Martha Senftleben and Deutsche Gotterkenntnis (Society for the Knowledge of God) in the Karkonosze Mountains

On the tombstones of two individuals buried in the forest cemetery in Michałowice, there are inscribed runes and a triskelion. One of them will be our focus today, although you’ll soon see that her story is about to be eclipsed by a certain couple. But let’s start from the beginning.

Tombstone of Martha Senftleben at the cemetery between Michałowice and Piechowice / Photo by Marta Maćkowiak

Martha Binner was born in Niemcza (Nimtsch) on October 1st, 1859, as the daughter of Herman Oswald Binner, a master painter, and Ernestine Dorothy née Burgstadt, both Evangelicals. She married Bruno Senftleben, a technician from Świdnica (Schweidnitz). The couple settled in his hometown and had one son, Herbert, and one daughter, Margarethe. The years 1916 and 1917 proved tragic for Martha – first her husband passed away, followed shortly by her 22-year-old son, who died on August 8th, 1917, on the front in Bukovina. Interestingly, Herbert’s death was registered in Piechowice, where he was said to reside before his death, while according to the record, his mother still lived in Świdnica. I suspect he might have been staying with his sister, who married Alfred Georg Poludniok, a writer, in Piechowice in 1915.

Gravestones at the cemetery between Michałowice and Piechowice / Photo by Marta Maćkowiak

Going back to Martha – we know she passed away on December 25th, 1939. According to her death certificate, she passed away in her apartment in Piechowice (Petersdorf) 96, and her religion was listed as… Deutsche Gotterkenntnis, which literally translates to German Knowledge of God. And now the most intriguing part begins.

Death certificate of Martha Senftleben / Source: The State Archive in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra branch

The religious movement Deutsche Gotterkenntnis was established by the controversial General Erich Ludendorff and his wife Mathilde von Kemnitz (Spiess). In the early 1920s, Erich was dubbed “the most dangerous man in Germany” and by others – the forefather of Nazism. He was the author of the controversial book “The Total War”, wherein he asserted that Germany’s fundamental objective was perpetual war and conquest.

In 1924, Erich established the Tannenbergbund association, which focused on political activities and “promoted a mystical pantheism with a Germanic-racist flavor.” In 1926, he married his second wife, Mathilde, a psychiatrist, who took charge of the religious aspect of Tannenbergbund – Deutschvolk, founded in 1930. Mathilde formulated its ideological principles, which were pantheistic, anthropocentric, and nationalist. The movement was extremely right-wing, anti-Semitic, and anti-Christian, to the point that even the NSDAP was considered too soft on this faith for them. Despite her involvement in the volkist movement, Mathilde opposed occultism and astrology, labeling them as a “Jewish distortion of astronomy,” and criticized theories suggesting the Indo-European origin of Germans. She aimed to create a new, genuine German religion.

Erich and Mathilde Lundendorff

Because some of her views were extremely radical and bordering on conspiracy theories, the movement wasn’t universally regarded as credible. Mathilde Ludendorff asserted, among other things, that the Dalai Lama was guiding Jews in their supposed efforts to undermine Germany through Marxism, Catholicism, capitalism, and Freemasonry. She argued that Christian beliefs were incompatible with the Aryan ideal and that the Bible and Christianity themselves were fraudulent.

Despite this, in the early 1930s, the community boasted 320 local groups comprising approximately 15,000 members across the Reich. In 1933, the movement was outlawed by the authorities, but just 4 years later, in 1937, Erich gained approval to revive the religious movement, this time under the name Deutsche Gotterkenntnis, which continued the legacy of Deutschvolk. Consequently, German Knowledge of God became a state-sanctioned belief.

Erich passed away at the end of that same year. Meanwhile, in 1951, Mathilde established the Association for Gotterkenntnis, which had 12,000 members, and in 1955, she also founded a school. The association faced another ban from 1961 to 1977. It continues to operate today; as of 2010, it reportedly had around 240 members.

Erich and Mathilde Lundendorff

And circling back to the Karkonosze Mountains – new findings raise new questions. How did Martha become involved with Deutsche Gotterkenntnis? Could it be linked to her son-in-law’s artistic profession? Where did the community meetings take place? Did all those buried in Michałowice belong to the same movement, or perhaps different ones? Hopefully, we’ll uncover the answers soon!

