A New Beginning in Southern Germany
In June 1947, Ernst Klopp established himself anew in Rohrdorf , a small village near Meßkirch in Southern Germany. After finding employment as a forestry worker of the Fürstlich-von-Fürstenbergischen Forestry Administration located at Donaueschingen with a branch office in Meßkirch, he was able to reunite with his wife Erika and children. Adolf and Erika (see my sister’s report in an earlier chapter) joined them after a two- years interim with Uncle Günther in Erfurt.
Karl, the eldest son, was the last one to join the Ernst Klopp family. The von Waldenfels couple, having to flee from their Panwitz property, had settled at their newly acquired estate Pentenried near Munich. In February 1948, they took the 19 year-old Karl into their care and provided food and shelter for about a year. After an agricultural apprenticeship in Nellenburg near Stockach, Karl was finally able to join his family.
Rohrdorf consists of a long drawn-out assembly of farms and houses divided into a lower and an upper village. In the upper village we find the places where most of the social activities took place in the late 40s. There were at least two inns, a grocery store, a branch of the Credit Union, a dairy operation on the road to Meßkirch, an elementary school and the catholic St. Peter and Paul church. Our family lived in the lower village in the upstairs portion of a house, which my siblings called the ‘poor house’. Its primitive tight living quarters were a far cry from the spacious and luxurious estate in Gutfelde. Being the youngest child, I felt nothing of the stress that the other family members experienced during these difficult times of the postwar era.
The Peter and Gertrud Klopp Family 
After reading the different stories, it really is a miracle that you all survived and found each other in the end. Your mother especiallly must have been so relieved.
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My mother was a resilient and hard-working woman who deserves the greatest respect. It is amazing how she managed to deal all the problems that were facing the family during and after the war.
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She has my full admiration, and then even taking care of other kids as well, not everybody would have done that.
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It was truly a miracles that all of you were reunited by 1948. Your father back from Russia and all the scattered family members together as a family again. God surely blessed your family!
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Indeed, it was truly a miracle.
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I can only imagine how relieved your parents were to have everyone together again. And now I need to go look up Rohrdorf on the map! Have a good weekend, Peter.
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Rohrdorf is part of Messkirch now. So it would best to google for this town first. Thank you very much for your kind comment, Amy!
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Da hatte es euch so weit verstreut und schön, dass ihr trotzdem wieder zusammengefunden habt. Es ist ganz gut, wenn man als Kind den Stress nicht so an sich heran läßt, dann kann man dies später besser verarbeiten. Liebe Grüße Wolfgang
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Vielen Dank, lieber Wolfgang! Ja, es war ein reines Wunder, dass die ganze Familie wieder nach all den schrecklichen Erlebnissen wieder vereint war. Liebe Grüße aus Kanada! Peter
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Peter, loved this post from my neck of the woods in Germany. Donaueschingen was a train stop from Nördlingen and Schweindorf. Southern Germany is beautiful. How have you been? We have arctic air hovering over us and low temperatures and wind chills. Be well and enjoy Mother Nature. ^__^
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I am glad to see that the post has kindled some fond memories about this beautiful area between the Danube and Lake Constance, MaryAnn.
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Peter, my old stomping grounds. The Insel Mainau and nearby home of the poetess Annette von Droste-Hülshoff are very fond memories. She also composed some piano music. The walls of the home were adorned with her Scherenschnitten. Fond memories. Enjoy your Sunday! “__”
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Rohrdorf divided into a lower and an upper village. Same in my hometown villlage.
The church divided the two parts.
I think, I never was in the part beyond the church. I dreamt of it as a dark place, but also as an mysterious one.
The church itself was also a dark place, which I learnt only later.
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Awesome account. Glad you got united! There is so much we take for granted these days, it seems.
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That’s true!
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I’m glad you were too young to truly understand all that your family went through, but so glad you were all reunited. Given the circumstances, I’d say that practically qualifies as a miracle! Your mother was amazing in what she endured and how she handled it all.
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I read a few books in German about this time, one of which had the title, The Hour of the Women, and describes the heroism of the so-called weaker sex, which proved to the stronger one in these horrible times.
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It’s a relief for the narrative to finally get past the war.
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I just would like to recomnend my recent article ” winterjourney”, Peter.
It’s about a man to arrive in the us after fleeing nazi- germany.
This article so far got zero comments .
This is usually no deal, but the story is worth reading.
Sorry about.
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