Figure 1.--This looks like a group of students that a teacher is taking for a hike into the countryside. As the boys do not wear uniforms they are not a youth group. The photograph is undated, but looks like the early-1920s to us. |
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We note some images that look like teachers taking their students out for hikes into the country. We believe this began in the 19th century. Photography at the tiome was primarily studio potrtraits, so wedo not begin to see many snapshots of these outings until the 20th century. We are not sure just what the objectives of these outings were besides fresh air and exercize. Did the teachers give lectures on wildlife, botony, geology, history, or other topics. The boys do not seem to be camping, so they apparently were outings very close to home. We do not see similar outings in other countries. This seems to be a very German school activity. As the boys do not wear uniforms, they were not youth groups. And as sometimes there are different age children present, we suspect that they may not be class groups, although often the children look to be largely the same age. One possibility may be a class field trip. We are not entirely sure to differentiate hikes from field trips with more narrow eduvational purposes. We think that these outings may have been fairly common through the 1920s and early 30s. They may have declined after the NAZI take over (1933). This is suggested by the photographic record as most of the outings we have found with teachers seem to pre-date the NAZIs. Perhaps our German readers will know more about this. Teachers may have been concerned about being misunderstood when the NAZIs banned youth groups other than the Hitler Youth (HJ). Even informal assoviation may have seemed rather like organizing youth. Also the HJ program included hikes and other outings which may have reduced the interest among the boys in additional such outings.
We note some images that look like teachers taking their students out for hikes into the country. We believe this began in the 19th century. Photography at the time was primarily studio potrtraits, so we do not begin to see many snapshots of these outings until the 20th century. We are not ebntiely sure yet about the early-20th century before World War I. We see large numbers of these images in the 1920s and early-30s. There seem to have been a very close relationship between the boys and teachers. These are often single gender groups as most schools were gender separated. There were mixed primary schools, mostly village schools. We think this somewhat restricted such activities for girls as parents were more concerned about the safety of their girls way from home. And we notice far more snapshots of boy groups than girl groups on these outings. After the mid-30s, however, they become much less common. We believe this was becuse NAZI policy was to decrese the role of school in the lives of children and increase the role of the Hitler Youth movement. So we saee many instance of HJ outings of various kinds. We can usually tell the difference by the ways boys are dressed. Boys were school clothes or other regular clothes for school outings. A few boys may have worn their HJ uniforms which were allowed at school. Boys on HJ outings almost always wore their uniforms. Thus we have an easy way of destinguishing between school and HJ outings in the ample photographic record. After the War, school outings beyond local walks were not immediately possible. The transportation system was destroyed and the economy shattered. Conditions began improving, at least in the West, after 1948 and the beginnking of the German economic miracle. Weare not sure that school outings resumed in the same way as was common before th NAZIs took power. At least we have not found as much evidence of such outings in the photographic record.
We are not sure just what the objectives of these outings were besides fresh air and exercize. Did the teachers give lectures on wildlife, botony, geology, history, or other topics. The boys do not seem to be camping, so they apparently were outings very close to home. Nor are we entirely sure why they wee so populasr with the boys. As an American boy I was quite happy to get out of school and away from the teachers. As far aswe know, these outings were voluntary.
We do not see similar outings in other countries. This seems to be a very German school activity. There was no such hiking day in American or British schools. We are less sure about other countries, but the photographic record suggests that no other country had a Wandetag, at least one that was widely observed. Nor do we see school outings anywhere as common as in Germany.
As the boys do not wear uniforms, they were not youth groups. Germany had a very active and varied youth movement. The NAZIs closed or incorporated these groups in to the Hitler Youth. And they increased the number of participants. The boys in these photographs are clearly not youth group members. And you can see that the adult with them by the way he is dressed is a teacher anbd not a youth group leader.
We see a variety of school groups on outings into the country. The groups vary a good deal. Sometimes they appear to be class groups because of the fact that the children are the same age. Sometimes they are mixed gender groups and some times there are single gender groups. This depended on the school. The Germans had Wandertag.
This was a special day at school in which the children go hiking. We are not sure just how this worked. We note modern refererences to Wandertag (Hiking Day). We are not sure just how this worked. We do not know if Wandertag was just one day a year or if there were more than one day each year. Thedifferent classes seemed to have all taken off in different directions as the photographs taken show different class groups in isolated settings. Of course given the different ages, the children wouold have had varied phyical capabilities. Nor do we know if it was the same day throughout the country. We also note school groups on outings that do not seem to be Wandertags. Here we note different groups. There were groups of different sizes and ages. And as sometimes there are different age children present, we suspect that they may not be class groups, although often the children look to be largely the same age. One possibility may be a class field trip. We are not entirely sure to differentiate hikes from field trips with more narrow educational purposes. We are not entirely sure when these outings occurred, after school, during the school day, or on weekends. Perhaps it was all three.
Field trips are a school standard. The German term is 'Klassenfahrt' meaning school trip or ride. We have alo noted 'Exkursion' being used, butvths may be more hikes into the countryside. The fiekld trip was not always school standard and still is not in many countries. The main issue is transportation. Until after Wirld War II transportation was not available to move children. This meant that children for the most part could not move any distance from school. Thus any field trip beyond walking distances were not feasible. This began to change first in America which was the first country in which motor vehicles became common place and school busses were widely used. Without school busses the school field trip is extremnely limited. This is a little different in Europe where were advanced urban transit systems. This of course was the case in Germany, with busses, trams, and undergrounds. We are not sure, however, to what extent urbn transit was used for field trips. We do see more youth grouops involved in what looks like field trips during th NAZI era before the War (1930s). These were organized as bike or public transit trips, but by the Hirtler Youth organization and not the schools. We do not see evidence of school field trips in the photograophic records until after World War II and the German Economic Miracle as a result motor vehicles became common place in Germany for the first time. The only group movements we note from the schools are hikes out to the countryside. This seems to have been fairly common, but it was more of an aesthetic, health activity than an educational activity. Notice that the German term for field trip relates to a trip or ride, not a hike. We don't think that they can be called field trips with specific educational purposes. We think this was the general pattern throughout Europe. And it is confirmed by the photographic record. I know when I was teaching school in the 1970s that schools busses gabe me the ability to move my students anywhere in the city for a field trip. Without those busses, field trips would have been complicated if not impossible.
The photographs we have found are mostly boys. We are are not sure if girls also went on these outings. We do se some mixed school outings, almost all primary schools. We see far fewer girls' school outings than boys' school outings. We think that parents were more concerbed about the safety of their girls away from home. This is not to say that Germany was a dangerous place, far from it. But rflected the greater concern about the need to protect girls. In addition, a femal school teacher was not seen as capable of protecting and managing a school group as a male teacher.
We think that these outings into the country led by teachers were very common in Germany. The photographic record certainly suggests this . We see very large numbers of these groups in the 1920s. Most asre undated, but can be roughly dated by the clothese the boys are wearing. may have been fairly common through the 1920s and early 30s. They may have declined after the NAZI take over (1933). This is suggested by the photographic record as most of the outings we have found with teachers seem to pre-date the NAZIs. Perhaps our German readers will know more about this. Teachers may have been concerned about being misunderstood when the NAZIs banned youth groups other than the Hitler Youth (HJ). Even informal assoviation may have seemed rather like organizing youth. Also the HJ program included hikes and other outings which may have reduced the interest among the boys in additional such outings.
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