Foreign
Around 15 people, who were born inside Germany’s parliament building, the Reichstag, during World War II, were set to meet with Bundestag president, Wolfgang Schaeuble, on Sunday.
It is not clear how many babies were born in the Reichstag between 1943 and 1945, but it is understood that the nearby Charite hospital installed a maternity unit in the cellar of the building during that time, in order to ensure safe deliveries during bombings.
“The documents passed down don’t say from when to when exactly the Charite used the Reichstag cellar … for very pregnant women, new mothers and their newborns,’’ according to the Bundestag, Germany’s modern-day parliament.
Many documents that may have detailed the births were likely destroyed in the bombings.
Schaeuble invited the so-called Reichstag babies for a special tour of the building and a discussion round.
Around 15 of them are expected to attend.
Schaeuble said the children “gave hope to our country in a dark time’’.
One of the people born inside the Reichstag is Mareile Van der Wyst, 74, who was born on Sept. 15, 1944.
“My very pregnant mother travelled to the bunker in the Reichstag every evening and back home every morning.
“I have no idea how she managed to do that, in the heavily destroyed city, where there were constant alarms and bombings,’’ Van der Wyst told dpa.
Van der Wyst has life-long permission to visit the Reichstag whenever she chooses.
“I was told I can come whenever and with whomever I want,’’ she said. (dpa/NAN)
– Sept. 8, 2019 @ 14:05 GMT |
Tags: Children born inside Germany’s Reichstag building meet in Berlin
