Zipser Germans

The Zipser Germans or Zipsers (, , ) are a German-speaking (specifically Zipser German-speaking) ethnic group which developed in the Szepes County (; ) of Upper Hungary—today mostly Slovakia—as that region was settled by people from central Germany beginning in the 13th century. Beginning in at least the 18th century, many members of the ethnic group migrated to southern Bukovina, Maramuresch, and Transylvania (today in Romania). Former Slovak President Rudolf Schuster is partly Zipser German.
During and after World War II, most Zipsers evacuated or were expelled to West Germany. A community of speakers remains in the Zips town of Chmeľnica () (their distinctive dialect is called 'Outzäpsersch', , literally ), and others remain in Romania where they and other German-speaking groups are currently represented by the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (FDGR/DFDR). Some notable localities in southern Bukovina (contemporary Suceava County) previously inhabited by a significant number of Zipser Germans include Iacobeni (), Cârlibaba (), and Fundu Moldovei ().