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We have begun to collect information on individual Austrian schools. These individual school photographs provide interesting glinses of Austrian school life over time. This has not only involved chronological cariations, but major changes in the political regimes in Austria. We have relatively little information on Austrian schools at ghis time, but hope to gradually expand this section. We note several different types of schools. The Catholic Church played a major role in Austrian education until after World War II when the schools became more secular.
This school in Lower Austria is pictured before the turn of the centuary . The boys at the St. Pöta School in Niederösterrech (Lower Austria) during 1897, like other Austrian boys, did not wear school uniforms. They all wear suits of various types, except for some of the younger boys who wear sailor suits. Many of the younger boys wear knickers or kneepants with long stockings, but this is not universal. Most of the older boys appear to be wearing long pants.
Niedergebraching was an Austrian village. Here we have the parish school in the village. We are not entirely sure how a parish school differed from a state primary school other than it appearently was operated by the parish church. We have a photogrph of the church and the children with the parish priest in 1937.
A HBC reader has provided us informtion from an Austrian friend. "An Austrian friend sent me this school portrait. I recognized him before I saw his immage under the large photo. He was born and grew up in Niklasdorf, a small village in Styria." This is the southeastern Austrian province and one of the most traditional. Styria has been described as "germ cell" from which Austria developed. Much of Styria is forested and mountain terrain. Many people in the rural areas are fond of tradition clothing and you can see the tracher aznd deceral noys wearing Alpine jackets. "The photograph was taken in 1937, My friend was 10 years old and in 4th and last grade of Volksschule. Some of the children stayed and finished grade 5 and 6 at the school. Others students left the school to continue in the Oberschule (highschool). Selection was early. He writes that at that time they did not have tradeschools yet. My friend went to a technical college and became an engineer (Roads and bridges builder). I met him in Indonesia where I worked for a Dutch company from 1949 to 1958."
Hitler made a trimutful visit to Austria after the 1938 Anschluß. He visited his hometown of Braunau (March 12, 1938). The population as in the rest of Austria gave him a thunderous welcome. He returned in 1939 a few months before the War began and visited his old school. I'm not sure if the school had a name other than the Braunau village school. At the time Austria no longer existed as an independent country, thus the school would have been in the German Reich. At the time it was common for village children to go barefoot.
This photo was taken at the primary school in Windigsteig, a town in Lower Austria. Lower Austria (Niederösterreich), is known within the country as 'the cradle of Austrian history'. It is the largest of the nine federal states that comprise modern Austria. The province is located to the east of Upper Austria, it's name Lower Austria derives from the fact that it is situated down stream on the Danube, which flows through the province from west to east. Thus Windigsteig is located in northern Austria near the Czech border. The photograph here was taken during the 1947-48 school year. At the time just after World War II, the area was occupied by the Soviet Union. We see a 4th year class, meaning that the children are about 10 years old. While the children are well dressed, many are barefoot, reflecting the difficult economic conditions.
The photo shows the 5th grade class of 1950 at the primary school in Ottnang am Hausruck, a municipality in Upper Austria district of Vöcklabruck. Upper Austria isthe western part of northern Austria, bordering on both Germany (Bavaria) and the Czech Republic. After World War II, Upper Austria was partitioned between the American zone to the south and the Soviet zone to the north. Vöcklabruck and Ottnang am Hausruck wwre in the American zone. A fww boys and the teacher wear Bavarian jackets. Almost all the boys wear short pants. We see the girls wearing Dirdls and pinafores. Most of the children are barefoot. That was not entirely a matter of the post-War poverty. We note Austrian children from rural areas going barefoot before the War.
Here we see a village school in the Enns Valley. The Enns River is an Alpine river in Austria. The Enns flows for 253 km from western Austra east until joining the Danube north of Enns. The river has a J formation. The bottom part of the J is the flow east. The vertical part of the J is where the river turns north near Hieflau toward the Danube. This northern flowing portion is what is usually referred to as the Enns Valley. While we know the village school was in the Enns Valley, we do not jnow waht village it was. We do know the photo was taken in 1952. It looks like it was taken in the early Autumn. The children are wearing jackets and sweaters. They are quite well clothed, however, all the pupils in the front row are barefoot, and probably most of the other children. Europe had been devestated by World War II including Austria. Austria was not a wealthy country before the War, especially beyond and the larger cities. Western Europe had by 1952 begun its economic miracle recovery from the War. In the case of Austria, the recovery was limited because eastern Austria, including the Enns Valley was occupied by the Soviets (until 1955). It was not uncommon before the War for village children to go barefoot. This was beginning to change in western Austria, but aoparently not yet in Soviet occupied eastern Austria.
The class portrait shows a 3rd grade class at the primary school in Krumpendorf am Wörthersee, Carinthia during 1972. The 3rd grade woulf mean tht the children ae avout 8 years old. It is a rural village school which you can tell by the wooded background. This is one of the last Austrian photos showing children attending school barefoot, as instead it was very common till 1960s. Coming barefoot to school was always commomn in rural areas, but not in the cities. This reflected the poverty afterWorld War II. But by the 1960s Austra was also participating in the German Economic Miracle. Austria at first lagged behind Germany, primarily becuse the Soviet Union had occupied half the country. The Soviets withdrew after agreement was reached on Austrian neutrality (1955). Some of the children wear Tracht outfits, the girls in particular. Many of the girls wear dirndls. Some of the boys wear haltars like the ones worn with Lederhosen, but we can not tell if they are wearing Lederhosen.
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