Źródła:

Nazi Bishop in Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój (Bad Warmbrunn)

In 1927, at 70 Hermsdorferstrasse in Bad Warmbrunn (now Cieplicka 70 in Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój), lived Josef Galle, a senior tax secretary, Ernst Kuhlig, a chimney sweep, and Max Klein, a porter.

Contemporary view of the building / Photo by Marta Maćkowiak

I know very little about Josef and Max; by 1937, their names no longer appear in the address book. However, I managed to find out a bit more about the chimney sweep and one controversial figure, about whom I will tell you shortly.
 
Ernest Kuhlig was born on December 15, 1895, in Goldberg (Złotoryja). On April 23, 1921, he married Agnes Alwine Selma Hornig in Cunnersdorf (in the area of Mała Poczta in Jelenia Góra), a 24-year-old saleswoman from Dziwiszów Górny (Ober Berbisdorf). The groom lived at Hermsdorfstrasse 62 in Bad Warmbrunn at the time, while the bride resided at Dorfstrasse 210 in Cunnersdorf. The wedding was probably organized hastily because less than 4 months later, on August 17, 1921, their first daughter, Ilse, was born; the second would be named Inge. Unfortunately, 6 years later, on April 12, 1927, Ernst passed away, leaving Agnes and the girls alone. They likely had to move shortly thereafter because there is no trace of them at that address in the address books from the 1930s.

The first page of Ernst Kuhlig’s marriage certificate / Source: Landesarchiv Berlin

In 1939, Agnes Ludwig, a widow, resides in the villa alongside Bishop Fritz Kessel, who will be staying there at least until 1941. Upon further investigation, it seems likely that this refers to the controversial clergyman who, among other things, co-founded the pro-Nazi religious movement known as Deutsche Christen (German Christians). Fritz Kessel, born on March 10, 1887, pursued studies in Protestant theology at Königsberg (Królewiec), Heidelberg, and Breslau (Wrocław).

Address book from Bad Warmbrunn, 1941

After his studies, he participated in World War I. In 1917, he was ordained as a priest, and three years later, in 1920, he was sent to Brazil where he served as a pastor in Badenfurt (Santa Carolina). After another three years, he moved to Rio de Janeiro, and in 1925, he returned to Germany. He then became a parish priest in Parchwitz (Prochowice), and in 1928, he additionally took on a role in the parish of St. Nicolai in Berlin-Spandau. In 1932, he co-founded the aforementioned Deutsche Christen movement, and in 1933, he was appointed Bishop of East Prussia with headquarters in Königsberg – against the will of Gauleiter Erich Koch.

Archival photo of the building / Source: Fotopolska eu

In 1936, due to internal disagreements, Kessel resigned from his position and left East Prussia. With the assistance of the party, he received a research scholarship the same year, which he used to analyze his botanical research from Brazil, and it is likely that he lived in the house at Cieplicka 70 during this time.
 
During the war, he volunteered in the Luftwaffe’s construction battalion. Following the war, he lived in Osterode am Harz, where he later passed away.

Contemporary view of the building / Photo by Marta Maćkowiak

Sources:

Haus Wunsch

Haus Wunsch at ul. Złoty Widok 1 in Michalowice (Kiesewald).

Haus Wunsch currently / Photo by Marta Maćkowiak

As indicated on the plaque next to it, the building was constructed in the years 1928-1928 by Otto Wunsch – a glass grinder from Sobieszów (Hermsdorf). In the 1930s, this place was known for a restaurant run by the Wunsch family.

Archival photos of the building / Source: Polska-org

I wonder what the signature dish was?

Contemporary view of the building / Photo by Marta Maćkowiak

Do any of you happen to know any stories about this building? Post-war tales are welcome too; feel free to share them in the comments!

Sources:

  • Polska-org pl

Villa Martha

Villa Martha, at 68 Hermsdorferstrasse, Bad Warmbrunn. Today it’s Cieplicka 68, Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój, a part of Jelenia Góra. This address has popped up in your suggestions a few times, and I have to admit, I’m quite drawn to this villa as well, especially since we share a name.

