In the past, I relied for most of the information in this column on Chriss Fiebig. This year I wrote to the directors of seven Bamberg High Schools and asked for information myself. The response was limited, probably because of the Christmas holidays. I am grateful to the following schools and directors for information:-

Dr. Herbert Michel, Clavius Gymnasium (formerly Oberrealschule) reported:

A student was researching and recording the history of the school from 1933 - 1945. In this connection, I drew Dr. Michel’s attention to a memorandum by our friend Herbert Ashe (Eschwege), describing the anti-Semitism experienced by Jewish students at this school in the 1920s from some teachers and fellow students, and that I had placed the memo in the City Archive.

The school remembered the 60th anniversary of the 20 July 1944 and was preparing to produce the play “Anne Frank” in February 2005. Students of the senior classes had seen the film of the book by Joachim Fest “Der Untergang” about Hitler’s last days in the Bunker and discussed it intensively in class.

Mr. Peter Muth, Stauffenberg Gymnasium and Realschule reported:

The school remembered the 60th anni- versary of the 20 July 1944, the day of the failed attempt to kill Hitler by Graf Stauffenberg, the hero who gave his name to the school.

Two groups of the school obtained 1st. and 3rd. places in the competition “Beseitigung von Missständen” - Oberfränkische Studenten erforschen die Geschichte ihrer Heimat, (Upper Franconian students research the history of their homeland), which, I understood, included the Nazi period.

Bernhard Faltin (Deputy Director), Franz-Ludwig-Gymnasium

(formerly Neues Gymnasium):

The schools chamber choir participated in the opening meeting of the “Week of Brotherhood” in the rooms of the Jewish Community on 8.3.2004.

The Advanced Course in German Literature read the 1965 drama Die Errmittlung (The Investigation) by Peter Weiss, a play about the trial of the man in charge at Auschwitz, which was followed by an intensive discussion. Some people with personal experiences were invited and contributed to the discussion.