... and she lives in a Nazi hospital!

This may be a long post, but boy is it interesting! Don’t worry, not all of my posts will be about history, but how could I go to Germany and not share information about WWII!? Read on for some very interesting connections, facts, and insights. If I have used words that you do not know, look them up! Mrs. Railey showed you a quick way to use the internet as a dictionary; just go to google.com, type in define: and then whatever word you want to know. Enjoy!


My cousin Laura lives in a dormitory with other people that work at the lodge. The 6^th graders/future 7^th graders may find this next part particularly interesting after reading Number the Stars by Lois Lowry; Laura’s dormitory was once a Nazi hospital! There are still murals painted on the walls that depict Aryan men and women in scenes involving nature, house duties, and hospital duties. If you remember, someone who is Aryan is someone who typically has blonde hair, blue eyes, and is strong. The Nazis wanted the Aryan race to be the most important, and eventually the only, race in Germany. The murals truly are beautifully done; however, they are a reminder of all the races and people that were purposely left out of the murals. The murals do not show anyone that is not Aryan, or anyone with a physical or mental handicap. Remember the lesson from The Terrible Things by Eve Bunting; the more we stand together, the stronger we are. You should be proud that in the United States, many of our memorials, murals, statues, etc. show the great diversity of our people, that every American, no matter what they look like, is a builder of our nation.

These murals were painted in 1939. Now, if you paid close attention, you may remember that it was in 1939 that World War II started when Germany forcefully invaded Poland on September 1^st, prompting the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) and France to declare war on Germany.  Don’t let this fool you into believing the Nazi Germans weren’t doing anything before then. Adolf Hitler actually came to power in Germany in 1933. He was appointed the Chancellor of Germany by the German President Paul von Hindenburg. He spent years making the government, which was once democratic, into an authoritarian government. An authoritarian government in one in which most or all of the power is given to one leader; in this case, Hitler. His goal was to unite the German-speaking lands that were divided after World War I.  As Hitler became more popular, he became more powerful.

This mural depicts an Aryan Olympics in the style of the original Olympics in Ancient Greece. It includes events like horse riding, running, discus throwing and javelin throwing.

This is a mural of Germans giving soldiers food and water. Although I can’t prove it, I am almost positive that the white Red Cross armband was originally a red Nazi armband.

This is just one wing of Laura's dorm. It definitely does not look like a modern hospital!

In the spring of 1938, Germany annexed Austria in what is called the Anschluss. If you have seen The Sound of Music, the von Trapps live in Austria. After Maria and Captain von Trapp come home from their honeymoon, the find Nazi German flag hanging on their house. The Anschluss happened while they were away without any fighting. In fact, the Austrian Nazis gained positions in Austria’s government and voted to be annexed by Germany. To be annexed means to become part of another country. (Did you know: Texas was once a country on its own? The Republic of Texas was annexed by the United States in 1845.)

After the successful Anschluss, Hitler talked the British and French prime ministers into allowing Germany to occupy parts of the Sudetenland. Many of the people living in the Sudetenland had ancestors who were German. The land was given to Czechoslovakia after WWI, even though many people living there would rather have been part of German Austria. Since many people felt more German than Czechoslovakian, Hitler claimed the Sudetenland for Germany in the fall of 1938. Czechoslovakia wasn’t very happy about this. After WWII, they were allowed to expel, or force out, around 500,000 Germans living in the Sudetenland as Czechoslovakia claimed the area for itself once again. You may be interested to know that Czechoslovakia is now two countries: the Czech Republic and Slovakia. They split in 1993, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. If you think American geography is tough, just think about the long history and changing countries that students in Europe have to know!

Now, the Germans are very sensitive to their Nazi history. The government has done a tremendous job of keeping people from idolizing or worshipping their Nazi past. Nazi symbols have been banned and groups that support Nazi beliefs are restricted. Schools teach the history of the Holocaust up front without trying to hide their embarrassing past. The success of Germany is related to confronting their past with honesty, regret, and the desire to move forward without racism or hatred. Unfortunately, not all countries with a history of genocide have taken this route. This clearly shows us that EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS!  And it starts with children in school- like you!