Swiss Schools: Sekundar Oerlikon (Zurich, 1932)

Figure 1.--This is an unidentified Zurich secondary school class. Most of the boys seem to be wearing short trousers, either with sweaters or as part of short trouser suits. This photo was taken in Zurich on February 26, 1932. The rather heavy-set teacher, Herr Wydler, is standing in the center, or is he the other adult male further to the left? Only one teacher's name is given, although two appear in the photograph. This might eventually help identify the school. Image courtesy of the CF collection.

This is a class at the Sekundar Oerlikon near Zurich. Most of the boys seem to be wearing short trousers, either with sweaters or as part of short trouser suits. This photo was taken in Zurich on February 26, 1932. The rather heavy-set teacher, Herr Wydler, is standing in the center, or is he the other adult male further to the left? Only one teacher's name is given, although two appear in the photograph. Two of the boys, who seem to be about 15 or 16, have on black knee socks with a thin stripe around the top. Notice also the wearing of sporty woolen ankle socks on top of both the knee socks and the long stockings in some cases. The boys with black long stockings wear suits but with open-necked collars rather than neckties. It seems to have been very common for Swiss parents to keep teenage boys in short trousers at least up to the age of 15 or 16 during the 1920s and 1930s although we occasionally see teenage boys in long trousers also. Probably this was a decision of Swiss parents and would indicate whether they were more conservative or more liberal in their attitudes toward boys' clothing.

School Details

The school was Sekundar Oerlikon, meaning secondary school in Oerlikon. Many schools in Germany has specialized ptograms with an emphasis on humanities, clasics or science. This school seems to have been a general secondary school. We are not sure how common that was.

Swiss Secondary Schools

We do not have specific details about Swiss secondary education. Hopefully Swiss readers can provide us some more detailed information. In Switzerland during the 1930s we believe that children began primary school at age 5-6 years, probably age 6. And that they were required to about age 12. Most children did not continue their education betond primary school. Parents who could afford to send their children to secondary school and children who were academically capable began seecondary school at about age 12. I'm not sure how long the Sekundar program lasted. It may have been a 3-4 year program which students may have finished about age 16. There were different kinds of secondary schools. The Sekundar here was probably common in small towns and had a general curriculum. Nitevery community had secondary schools. Children living uin rural areas or small villages would have to board in a larger tosn, often with relatives, if they wanted to cinyinue their education. There were also the so-called Kantonsschulen, in the larger towns and capitals of the Kantone (counties). In my understanding they started with 10 or 12 years of age, in humanities and leading to the Matur (the Swiss form of the German Abitur - "Maturus" from Latin "educated, mature", "Abitur" from Latin "abire", going away, ending, in both cases preparing to go to a university, very similar to the Gymnasien in Germany. Pupils left Kantonsschule at about 18-19 years of age.

Location

We do know that the school was located in Oerlikon, a northeastern suburb of Zürich. It wa an industrial suburb. A famous mechanical engineering plant in located in Oerlikon. The town was still a separate comunity town in 1932. With the growth of Zurich it since about 1935 has become a part of Zürch. We note that in the 1960s a new Kantonsschule was built there.

Chronology

This photo was taken in Zurich on February 26, 1932.

The Class

The stidents all look about the same age, So we know this was a class at the school. The children seem to be about 15-16 years old. This it was a mid-level school.

Teachers

The rather heavy-set teacher, Herr Wydler, is standing in the center, or is he the other adult male further to the left? Only one teacher's name is given, although two appear in the photograph. Presumably the second man is the rector/principal of the school.

Boys' Clothing

Most of the boys seem to be wearing short trousers, either with sweaters or as part of short trouser suits. Two of the boys have on black knee socks with a thin stripe around the top. In England this would indicate school socks, but in Switzerland this just seems to be how the socks were made. Notice also the wearing of sporty woolen ankle socks on top of both the knee socks and the long stockings in some cases. The boys with black long stockings wear suits but with open-necked collars rather than neckties. It seems to have been very common for Swiss parents to keep teenage boys in short trousers at least up to the age of 15 or 16 during the 1920s and 1930s although we occasionally see teenage boys in long trousers also. Probably this was a decision of Swiss parents and would indicate whether they were more conservative or more liberal in their attitudes toward boys' clothing. The boy sitting at the extreme right of the photo must be at least 16, and perhaps as old as 17, but he is still wearing short trousers with long stockings. Older boys in continental Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia) who still wore long stockings usually had given up Strapsleibchen (sleeveless undershirts or bodices with four hose supporters attached) for a Srapsgurtel, a garter belt with four supporters attached similar to what modern hockey players wear. A german reader tells us, "Older boys in continental Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia) who still wore long stockings usually had given up Strapsleibchen (sleeveless undershirts or bodices with four hose supporters attached) for a Strapsguertel, a garter belt with four supporters attached similar to what modern hockey players wear. In my youth I never have seen a "Strapsgürtel" for a boy. The boys had "Leibchen" or "Strumpfhalterhemden". Note, hockey was never very popular in Germany (ice hockey yes, especially in Switzerland) and this form of holding up stockings was not used except in hockey, to my knowledge." Notice the belt around the sweater of the boy standing in the rear, obviously for ornamental purposes only and not for support.

Girls' Clothing

The girls mostly wear sweatrs and skirts. A few wear dresses. Perhaps the most remarkavle aspect of this portrait is the long-plaited pig tails that some of the girls wear. This perhaps explains why the Heidi character is so often pictured with plaited hair. This is another many cases, another indication of a child's style still being worn by teenagers.

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Created: 4:32 AM 3/12/2009
Last updated: 7:02 AM 3/16/2009