Gertrud - das Leben einer Dresdener Trümmerfrau (in englischer Sprache)

Gertrud was born on February, 17th, 1920 in Dresden. She was the daughter of the master-tailor Paul Klein and his wife Martha. They were four children: Johannes, Maria, Gertrud and Siegfried. Today the youngest brother Siegfried becomes 84 years old. Congratulations, Siegfried!

It was during the time before the second world-war, and the family had a lot of troubles to get enough to eat. Through the help of a teacher Gertrud was allowed to visit a higher school in Dresden. She was 18, when she met her great love Theodor.

The war came, Theo was far away. Gertrud was pregnant. She survived the terrible bomb-night in a cellar. Dresden was burning. On the next day Gertrud saw all the burned-out injured soldiers leaving Dresden (the hospital was bombed) and a lot of completely black-burned people lying around. She left Dresden with the last train. It was overcrowded with people, blood and bones, it had been fired before.

Gertrud escaped to her sister Maria. Maria was married and living in Viechtach in the Bavarian Forest. Here she found shelter awaiting her baby.

The war was over, Gertrud was just before the birth of her baby and crying a lot missing Theodor. Was he still alive, and how could he know, that she was here? One sunny day - she was hanging some baby clothes for drying in the garden - it happened: She heard the voice of Theodor asking Maria: "Is Gertrud here?" This was a never forgotten scene of her life.

A happy and wonderful love began. The loving couple became parents of three daughters: Gelia, Sylvia and Dorothea. The parents submitted her daughters to visit good schools and universities learning mathematics, chemistry, languages and art. Theodor and Gertrud spent several beautiful holidays in Italy, Yugoslavia and Greece. They visited concerts of Johann Sebastian Bach and art-exhibitions.

The happiness of Gertrud broke, when wonderful Theodor became very ill for several years. He died on January, 4th, 2003 on a grey winter day in hospital. Gertrud spent about four weeks watching beside his bed. She was so sad. She survived brave for seven long years. Sometimes she said. "Oh, my sweet daughter, it's already seven years I miss Vati (daddy) - I cannot believe...."

During the last year she felt more and more calm and peaceful in spite of her great desire, and she became slowly more and more withering away. Her longing for Theo moved her more and more to heaven. The second Tuesday to the last she opened as usual in the evening the window, looked up to the stars as every night saying to Theodor: "Good night, Theo." She closed the window and said to the old-peoples-nurse Jarka from Slowakai: "Soon I will go to Theo.". Next night she fell down and broke her leg. She was brought to hospital, had a successful and quite fast surgery. She said: "I want to go home in a few days..."

After two days a hectic, high fever came. With her tired blue and clear eyes and a very fine nearly invisible but lucid smiling and nodding she said: " Yes, good bye..." to all of us.
She died on a sunny summer morning, August 26th, 2011.

Gertrud und Theodor
Frauenkirche in Dresden, alte Radierung aus Elterns Wohnung
Gertrud mit Pflegerin Helena, 2010
Gertrud and Theodor in 2001

Doribilder, mit denen Gertrud lebte:

"Der Fremdling",1994, Acryl
"Die Tagebuchschreiberin", 1996, Öl, Leim, Asche
"Wald", 2010, Öl, Acryl,