This photo is of the second Halbstadt secondary school. See P.M. Friesen's book p. 726. See also NS17-01-6.

This photo is of the girls school in Neu-Halbstadt. See P.M. Friesen's book p. 764. The building is large, brick and ornate and in a "U" shape. The vegetation in the front is overgrown. See also NS17-01-7.

This photo of the Halbstaedter Musikverein was taken in Halbstadt circa 1908 and given to Alida’s grandmother, Frau Heinrich Unruh, on her birthday, January 14, 1914 by her brother David Schellenberg, a horn player who is wearing a light suit and is seated in the second row. This unique photo has survived two world wars and The Great Trek out of Russia in 1943.

The 18 year old Abraham Unruh, Alida’s maternal uncle, is seated with his guitar. Abraham was the brother of Anna Unruh, Alida’s mother. The photo was taken Aug. 22, 1943 and sent to Anna Unruh who was living in Leipzig, Germany at that time. Abraham changed his name to Adolf under the German occupation of the Ukraine.

Anni Rosen? a German friend of Anni Unruh, Alida’s mother, stands in front of the Medizinisches-Tecknikum, the school for training nurses in Halbstadt. It was sent to Anni Unruh August 23, 1938 as a remembrance from Anni Rosen’s school days. Anni Unruh wanted to become a nurse but her parents couldn’t afford to pay for her education.

On the back of the photo is a verse of advice to young people:
“Ein Blumengarten ist der Jugend, Dort darf mann froh spazieren
Doch muss man bleiben auf dem Weg der Tugend, Weil seitwarts giftige Blumen stehen” Translated (by Linda Huebert Hecht) as:
“Youth is like a flower garden, in which one can wander joyfully.
But one must remain on the path of virtue, because on the sides are poisonous flowers.”

This photo is of a group of women taken in Halbstadt in October 1942 includes Elfrieda (Gossen) Dyck’s grandmother, Anna (Wiens) Rempel who is sitting in the middle. The family milked this goat because they couldn’t afford a cow. The photo was given to Anna by a person named H. Schirmacher. The other women on the photo are not identified. Perhaps they were kindergarten teachers with Anna. (See photo #12)

This photo is of Anna (Wiens) Rempel, grandmother of Elfrieda (Gossen) Dyck. She was a teacher and principal of a large kindergarten in Halbstadt. Anna’s husband Dietrich was taken away in 1941 with all the other men of the area. They were sent to Siberia where they died of hard labour and starvation. In 1941 to 1943 when the German army occupied the Ukraine, Anna continued her work as principal in the kindergarten. She was a very creative teacher and known for the plays she produced with young children, as illustrated here, where a number of the children are in costume. The children in the front row are in rabbit costumes. Another time she performed a play about the seven dwarfs with the kindergarten children (shown on another photo which Elfrieda also has). Anna also assisted the older students. Elfrieda remembers her grandmother helping her grade 8 class to perform shadow plays.

This photo is related to #12 and shows some of the kindergarten children taught by Anna (Wiens) Rempel, grandmother of Elfrieda (Gossen) Dyck, during 1939 and 1940 in Halbstadt. Anna, with white hair, is standing in the back row near the middle.