Villa Martha currently / Fot. Marta Maćkowiak

Unfortunately, this time I didn’t find much – in the address books from 1927 and 1930, there’s mention of Marie Succo. In 1939, alongside her, now a widow, there’s also Ilse, webmeisterin (not a webmaster, but a weaver) with the same surname. Perhaps a daughter?

Archival photos of the building. On the left, a view from the garden side / Źródło: Polska-org

And that’s it. The trail has gone cold for now. At least I got some practice taking photos with the camera.

Contemporary view of the building / Fot. Marta Maćkowiak

Do any of you happen to know any stories about this building? Post-war tales are welcome too; feel free to share them in the comments!

Sources:

  • Polska-org pl

The Last Apartment at “Pod Lwem”

When I saw that advertisement, I couldn’t just pass by indifferently. Tiled stove, space, light, layout… One can only imagine how beautifully life must have been here once.

Interior of the building on Mornicka Street / Photo by Dudek Real Estate Agency

Morcinka Street in Jelenia Góra (Hirschberg) was originally known as Kirchhofweg, then changed its name to Friedhofstrasse in 1921, and finally Uhladstrasse from 1935. Before 1922, this area was a distinct village called Cunnersdorf.
 
As of 1916, records show that Drosdek, the owner of the Löwen Apotheke on the ground floor, resided here. Today, in the same location, there is still a pharmacy that pays homage to its former name, “Pod Lwem” (Under the Lion).

Historical view of the building / Source: Polska-org.pl

In that same building, there were residents like barber Meßner, Pastor Ratsch, and the Rosemann couple – Curt, a bank board member, and his wife Martha.

In 1939, Hermine Seidel still resided here along with legal trainee Werner Loecher, court inspector Georg Loechel, painter Paul Krause, pharmacist Odo Wanke, and, of course, Heinrich Drosdek, the owner of the pharmacy.

On July 28, 1928, 69-year-old Heinrich married 56-year-old widow Anna Luise Maria Pelz née Mannigel, originally from Nysa (Neisse). She was the daughter of merchant Richard Mannigel and Maria née Vietz. They shared 11 beautiful years together – unfortunately, on February 18, 1939, Anna Luise passed away due to diabetes and kidney failure.

Death certificate of Anna / Source: State Archives in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra branch

Heinrich lived here until his death. On July 22, 1944 his son, Dr. Walter Drosdek, a medical doctor, reported to the Civil Registry Office that his father, a Catholic and the son of the gunsmith Anton Drosdek and Katharina née Stanek, born on November 10, 1858, in Gliwice (Gleiwitz), had passed away on July 21, 1944, at 8 a.m., due to heart failure.

Death certificate of Heinrich / Source: State Archives in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra branch

And shortly after, both the apartments and the pharmacy changed ownership, marking a new chapter in the building’s history. Do you happen to know anything about the people who lived there after the war?
 
I hope this remarkable 160 m2 apartment finds a new owner who will give it a second chance at life.

Interior of the building on Mornicka Street / Photo by Dudek Real Estate Agency

Photos of the apartment: Dudek Real Estate Agency (Biuro Nieruchomości Dudek)

Źródła:

  • Polska-org pl
  • Archiwum Państwowe we Wrocławiu oddział w Jeleniej Górze (State Archives in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra branch)
  • Biuro Nieruchomości Dudek (Dudek Real Estate Agency)

Czarny Niedźwiedź (Schwarzer Bär)

The building number 5 on Kleine Wilhelmstrasse in Bad Warmbrunn (today Źródlana 5 in Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój) belonged to the master tailor Josef Kutnar. It housed an inn called Schwarzer Bär, which, according to the guide from 1873 titled “Heilquellen und Kurorte Führer durch das Schlesische Gebirge,” was a first-class inn.

Building on Źródlana Street in Cieplice today / Photo by Marta Maćkowiak

On February 6, 1887, Josef married Marta née Markwirth in Bad Warmbrunn (Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój).
Josef was born on September 22, 1863, in the town of Mlázovice in Czechia, the son of Josef and Franziska née Stanisław. He may have been related to František Kutnar, a renowned Czech historian who also hailed from Mlázovice. Marta Markwirth was a native of Warmbrunn, born on August 18, 1868, the daughter of the trader August and Augusta née Liebig. Josef and Marta had seven children: Erich, Alfred, Elfriede Hedwig, Otto Wilhelm, Klara Emma, Arthur Gerhard, and Oskar Friedrich. Unfortunately, only three of them survived to adulthood – the eldest daughter, Elfriede, and the two youngest sons, Arthur Gerhard and Oskar Friedrich.

