Accompanying Apprentices along the Traces of Memory

As a vocational school teacher at the provincial vocational school LBS Dornbirn 1, I have implemented several projects with apprentices. It is important to me that the apprentices learn about the history of the region during the Nazi era. I present a selection of projects below.

Tour of the Dornbirn memorial stone in January 2025

The tour of the memorial stone in Dornbirn, which I conducted with apprentices on 21 January 2025, makes a very good connection through the biographies of the victims. Empathy and civil courage are very important to me.

Empathy plays a central role in understanding the Holocaust. It enables us to understand the perspectives of the victims and to recognize the human tragedies behind the facts and figures. By putting ourselves in the shoes of those affected, we foster a deeper understanding of the impact of discrimination and violence. Empathy is not only an emotional response but also a motivator to actively stand up against injustice.

Civil courage is the courage to stand up for what is right, even if this proves uncomfortable. In the context of the Holocaust, it is important to honor the stories of those who stood up for others despite great danger. Civil courage comes in many forms, whether it is standing up for minorities, denouncing discrimination, or promoting respectful coexistence. As a teacher, I encourage my students to show civil courage.

Overall, memorial sites, empathy and civil courage are closely linked and form an important basis for learning from history and striving for a better future.

Excursion to Mauthausen Memorial in April 2018

On 27 April 2018 I visited the Mauthausen Memorial for the first time with apprentice carpenters from class Z3C. The visit to this historic site was a special experience for all the young people. They gained a very vivid impression of this place of horror, and their emotion was very evident.

Feedback from apprentice Philipp about this first visit to the Mauthausen Memorial: "It is frightening and interesting at the same time to see the Mauthausen Memorial. In my opinion, everyone should see what can happen when the wrong people come to power."

Jewish Museum Hohenems – Refugee stories in June 2019

For the M2D class (painters, second year of apprenticeship), I organized an excursion to Hohenems on 13 June 2019 on the subject of refugee stories. The meeting point was Hohenems train station. Judith Niederklopfer took us on a two-hour guided tour on the topic of escape routes to the Swiss border. The apprentices listened to audio interviews with former refugees and escape helpers who had accompanied them along the way. These were stories of escape, but also of the difficult new life afterwards.

Feedback from apprentices of class M2D:

"I liked it because you could hear the escape attempts and the audio of the people who witnessed them so that you could visualize them better. They explained it well and the audio from the people made it even more credible."

"Everyone just wants us young people and everyone on earth to know how bad it was in the past and that everything could be repeated if we don't know the history of the past."

"I went on an excursion to the forest with my M2D class on June 13; there we learned about the persecution of Jews during the Second World War. I found it very interesting because the Jews didn't have and still don't have an easy life. In my opinion, I find it disturbing how people discriminate against and kill other people just because of their faith or appearance. In my opinion, everyone has equal value, regardless of appearance, what faith they have, or what gender they are."

"We started at the train station in Hohenems. I found it interesting that we sometimes used this little phone [audio guide] to hear stories from people who survived. It was also good that we were outside in the fresh air, so it was much more pleasant. I found the story about the Second World War and the escape very interesting. I really enjoyed the tour. Ms. Niederklopfer was also very nice to us."

"Two nice ladies showed us stories and pictures of how the families lived back then and what their situation was. It was interesting to hear how the families fled and to see the places. Hopefully we will never have to experience a time like that again."

Second-generation eyewitness talk in March 2023

For the first time, there was a second-generation eyewitness talk in the ballroom at LBS Dornbirn 1 on 20 March 2023. Apprentices from classes T1C, BZ2C, M2C and M3C participated. First, Ms. Hubmann delved into the time of National Socialism and gave a very informative overview. Ms. Portenschlager then talked about her personal experiences as a child and adult with a severely traumatized father.

I asked the apprentices for their feedback:

Apprentice Mihajilo: "I found it very interesting that we were able to hear something like this, something that will remain in history forever and will never be forgotten. I really felt it when the women talked about it. What happened back then is very bad, but I think it is all the more important that it is not forgotten. Something like that must never be forgotten, the terrible deeds."

