Individual Czechoslovak German School: Königsberg an der Eger Primary School (1937-38)



Figure 1.-- This photograph shows a group of German schoolboys in Königsberg an der Eger taken in the late-1930s (about 1937-38 according to the source). This is a city school. There would have been more than one primary school in the city. And city schools as in Germany were commonly single-gender schools. The boys look to be about 6-years old and are just beginning school. This was right before the German invasion just before World War II (1939).

This photograph shows a group of German schoolboys in what at the time was Königsberg an der Eger. Czech towns historically had both Czech and German names. The Czechs have a long association with the Germans. The Czech Republic borders on Germany and Austria. Bohemia (the major part of the Czech Republic) was for several centuries ruled by the German-speaking Hapsburgs. This small town was, however, located in Sudetenland where the population was mostly German. It was near the famous spas Karlsbad, Marienbad, and Franzensbad. Many towns in the Sudetenland only had German names. This area was settled by Germans in the medieval era. If this picture was taken in 1937/38 I am sure that these boys were marching to their German school. It is as the name indicates located on the Eger River. The photograph was taken in the late-1930s (about 1937-38 according to the source). This is a town school. Königsberg an der Eger is a small town and this school and a girls school were probably the only schools in town. City schools as in Germany were commonly single-gender schools. The boys look to be about 6-years old and are just beginning school. Notice the woolen overcoats, the various kinds of school caps. and the universal short trousers worn with long stockings. In this photo only one boy seems to be wearing additional ankle socks. There look to be some older boys behind them. For some reason the boys are parading through town, apparently in form (grade) order. This was right before the Germans seized the Sudetenland after the British and French refused to support the Czechs at the Munich Conference (October 1938). This Königsberg should not be confused with the better known Königsberg at the time in East Prussia (now Kaliningrad). The Germans seized the property of the Czechs in the Sudetenland. Many Czechs left, others were expelled. During the World War II occupation, the Germans were preparing to expel large numbers of Czechs from occupied Bohemia and Moravia, but because of military reverses in the East, were not able to began the process. After World War II, Czechoslovakia was reunited and the Czechs expelled the country's ethnic German populations, including the Germans in the Sudetenland. The town is now populated by Czechs. The German names are falling into disuse. Interestingly Kynšperk nad Ohří is not really Czech. The Czechoslovakian government as part of the process of expelling the Germans re-named many towns. Often all they did was spell them phonetically, so that at first site the name looks Czech, but when you pronounce the place it sounds German.






HBC-SU





Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[The 1880s] [The 1890s]
[The 1900s] [The 1910s] [The 1920s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s]
[The 1950s] [The 1960s] [The 1970s] [The 1980s]



Related Style Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Long pants suits] [Knicker suits] [Short pants suits] [Socks] [Eton suits] [Jacket and trousers] [Blazer]
[School sandals] [School smocks] [Sailor suits] [Pinafores] [Long stockings]



Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Page
[Return to the Main Independent Czech inidual school page]
[Return to the Main Independent Czech school page]
[Return to the Main Czech school uniform country page]
[Return to the Main Czechoslovakian page]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries] [Topics]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]




Created: 9:02 AM 6/19/2011
Last updated: 6:33 PM 6/20/2011