Marriage certificate of Josef and Marta / Source: State Archives in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra branch

According to the 1927 address book, Josef lived in a house near the river at Hospitalstrasse 9, just a 2-minute walk away (now Staromiejska 11A). In 1939, he moved back to his inn at number 5 – the street was now called Am Friedrischsbad. Also residing there were his son-in-law, Elfriede’s husband Otto Klötzke, a weaver by profession, widow Käthe Mustroff, police commander Paul Kath, senior prosecutor Lothar Jensch, and worker Martha Schäfer. Further details of their fate are currently unknown.

Details of the building that once hosted the inn / Photos by Marta Maćkowiak

Sources:

  • Private archive of Marta Maćkowiak
  • Archiwum Państwowe we Wrocławiu oddział w Jeleniej Górze (State Archives in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra branch)

Apteka pod Koroną (Kronenapotheke) in Cieplice

Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój and the faintly appearing inscriptions on the building at 246 Wolności Street. What is the story behind them?

The building at ul. Wolności 246 in Cieplice / Photo by Marta Maćkowiak

I’ll gladly answer this question today. Before the war, the numbering was a bit different, and the address of the building was Warmbrunnerstrasse 105, Herischdorf (now part of Cieplice, post-war known as Malinniki). On the ground floor, there used to be Kronenapotheke, a pharmacy run by Konrad Tschanter.

Detail of the building at ul. Wolności 246/ Photo by Marta Maćkowiak

Konrad was born on March 1, 1859, in Głogów (Glogau), the son of Johann Karl Gottfried Tschanter and Marie Josephine Friederike Hoffmann, both of whom you can see in the pictures below.

On the right: Marie Josephine Friederike Hoffmann, on the left: Johann Karl Gottfried Tschanter, parents of Konrad Tschanter / Source: Rüdiger Tschanter, Ancestry

On March 17, 1903, he married Ella Martha Dänzer in Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój (Bad Warmbrunn), a local resident and the daughter of the rentier Gustav Dänzer and Olga née Berck. The couple had a son, Hans Ulrich, born on the last day of the same year.
 
Konrad Tschanter continued to manage his pharmacy until his death on November 30, 1927, at the age of 68. The further fate of the business remains unknown because Hans Ulrich, Konrad and Ella’s only child, had already married his first wife, Angelika Heymann, in Breslau (Wrocław) by 1935.

Death certificate of Konrad Tschanter / Source: State Archives in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra branch

Konrad’s wife, Ella Martha, remained in Cieplice, specifically in Malinnik, where she lived until March 1, 1945. Upon learning about the approaching Red Army, she reportedly took a fatal dose of poison.

Sources:

  • private archive of Marty Maćkowiak
  • Archiwum Państwowe we Wrocławiu oddział w Jeleniej Górze (State Archives in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra branch)
  • Rüdiger Tschanter, Ancestry

Minna Frieda Juppe – the kind spirit from Domek pod Orzechem

A few years ago, during the renovation of the roof of their over 150-year-old house in Gierczyn (Giehren) in the Jizera Mountains, Ania and Darek unexpectedly discovered a gravestone of a child. The inscription reads, “Here rests in the Lord Minna Frieda Juppe from Förstel. Born on November 23, 1906, died on June 3, 1907.” Who was this little girl, and how did the gravestone end up in Domek pod Orzechem? I immediately wanted to find out.

The gravestone of Minna Frieda Juppe / Photo: private archive of Ania, the owner of Domek pod Orzechem in Gierczyn.

Minna Frieda was born in Gierczyn on November 23, 1906, at 3 o’clock in the morning, in house number 139, as the daughter of Gustav Juppe, a daily laborer, and Emma née Kuttig. On June 3, 1907, Gustav appeared at the Civil Registry Office and reported that on that day, at 10:45 in the morning, his little daughter, only 6 months and 10 days old, had passed away. Unfortunately, the cause of death is unknown – was it an illness, an accident? We may never find out.

