BDM Haushaltungs- and Landfrauenschulen

[cemifor]

BDM Haushaltungs- and Landfrauenschulen

A subject we haven't talked much about is the approximately 40 BDM Haushaltungs (Housekeeping) and a few BDM Landfrauen (Farmer's wife) schools.

To get a better domestic training, and as a pre social and nursing training, Schirach ordered in 1938 the establishment of a domestic laborservice. All BDM girls between 14 and 21 years were obliged to serve for one year in domestic service.

From October 1935, Gertrud Kunzemann had been a teacher and leader of one of the BDM Haushaltungsschulen. She was appointed 1 May 1938 to "Obergauführerin" and "Referentin" for the "Socialen Amt" in the Reichsjugendführung. She became responsible for the domestic laborsevice, and served here until 12. April 1945.

I have information about 3 Landfrauenschulen:

BDM Landfrauenschule in Hoya, Niedersachsen. 15 April 1937, the school was recognized as a one class Landfrauenschule by the Prussian Minister of "Wissenschaft, Erziehung und Volksbildung" (Science, Education and Popular Culture).

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Hoya - BDM-Landfrauenschule

BDM Landfrauenschule in Tiefental, Eltville, Gebiet Hessen-Nassau. In September 1942, the school was recognized by the State as a one class Landfrauenschule. Schoolresponsible (Schulträger) was the Reichsjugendführung.

BDM Landfrauenschule in Mohorn-Grund. 1 April 1944, the school was recognized by the Reichsstatthalter (Govenor) of Sachen as a one class Landfrauenschule. Schoolresponsible (Schulträger) was the Reichsjugendführung.

 

[cemifor]

Please note that there were a lot of other Landfrauensschulen, that were not BDM schools.

Here is a list from 1939:

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Other responsible "Schulträger" were
the German states, Reichsnährstand, municipal administration and private.

The Reichsnährstand (RNS) was a government body set up to regulate food production.

And I am convinced that there were countless Haushaltungsschulen.

 

[christianlohmann]

That is a rare and interesting subject for sure, Henrik!
One has to keep in mind that some of these schools still exist today.
A quick search on ebay provides photo postcards from about 20 Landfrauenschulen.
Half of them pre war, the other half from the last 70 years.
But not a single one marked BDM Landfrauenschule.
Thank you, Henrik, for sharing the information.

 

[cemifor]

Location of the BDM-Landfrauenschule in Hoya

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City map

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The building then and now.

Hoya is a town in the District of Nienburg/Weser, in Niedersachsen. It is situated on the left and right bank of the river Weser.
Hoya is also the seat of the Samtgemeinde ("collective municipality") Grafschaft Hoya.

German wikipedia: Hoya

 

[wilhelm saris]

Hello Henrik,

this is an interesting subject. In early 2008 I published an article in the German "Militaria"
magazin about the pure Landfrauenschulen. Part one was published in magazine 1 from
January-February, part 2 in the issue from March-April.

It was often said these institutions were BDM institutions, but this is not correct. The first
institution was established in about 1896/1897. The organ of execution was the
Reifensteiner Verband für Haus- und landwirtschaftliche Frauenbildung e.V. About 50 of
such school existed between 1897 and 1993. About 29 schools dissolved after WWI and
the Weimar-period. Some continued after WWII.

They did wear a specific "maiden"-dress and practically each institution had a brooch.
I handed over the brooch-material to André Hüsken, who shows them in his latest cataloque
as material for the Reifensteiner Verband, pages 261 through 267. Many of them are quite
beautiful. I do own correspondence from manufacturers from the "maiden"-dress and some
females photographs in their dresses. Maybe I am abe to show some.

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[wilhelm saris]

Some more material for these institutions:

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Later worn dress-forms and materials from a manufacturer.

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A dress with brooch and various other, worn brooches.

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Young women wear the dress and a list of what they
did receive at an institution.

Further shown the masthead for their magazin and their
explanation for the word M.A.I.D.
Mut-Ausdauer-Idealismus-Demut

I must have somewhere a list of all Reifensteiner-schools and
the related schools. Can't find it at this moment!

 

[wilhelm saris]

I see I mention in my article:
52 institution were combined within the Schulverband;
15 were Reifensteiner, 37 were related, but were from
other organizations.

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[wilhelm saris]

About the motto MAID exists another explanation:
M = Marie von Thadden
A = Auguste Förster
I = Ida Kortzfleisch
D = Dorette von Schenck

The indication was used since about 1900. The mentioned females
were a sort of board.

I may have located in my files the names for the existing institutions.
I will see I can make a seperate file, to show here.

 

[wilhelm saris]

There is quite a difference comparing the list from post 2 and the information,
which was supplied to me by the Reifensteiner Verband and various archives and
museums. The reason for the difference is unknown too me. I guess it has to do
with the fact they did not want to be categorized or classified as nat.socialist schools.
This goes anyway for the Reifensteiner Verband in my opinion!