Gottscheer Heritage Preservation Collection

Gottscheers are the descendents of people from the German-speaking area of Gottschee in the Austrian Duchy of Carniola, presently part of Slovenia. The Slovene name for this district is Kocevje. By 1945, most Gottscheers had left their homeland, and many settled in Queens, New York. In 1997, the first books relating to Gottschee were donated to the University Libraries by representatives of the Gottscheer Relief Association of Ridgewood, New York. The collection has grown to approximately 7 linear feet of primarily published material, in addition to audiocassettes, photographs, and other documents. Subjects covered include the language, literature, music, history, and culture of Gottschee. Newsletters and newspapers such as the Gottscheer Zeitung are also part of the collection. Few volumes have been catalogued to date, but a print guide to the collection is available.