the danube swabians are german settlers of the former austria-hungary empire. they founded villages, and worked as farmers. their ancestors were once settled from 1686 - 1829 by the order of the house of habsburg in hungary, and parts of former yugoslavia and romania who belonged to the habsburger monarchy, from different parts from austria and germany like hesse, bavaria, the palatinate, hunsrück, baden-württemberg, swabian jura fulda (district), rhön, franconia, rhein-pfalz-kreis, swabia (government region), but also alsace, lorraine, southern netherlands and luxembourg etc. the city ulm at alb-donau-kreis, in swabian jura, was the startpoint, where this german emigrants went with the "ulmer schachtel" (a small boat), along the danube river, this is why they got the name "danube swabians". they speak different german dialects. they believed in roman catholicism and lutheranism and hold much of the old norse mythology. after world war ii, most of the danube swabians were expelled by the order of the potsdam conference, to allied-occupied austria and allied-occupied germany. only a few danube swabians live today in this country who once belongend to the habsburger monarchy. most danube swabian descendants live in austria and germany, but also some in usa, canada and australia.