War Linden Birkendorf

At the intersection of Schwarzwaldstrasse and the Schlüchttal stands the Birkendorf "Kriegslinde." An information board next to the tree explains the history of the old linden.

„ It was September 1, 1939, when Adolf Hitler announced the attack on Poland early in the morning, triggering World War II.
That evening, six villagers gathered here at the well to discuss the new situation.
The dentist happened to drive by in his car and unload a young linden tree. Together, the men planted the tree at this location.

One by one, 115 residents of Birkendorf were forced to serve in World War II. 38 of them died, mostly at a young age, but a dozen fallen fathers also contributed to the terrible toll the war took.
The village itself experienced little wartime activity, protected by its proximity to the Swiss border.
Only on April 1, 1944, did a few bombs hit the Grafenhausen Forest near Birkendorf, when the neighboring town was (probably accidentally) bombed.

At the end of April 1945, the residents of Birkendorf They voluntarily raised white flags to surrender to the French without a fight. This spared the village from destruction or loss of life.
The French also brought a group of Moroccan auxiliaries to the village, who were housed and fed in barns. The occupation proceeded without serious incident – apart from the fact that the French seized a beautiful section of the Birkendorf Forest as spoils of war.

After the war, Birkendorf initiated the collaboration between Uhlingen-Birkendorf and the French town of Machecoul on the Atlantic Ocean. It became a mosaic of reconciliation between the former "hereditary enemies."

The war linden tree now gives this beautiful square its face and stands here today as a symbol of peace and understanding.“

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Wim Wouters