The tunnel system, located between Überlingen and Goldbach, was intended to serve as a bomb-proof production facility for weapons during the Second World War. After the attack on Friedrichshafen in spring 1944, it was decided to build this production facility underground. The historian Oswald Burger gave a guided tour on the occasion of the visit by the President of the State Parliament, Muhterem Aras. The mayor of Überlingen, Jan Zeitler, and around 100 schoolchildren from the region were also invited to attend. Schule Schloss Salem was represented by history students from both our Abitur and IB courses as well as several office bearers.

It was quite chilly in the tunnel at only 11 degrees Celsius. The idea that 800 forced labourers, including many Italians, had to blast these four-kilometre-long tunnels out of the mountain was terrifying. Of these 800, 243 workers died between the autumn of 1944 and April 1945, when the French marched into Überlingen. They lived in a branch of the Dachau concentration camp, which was assigned to category 3, which effectively meant a sentence of ‘extermination through labour’. This was located on the site opposite our school Campus Härlen.

After the tour of the tunnels, the group drove to a cemetery for the forced labourers at Birnau, where 97 of them are buried. After these tours, we travelled together to Schloss Salem, where Professor Aleida Assmann lectured on the culture of remembrance and memorial work. Afterwards, we students could talk to both her and Mrs Aras, ask questions and share our thoughts. The day was a great success. We learnt a lot of new things and experienced history first-hand. We recommend a visit like this to anyone who wants to learn more about the history of Überlingen and the surrounding area.

Photos: Leif Piechowski