Apprentice Annabell: "I really enjoyed the presentation; it was a great experience to hear someone [tell] their own story about family members who lived through the Second World War and were in a concentration camp not far from here. I am very glad that we had the chance to listen to something so interesting. The two ladies were also very nice and answered all our questions in great detail. They also had a lot of moving pictures on the PowerPoint [presentation], which really touched me. It was a really great experience to hear their story, as it all happened here once and there is still war in many countries today. Thank you very much for the great presentation."

Apprentice Alissa: "I must say, it was really very interesting to listen to, because you could never imagine yourself in such a situation. This story really affected and touched me. In this day and age (...) [we have the] luxury (...) of not having war, of having a roof over our heads and food. What struck me most was the story about her father, where she told us that even a small piece of bread is valuable. To be happy when you get up and the world is in order as you know it. It must have been incredibly bad for her father too; you wouldn't wish something like that on anyone, what this poor man had to go through."

Commemorative tour of the Dornbirn City Museum in January 2025

On 21 January 2025, I toured the city of Dornbirn with Monika Grabher for the first time with apprentices from class T2B (carpenters, second year of apprenticeship) in gray and very cold weather. This tour requires two teaching periods, and it was certainly not the last time for me, as it is very easy to organize. The city museum is ten minutes away from the school.

The newly designed tour in six stations is specially tailored to the needs of pupils from the eighth grade upwards. At locations in the city center that we use every day today, individual stories are told about how Nazi rule, persecution, and the apparatus of power and resistance were interlinked. In the urban space and through the biographical stories, the history of the city becomes more tangible, especially for young people. The conflict-ridden history of the memorial stone's creation encourages reflection on how we deal with history.

Apprentice Linus: "In general, I think it was good to be reminded of the whole topic. I liked the fact that the lecturer kept asking questions. That made it easier for me to stay attentive. I was particularly touched by the photo of the church in Dornbirn with all the Hitler flags around it. That showed me once again how close it all was."

Excursion with apprentice classes M3C & B3C in February 2025

On 18 February 2025 eleven apprentices of classes M3C & B3C visited the Vorarlberg Museum in Bregenz to see the exhibition "We were excited! Why?"

The exhibition focuses on the fascination and enthusiasm for National Socialism in Vorarlberg at the time, as is highlighted in particular in the photographs by Werner Schlegel. This is intended to raise awareness of the role of photography as a means of propaganda, but also as a source for regional history.

Source: mm40_web.pdf

Apprentice Philip: "What I liked about this excursion to the provincial museum in Bregenz was the disclosure of various documents from this period, such as master craftsmen's letters and obituaries etc. This gave us deep insight into what things were like here in Vorarlberg at that time. I was particularly touched and shocked by the numbers that were revealed in the accounts. 120 Vorarlberg residents were sent to concentration camps and at least 50 died."

Apprentice Tamara: "I really enjoyed the excursion because we gained insight into how things worked back then and we saw that it wasn't always as nice as it is now."

Apprentice Julia: "I liked the exhibition because it gave me an insight into what happened in the past. I was particularly moved by the pictures and the texts about those who died."

Apprentice Marcio: "I liked the fact that something like this is being exhibited at all. I was particularly touched by the death figures (rest in peace)."

Apprentice Samuel: "I liked the documents and pictures, which showed everything very well, as well as the descriptions of the pictures. I was particularly touched by how many 'actions' and marches there were in Vorarlberg and how difficult it was back then."

Apprentice Kilian: "I found it very informative. For example, I didn't know that the SA had its own leader and initially had its own ideas. It was only after the 'eradication' of influential SA personalities by the NSDAP that the SA lost importance and was subsequently incorporated into the NSDAP. I was particularly touched by the pictures of places that I know very well today (Dornbirn market square, Feldkirch city center, Kornmarktplatz) to see how they were used as venues for National Socialist events at the time and also to see that people were enthusiastic and wanted to be part of it. I thought it was good that the exhibition was kept compact and informative. However, I would have liked to have received more information about victims and stories similar to that of the photographer."