On the right: Minna Frieda Juppe’s birth certificate, on the left: Minna Frieda Juppe’s death certificate / Source: State Archives in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra branch

Gustav and Emma had 8 more children – Marta, Emma, Anna, Heinrich, Fritz, Karl, Frieda, and Otto. From Gustav’s will, we find out that Marta married Robert Schwedler and lived with him in Świeradów-Zdrój (Bad Flinsberg) at house number 112 (Walze Street). Emma became a nun in Głogów (Glogau, Wilhelmplatz 8), Heinrich worked as a laborer in Rębiszów (Muhldorf 113), Fritz became a chauffeur, Karl was a bricklayer, also serving in the military, Frieda married Willi Tischer, and they lived in Ubocze (Schosdorf). Oskar and Anna resided in Lasek (Förstel) at 127.

Entry from the 1940 address book with the name Gustav Juppe

On the right: Gustav Juppe’s will, on the left: Gustav Juppe’s signature / Source: State Archives in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra branch.

From the sales document, we know that the property with house number 127 was purchased by Gustav from Ewald Baumert in 1918. Twenty-two years later, Gustav passed away, precisely on February 16. Before his death, he had prepared a will in which he requested that the sale of the property to third parties be considered only in dire circumstances. In April of the same year, his wife, Emma, who was bedridden due to disability, sold the property to their daughter, Anna Juppe, 51.10 acres for 1000 German marks – 300 paid in cash to the mother, and the remaining 700 divided equally among the siblings, at 100 marks each.
 
In the purchase agreement, it was specified that the 63-year-old mother, who was disabled, would have access to free accommodation in one of the living rooms. Additionally, provisions were made for her meals, heating, lighting, and cleaning. Immediate care in case of illness was also ensured, although medical expenses, including the doctor and pharmacy, were not covered.
 
Additionally, Anna was required to offer her 23-year-old brother, Oskar Juppe, who worked as a laborer, free housing until he got married, with the condition that he helped in running the farm.

Deed of sale / Source: State Archives in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra branch.

What were the further fates of the family? Is Domek pod Orzechem the former house with the number 127, 139, or did the gravestone end up here entirely by chance? Förstel is a hamlet of Gierczyn, now called Lasek, located in the upper part of the village. Looking at pre-war photos and postcards, it’s evident that there were more buildings higher up, near the edge of the forest. Did Gustav and Emma’s sons, Fritz and Karl, return from the war? What happened to Anna, Oskar, and their mother, who were living in Lasek at 127 as of 1940?

Archival photos of Domek pod Orzechem / Photo: private archive of Ania, the owner of Domek pod Orzechem in Gierczyn.

At least we know a bit more about the kind spirit residing in Domek pod Orzechem, lending a hand to the hosts. Discover it for yourself and consider Gierczyn for a weekend retreat.

Domek pod Orzechem today / Photo: private archive of Ania, the owner of Domek pod Orzechem in Gierczyn.

Thank you to Ania from Domek pod Orzechem for sharing the photos.

Sources:

  • private archive of Ania, the owner of Domek pod Orzechem in Gierczyn
  • Archiwum Państwowe we Wrocławiu oddział w Jeleniej Górze (State Archives in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra branch)

Friedrich von Bernhardi – author of the book that started World War I and his villa in Jelenia Góra (Hirschberg)

I felt that someone exceptional lived in this house, but I did not expect that the pre-war owner of the villa at today’s ul. Tkacka 19 in Jelenia Góra (pre-war Warmbrunnerstrasse 104 in Cunnersdorf) would turn out to be the author of the book that supposedly triggered World War I.

Contemporary view of the villa formerly owned by Friedrich von Bernhardi / Photo by Marta Maćkowiak

The first German who passed through the Arc de Triomphe after the Prussians entered Paris. One of the most controversial German militarists. Friedrich von Bernhardi lived and died in Jelenia Góra (Hirschberg), specifically in Cunnersdorf, a village annexed to Hirschberg in 1922.

Friedrich Adam Julius von Bernhardi

Friedrich was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, on November 22, 1849, as the son of diplomat and historian Felix Theodor Bernhardi and Charlotte Friederike Julie (née Krusenstern), Baltic Germans. His maternal grandfather was Admiral Adam Johann Ritter von Krusenstern (Baltic Germans were recruited into the Russian administrative apparatus and the officer corps of the Russian army), the commander of the first Russian circumnavigation expedition and a co-founder of the Russian Geographical Society.
 
