Publications

Abstract

Let us turn back the calendar by a few years, to the time before the Grossmanns moved into the house in the Holderstraße. At the outbreak of the First World War, the lives of many citizens, even in Switzerland, were disrupted. Men of an age for military service are called up to guard the country’s borders, so that everyday tasks fall to the women, children, and older men. The beginning of August is a busy time for farmers, and all available hands are needed to bring in the hay and grain and to put up supplies for the winter. In the schools, most of the teachers are now women, and in hospitals, the lack of doctors leads to long waiting times, whilst factories are at a standstill.