I Wanted to let you know in detail what an experience Dieter provided for us in Moosburg to visit the site of my father’s prison camp during WWII. If you hadn’t been so nice to help me with the contact we would have had a whole different experience.
He had contacted the Historic Society in the town. We were met by 5 people who all are trying to preserve the memory of the camp and what it meant during the war and for those who return to this place because of memories left by POWs. Each of the people who met us had much knowledge of the camp. A woman active in the community gave a tour of the town church, it’s background and history and it significance to the towns people during the War and now. Then we went to three sites in the town. The first was a main street in an area that was mostly residential. The road, now paved had been the main road in the camp. Now many of the buildings used as homes had been barracks and renovated and updated over time. There was one abandoned building, overgrown that still had an original wood door and you could see some of the structure and materials it had been built with originally. I found walking around this building that maybe my Dad had stood on the same ground. We then went to two memorials that had been established recently. One in a park like setting. It was a fountain sculpted by a now famous French artist and former POW of Stalag VII.Then to a site that had been the cemetery for those who died in the war in the Camp. Now a cross and inscribed memorial stone mark the place.. All the graves have been moved to other places. The people who accompanied us were so full of information and very interested in my Dad’s story. They were most appreciative of the information I brought and shared with them. We visited the small museum and met the Curator who had acquired manyartifacts and information from other POW’s families that had visited. They interviewed me, took pictures and allowed me to take all the pictures I wanted and answered questions. I made an entry in their guest book.
It was a highlight of my trip. Dieter was great and I would highly recommend him anytime.