Meissen - Riesa
- April 12: Meissen – Riesa
- April 13: Riesa – Muehlberg
Walking with Oma, my 600 km trek along the Elbe River from the concentration camp Terezin to Hamburg started April 2008. The 48 day walk was an homage to my oma, Anna Skraika Schilling, who left Terezin on her own in May 1945 to see if anything of her life remained in Hamburg. I am featuring parts of the walk on this website with posts en route.
April 12 & 13
Riesa – Muehlberg
On the evening of April 13th I interviewed Helga Gaebler a WWII witness who was 20 years old in 1945 and Gerhard Heinz a historian who was six years old at the end of the war. Helga recounted many stories of the times that fit the times my oma was in this part of the Elbe River valley. These stories are also in her book, “Geschichten” (Stories). Mr Heinz also had a book which chronologically detailed the final days of WWII and after. Ironically, Judy and I had been in Muelberg that day, the site of a prisoner of war camp, that played a part in their stories. The visit was arranged by Frau Brauning the manager of our hotel and included the American consul from Berlin and three members of the American army. The Americans were there that evening to try to find out more about the graves of missing WWII American pilots.
Photo of an American translator and Frau Gaebler’s husband along with the 85-year-old Frau Gaebler and myself.
Auf Omas Spuren zu Fuß entlang der ElbeMedia Coverage: uf Omas Spuren zu Fuß entlang der Elbe