The Sorbian word Domowina is a poetic expression for 'homeland'. The name was proposed by Domowina co-founder Bogumił Šwjela, then Lutheran pastor of Nochten and Sorbian linguist.[2]
The Domowina institution, founded in Hoyerswerda in 1912, is situated in Bautzen (Budyšin) in Saxony alongside other cultural institutions of the Sorbian people for which it serves as an umbrella organization.[3][4]
The Domowina was closed by Nazi authorities in 1937 and reopened on 10 May 1945, right after the end of World War II, and regained official status in the German Democratic Republic.[5]
Under East German rule, Domowina was a mass organization included in the National Front, and was effectively controlled by the SED. Though the government did recognize Sorbs as a linguistic community within the GDR, they were not recognized as a minority, which ran contrary to the demands of the league. Upon the fall of communism in East Germany and German reunification, Domowina was reformed yet again, this time as an independent organization.
Domowina Regional Association "Michał Hórnik" Kamenz:
founded July 24, 1921 in Crostwitz
Domowina Regional Association "Handrij Zejler" Hoyerswerda:
founded July 24, 1921 in Hoyerswerda
Domowina Regional Association Lower Lusatia in Cottbus:
founded May 31, 1991 in Cottbus by fusing the former regional associations of Cottbus (since 1949/50), Guben/Forst (1954), Calau/Lübben (1955) and Spremberg (1956)
founded October 28, 2013 as a successor of the Regional Association Weißwasser and Niesky which in turn was created in 1991 by fusing the two regional associations of Niesky and Weißwasser. Those were once one regional association (Niesky, founded 1945), but separated for political reasons in 1957 to match the administrative division of the GDR.
Domowina's association's journal is Naša Domowina ("Our Domowina"). Originally, it was created by Pawoł Nedo a supplement for the Serbske nowiny newspaper in 1935. Today, it bears the full name Naša Domowina – Informacije třěšneho zwjazka * Informacije kšywowego zwězka * Informationen des Dachverbandes ("Our Domowina – Information from the umbrella organization") in Upper Sorbian, Lower Sorbian and German. It is issued by the Bautzen branch office of Domowina.
^Bresan, Annett. "Domowina". Sorabicon (in German). Serbski Institut. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
^Peter Kunze (1995). Kurze Geschichte der Sorben. Ein kulturhistorischer Überblick in 10 Kapiteln. Sächsische Landeszentrale für Politische Bildung, p. 70, ISBN3-7420-1633-4(in German)
