„Deutsche Mutter, bist du bereit …“

Mythos Lebensborn

Using the example of a Lebensborn home, Dorothee Schmitz-Köster analyzes the workings, ideology, and daily life of the SS organization and engages with the myth of Nazi breeding institutions. She shares stories of women who gave birth or worked in Lebensborn and recounts the experiences of those born there: illegitimate children whose fathers were kept secret, Norwegian children who first ended up in Germany and later in Sweden after the war, as well as Lebensborn children who grew up in East Germany. Their biographies illustrate how deeply Lebensborn continues to influence the present, as many had to conduct extensive research before discovering who their father was, where they were born, and what happened to them.