Hirschberg, Jelenia-Gora

In the home of my youth, over the entry from the kitchen into the living room, was a plaque with a large buck. Hirschberg, Deer Mountain, was inscribed over the top. My parents talked of this place constantly. It was Die Heimat, The Homeland. My mother's family moved there when she was young and my father's family moved from the village to the town to secure work opportunity. 
    


In 1998, the Ring, a circle of shops in the middle of town was being restored. I am curious about what
it looks like today.



         The history of Hirschberg goes way back. Talking with a Polish museum curator I found her fascination with history interesting. Her parents were Polish refugees who were displaced and unsure of  the permanence of this new home. She was of the next generation who had no past here but wanted to know the German history to round out her knowledge of place.



       The Lutheran Church, now Catholic, was where my family worshipped. They were married there.



     In 1998, Poland had little money for renewal and change so we found many places as they were in the 1930's. My brother could remember some things and I had old pictures so we think we found the apartment style home where my parents and extended family lived during World War II.



4 comments:

  1. I'm so pleased to find your blog. There is much for me to read here and I shall but what first drew my attention was when I was searching for information on Hirschberg. I am English but my father's family came from Hirschberg and I've always wanted to know more about them and how they came to leave Germany after the second world war. They were sad circumstances as you may know. Would you happen to know where I could find out more about Hirschberg and what it was like around that time? Before it became part of Poland. What is particularly exciting for me at the moment is that I plan to visit there, hopefully this year, to take a working holiday in one of the villages in the nearby mountains. I want to go back and pay homage to them. Could I give you my email address or my Facebook page and maybe you could make contact - if that suited you too? Thank you very, very much. Melanie Benn

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm so pleased to find your blog. There is much for me to read here and I shall but what first drew my attention was when I was searching for information on Hirschberg. I am English but my father's family came from Hirschberg and I've always wanted to know more about them and how they came to leave Germany after the second world war. They were sad circumstances as you may know. Would you happen to know where I could find out more about Hirschberg and what it was like around that time? Before it became part of Poland. What is particularly exciting for me at the moment is that I plan to visit there, hopefully this year, to take a working holiday in one of the villages in the nearby mountains. I want to go back and pay homage to them. Could I give you my email address or my Facebook page and maybe you could make contact - if that suited you too? Thank you very, very much. Melanie Benn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, please leave me your e-mail address and I will contact you. I will erase your e-mail as soon as I see it.

      Delete
  3. I look forward to hearing from you! I shall shall this page with my Aunt who is my 'historian' :-)

    ReplyDelete

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