. Klein Lomnitz was in the Upper Zips, in the valley of the Popper (Poprad) River. “Most of the Upper Zips towns had charters from the Hungarian king and were not subject to a local seigneur; they elected their own governing officials.”^[4]

In 1867, with the union of Austria and Hungary, Klein Lomnitz became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. For the men of Klein Lomnitz, this meant that they were subject to the Austro-Hungarian military draft.

Following the end of World War I, Klein Lomnitz became part of the newly created country of Czechoslovakia, while remaining an essentially ethnic German community.

Following the end of World War II, the occupying Russian army removed the then (ethnic German) residents of Klein Lomnitz and resettled them in various areas of Germany. Today, Klein Lomnitz is known as Lomnička, and is located in the Slovakian District of Stará Ľubovňa. Its residents are predominantly Romany (Gypsy).

See Also:
For more information, see the EN Wikipedia article Lomnička (Stará Ľubovňa District).
Arrival of the Germans in Szepes County (Wikipedia)

Research Tips

the Family History Library in Salt Lake has two records sets for Lomnicka/Klein Lomnitz in three films: Catholic Church records: Manželstvá 1710-1891 Krsty 1742-1891 Úmrtia 1742-1891 Birmovaní 1855, 1862, 1878, Film No. 1739394 Items 5-9
Evangelical Church Records: Krsty 1785-1833 Manželstvá 1785-1825 Úmrtia 1785-1825, Film No. 1739394 Items 10-11
and Krsty 1833-1890 Manželstvá 1825-1890 Úmrtia 1825-1890, Film No. 1739395 Items 1-2

These films have been digitized and can be searched on-line at FamilySearch in the Slovakia Church and Synagogue Books, 1592-1910 Collection. But -- they have been VERY BADLY INDEXED, with probably more names left out of the index than included. Some locations in the Collection can be browsed through the browse function associated with the Collection, but NOT Klein Lomnitz/Lomnicka.

The 1869 Census is also available on-line through FamilySearch, and can be browsed but not searched.

Sources

source: Family History Library Catalog

1. ↑ Hungarian name = Szepes; Slovak name = Spiš
2. ↑ Gardiner, Duncan B. German towns in Slovakia & Upper Hungary : a genealogical gazetteer. (Lakewood, Ohio : Family Historian, 1989
3. ↑ Gardiner, "German town in Slovakia & Upper Hungary, p. 15
4. ↑ Gardiner, "German town in Slovakia & Upper Hungary, p. 16