UN Refugee Aid assumes that currently more than 80 million people around the world are fleeing war, persecution and economic hardship. After the end of the Second World War, the situation of refugees and displaced persons in Germany was as dramatic as it is today in Afghanistan or Syria. A good 15 million Germans lost their homeland in the chaos of war. In 1945 and 1946 alone, a million Sudeten Germans came to Bavaria in dire need, where they were housed in camps, private households and on farms.
The former German inhabitants of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia were referred to as Sudeten Germans. Refugees also came here from other areas, for example from the so-called Batschka, the old home of the Danube Swabians in today’s Serbia.
In many cases they were welcomed in a helpful manner, but the cramped living conditions also led to conflicts. In 1950, a good two million displaced persons were counted in Bavaria. However, the displaced persons quickly integrated. New localities emerged from nothing, such as Neutraubling near Regensburg, Neugablonz, which belongs to Kaufbeuren, as well as Geretsried (Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district) and Waldkraiburg (Mühldorf district).
The House of Bavarian History (HdBG) deals intensively with the subject of “Flight and Expulsion”. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the events of 1945/46, it is now dedicating a special exhibition to the subject of “Flight, Expulsion and Integration” in the Bavariathek, the project center of the House of Bavarian History in Regensburg.
After the war, it was a mammoth task to involve so many displaced people in Bavaria, which was still strongly characterized by agriculture. In particular, the rural regions, to which the influx occurred due to the housing shortage in the cities, performed pioneering work. Conversely, many displaced people brought technical know-how into the country and played a major role in the economic boom of the 1950s. The HdBG documents this important era with interviews with contemporary witnesses, among other things. The research work was intensive during the Corona period. The Free State of Bavaria used additional funding for this. The HdBG is now presenting the result in the special exhibition.
The integration of the displaced people back then was one of the greatest challenges in recent Bavarian history, but from today’s perspective it is considered a success story. The economic miracle as a joint achievement of the old and new Bavarians favored the breakdown of mutual prejudices and permanent integration, the HdBG sums up. Glassware from Konstein near Eichstätt, nylon stockings from Immenstadt in the Allgäu and baking and pudding powder from Barbing near Regensburg. These products stand for the company histories of the companies Phönix, Kunert and Ernst Müller, all of which were successful start-ups by displaced persons.
These company histories reflect continuities, breaks and new beginnings in the lives of the displaced. As with Wenzel Meinl. Until the Second World War Meinl was based in Graslitz (Kraslice) in the Sudetenland with his workshop for brass instruments. After the expulsion, the family rebuilt their workshop in a former military bunker in Geretsried. Soon she was producing for customers all over the world. To this day, high-quality instruments are handcrafted in Geretsried. A flugelhorn from the time the company was founded can be seen in the exhibition.
The special exhibition entitled “New Beginnings – Displaced People in Bavaria” can be seen until April 15, 2022 in the Bavariathek of the Bavaria Museum on the Regensburg Donaumarkt (Tue-Fri 9 am-3pm, Sat / Sun 11 am-5pm). In addition to company histories, biographies and interviews with contemporary witnesses, interactive maps and numerous photos are also offered. Teachers can use all of the material in the classroom, but pupils can also use it at home for their research (information: www.hdbg.de/neuanfaenge).