Audioguide in English

Audioguide in English

Hi, my name is Karolina Yunh. I'm German. No…no..no… I would say I am a Galician German. Today, I will take you to the Museum and Cultural Center In Unterwalden.

I was born in Unterwalden, I spent my early childhood and youth here in 1920. We had a house built by my grandfather Christian and grandmother Matilda. In 1938, we first harvested apples, pears, and plums in our garden. We planted this garden with my father Karl. In Unterwalden I had wonderful friends: Louise, Catherine, Matilda and Jacob (Germans), Itsko and Aaron (Jews), Angel (Polish), and Vlodko and Hania(Ukrainian).

It didn't matter what language you spoke. It was important to understand. That's why we spoke German, of course, but we also knew spoken Ukrainian and even Polish quite well.

Every Sunday morning, everyone went to their temples. We (Germans) went to the Evangelical Church, the Ukrainians went to the Greek Catholic Church, and the Polish went to the neighbouring village church of Pohoriltsi. The Ukrainian and German populations predominated in Pidhaichyky-Unterwalden, Ukrainian, and Polish − in Pohoriltsi.

I remember my parents and I went for Christmas dinner to Aunt Nelly’s house several times. It was in the German village of Dobtsau in Peremyshliany. She married uncle Karol and lived there. I liked the travels by carriage because my mother constantly bought us lollipops and other sweets on the way to the Market in Peremyshliany. There were also many Germans and many famous German musicians in Dobtsau. By the way, Mr. Rudolf, who had a Ukrainian wife, Tetiana, was a wonderful musician.

I must say, we had a perfect life. But look around. If you are standing at the entrance to the Museum and Cultural Center In Unterwalden, you can see only the remains.

So, let's start with the fact that the world of my youth was destroyed by the Second World War. This happened after September 17, 1939, when Soviet troops occupied Eastern Galicia. In October-November, agitators began to appear in the German villages, urging the Germans to go back home. My parents did not hesitate for a long time to decide, no matter how painful it was to leave the house and everything we gained there. They remembered the Great War when in 1914-1918 our native Unterwalden was destroyed almost to the ground by Russian troops, who first attacked Lviv and then went away. Therefore, in November 1939, we left our home. My mother and I took the train to the Lahodiv railway station. My father and brother packed everything they could, harnessed a couple of our horses to it, pulled a cow, and went on a few day trip. We went to the resettlement camps which were located on the outskirts of present-day Gdansk, and then to Dantsih. We met each other there and went to a new home − Neuhof near Hildesheim.