When Friedrich was 2 years old, the family moved to Cunnersdorf, an area known as the Little Post Office District in Jelenia Góra.

Friedrich’ s grandfather, Adam Johann Ritter von Krusenstern

During the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), he served as a cavalry lieutenant in the 14th Hussar Regiment of the Prussian Army. At that time, he had the honor of leading the parade that marched under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. From 1891 to 1894, he was a German military attaché in Bern, later the head of the military history department at the Great General Staff in Berlin, and then became a commanding general the VII Corps of the Army in Münster, Westphalia.
 
In 1909, he retired and devoted himself to writing, focusing on his favorite subject, which was military affairs.
 
His most famous work, Deutschland und der Nächste Krieg or Germany and the Next War, published in 1911, is considered a book that supposedly triggered World War I. In it, Bernhardi openly advocated for Germany to attack France and Britain, anticipating their moves.
 
Friedrich was also considered one of the most controversial militarists. He asserted, among other things, that war is a “biological necessity” and is in accordance with the “natural law upon which all laws of nature are based, the law of the struggle for existence.”
 
He also believed that war ensures development and that it was war that “forged Prussia hard as steel.” The rallying cry was to be: “World power or downfall,” and he advocated for an aggressive stance for Germany.
 
When the war finally broke out, Bernhardi was reinstated into active military service. Initially stationed in Poznań, in September 1915, he was transferred to the Eastern Front, where he commanded near Slonim and later in Volhynia. In 1918, due to health reasons, he retired from military service and returned to his family estate in Cunnersdorf.

Contemporary view of the house and photos of preserved historical interior details / Source: private archive

Friedrich was married twice. His first wife, Helene Agnes von Klitzing, whom he married in Berlin on January 19, 1881, hailed from Lüben, present-day Lubno in Wielkopolska (Greater Poland), and was the daughter of Max von Klitzing and Louise, owners of the now-ruined manor in Kłębowiec.
 
Helene Agnes passed away at the age of 31 on July 6, 1890, and 2 years later, Friedrich married for the second time. At the age of 44, on July 19, 1893, he married Katherine von Colomb in the Evangelical Church in Cassel. Katherine was born in Berlin and was the daughter of Prussian General Wilhelm Günther Von Colomb and Klara Louise von Binger.

Friedric’s father-in-law, Wilhelm Günther von Colomb

Katharine also passed away first – on April 5, 1929, in her home at Warmbrunnerstrasse 104 (today ul. Tkacka 19), having lived for 75 years. Friedrich, at the age of 80, departed a year later – on July 10, leaving no descendants.

Death certificate of Katharine von Bernhardi (left) and Friedrich von Bernhardi (right) / Source: State Archives in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra branch

Thank you very much to the owners for sharing these beautiful interior photos.

Sources:

  • private archive
  • Archiwum Państwowe we Wrocławiu oddział w Jeleniej Górze (State Archives in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra branch)

Zur Eisenbahn Inn in Piechowice (Petersdorf)

At ul. Przemysłowa 6 in Piechowice (Przemysłowa Street 6, Petersdorf), there was an inn called Zur Eisenbahn, which, in the 1930s, was operated by the Deckwerth couple – Emil and Elsa. After Emil’s death, Elsa took over the management of the restaurant, a world of business and inns that had been familiar to her since childhood.

Zur Eisenbahn Inn, source: Polska-org.pl

The couple got married on March 12, 1928, in Piechowice (Petersdorf). Emil Deckwerth, a restaurant manager, was born on December 24, 1897, in Osiecznica (Wehrau kreis Bunzlau). Elsa Walter, née Werner, also a restaurateur, and a widow five years his senior, was born in Szklarska Poręba (Schreiberhau) on January 9, 1892. Her previous marriage took place on December 15, 1913, in Szklarska Poręba. Her first husband, Richard Adolf Kurt Walter, was a brewer and lived in Cieplice (Warmbrunn). He was the son of economic inspector Adolf Walter and Marie Lonny, née Frommhold, who both originally came from Legnica (Liegnitz), and eventually settled in Jelenia Góra (Hirschberg).

On the left side, the first page of Elsa Werner’s marriage certificate; on the right – the first page of the marriage certificate of Elsa Werner and Emil Deckwerth.

