Stefan Jäger

Stefan Jäger (May 28, 1877 in Tschene/Torontál – March 16, 1962 in Jimbolia/Hatzfeld, Romanian Banat) was a painter known for his depiction of and deep identification with the Danube Swabian community to which he belonged.

After study trips in Austria, Germany and Italy, Jäger in 1910 established himself in Hatzfeld (today Jimbolia), where he spent the rest of his life.

As a result, they were after 1945 the target of harsh reprisals and especially mass expulsions from countries such as Hungary and Yugoslavia where many of these families had lived for centuries.

The later work of Jäger - already 62 years old when the war broke out - reflected these vicissitudes, for example the painting of Danube Swabians being led away by Soviet forces.

His house at Jimbolia/Hatzfeld is now a museum, displaying not only his paintings but also traditional clothes and cultural artifacts of the Danube Swabian community.