Individual Swiss State Primary Schools: Zolikon Primary School

Figure 1.-- This is a primary school class (4th grade) taken in Zolikon, Switzerland, on November 21, 1946. Zollikon is a community in the Kanton Zürich, bordering on the city of Zürich, so it is now almost a suburb. November, 1946, of course, was a year after the end of the war in Europe. Switzerland was one of the few countries to escape devestation, but was not unaffected. These boys seem to be boys from good middle-class families. Apparently boys and girls were taught separately at this school. Notice the abacus they used for math. The boys are well dressed, but warmly for the beginning of a Swiss winter. Image courtesy of the CF collection.

This is a primary school class (4th grade) taken in Zolikon, Switzerland, on November 21, 1946. Zollikon is a community in the Kanton Zürich, bordering on the city of Zürich, so it is now almost a suburb. November, 1946, of course, was a year after the end of the World War II in Europe. Switzerland was one of the few countries to escape devestation, but was not unaffected. These boys seem to be boys from good middle-class families. Apparently boys and girls were taught separately at this school. Notice the abacus they used for math. The boys are well dressed, but warmly for the beginning of a Swiss winter. Their teacher, Herr B. Wieser, is standing in the back wearing a double breasted suit with a sweater underneath. The boys are all wearing pullover sweaters with short trousers (except for two boys who are wearing very blousy plus-fours). Plus-fours were a popular alternative to short trousers worn with long stockings in Switzerland--and, like short pants and long stockings, sensible for outdoor activities like hiking in the mountains. Two boys on the left have bare knees and wear knee socks or, in one case, what look like three-quarter socks. The other boys wear long tan or beige stockings. Notice that in one case (third boy in front row from the right) ankle socks are being worn on top of the long stockings for extra warmth of the feet (a somewhat sporty look). Notice also the boy wearing suspender shorts with a halter, worn over his pullover. He wears heavy long beige cotton stockings of a ribbed texture with a Strapsleibchen under his short pants. You can see one of the four rubber buttons of his hose supporter clasps on his right thigh. Notice how long the stockings have to be when the style was to wear shorts quite brief. Some sort of lesson involving kilos is written on the blackboard, and there is a rather charming picture of two Swiss foresters felling a tree with a cross-cut saw hanging from the molding of the blackboard. Maybe the boys have been learning about kilos of firewood. A happy looking class, wouldn't you say? Still too young to realize what devastation has been taking place in Europe during their decade.

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Created: 7:46 AM 3/16/2009
Last updated: 7:46 AM 3/16/2009