From the marriage certificate, we can find out that Elsa was the daughter of Hermann Julius Werner, a restaurateur from Szklarska Poręba, and Anna Maria née John. The old Werner was the owner of Werner’s Gasthaus, an inn located at the site of today’s Museum of the Jizera Mountains (Muzeum Ziemi “Juna”, ul. Jeleniogórska 9, Szklarska Poręba; the building burned down in 2015 and was reconstructed). Interestingly, the original building was over 300 years old and stood on the foundations of an old watchtower. It housed the so-called Hunger Tavern, associated with the period of great famine. During public projects like building a mountain road along the Kamienna River, workers could receive, among other things, a loaf of freshly baked on-site bread.

Werner’s Inn, source: Polska-org.pl

Hermann Werner, as stated in the death certificate, originally came from Barcinek (Berthelsdorf), and passed away on October 3, 1922, at the age of 74, in house number 681 in Szklarska Poręba Górna. After Hermann’s death, the restaurant was taken over by Paul Kulas, a restaurateur residing in Pobiedna (Meffersdorf) at house number 30.

Emil Deckwerth’s death certificate

Returning to Piechowice and Elsa – her second husband, Emil Deckwerth, passed away on October 14, 1936, at the St. Hedwig Hospital in Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój (Bad Warmbrunn) at the age of 55. Elsa continued to run the Zur Eisenbahn Inn until at least 1939, as documentation from the W. Schimmelpfeng Information Office from that year has been preserved. It is unknown whether they had children or if Elsa survived the war.

Zur Eisenbahn Inn, source: Polska-org.pl

Today, the building serves a residential purpose. Does anyone know if there was a restaurant in the building again after the war? Let me know!

Contemporary view of the building that once housed the Zur Eisenbahn Inn / Photo by Marta Maćkowiak

Sources:

  • Polska-org.pl

Końcowy raport składa się z kopi odnalezionych dokumentów, tłumaczeń, zdjęć oraz podsumowania. Wyjaśniam pokrewieństwo odnalezionych osób, opisuję sprawdzone źródła i kontekst historyczny. Najczęściej poszukiwania dzielone są na parę etapów i opisuję możliwości kontynuacji.

Czasem konkretny dokument może zostać nie odnaleziony z różnych przyczyn – migracji do innych wiosek/miast w dalszych pokoleniach, ochrzczenia w innej parafii, lukach w księgach, zniszczeń dokumentów w pożarach lub w czasie wojen.  Cena końcowa w takiej sytuacji nie ulega zmienia, ponieważ wysiłek włożony w poszukiwania jest taki sam bez względu na rezultat.

Raporty mogą się od siebie mniej lub bardziej różnić w zależności od miejsca, z którego rodzina pochodziła (np. dokumenty z zaboru pruskiego, austriackiego i rosyjskiego różnią się od siebie formą i treścią).

 

Na podstawie zebranych informacji (Twoich i moich) przygotuję plan i wycenę – jeśli ją zaakceptujesz, po otrzymaniu zaliczki rozpoczynam pracę i informuję o przewidywanym czasie ukończenia usługi. Standardowe poszukiwania trwają około 1 miesiąca, a o wszelkich zmianach będę informować Cię na bieżąco.

Na Twoje zapytanie odpiszę w ciągu 3 dni roboczych i jest to etap bezpłatny. Być może zadam parę dodatkowych pytań, dopytam o cele albo od razu przedstawię propozycję kolejnych kroków.

Warto pamiętać, że im więcej szczegółów podasz, tym więcej rzeczy mogę odkryć.

Podziel się ze mną:

  • Imionami i nazwiskami przodków (wszystkich, o których wiesz)
  • Miejscami urodzenia i zamieszkania (jeśli jest inne np. wojnie)
  • Datami urodzenia, ślubów i zgonu (mogą być orientacyjne)
  • Informacjami o rodzeństwie, kuzynach, emigracjach.
  • Legendami i historiami rodzinnymi

I najważniejsze – jeśli masz niewiele informacji, zupełnie się tym nie martw, w takich sytuacjach także znajdę rozwiązanie.

All rights reserved ® Marta Maćkowiak 2023

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Zdjęcia: @kasia_kaleta

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