WW2 changed the lives of millions of people, with many being forced to flee from their family homes. Rudi Schlattner was one such man, who was just a boy when the war broke out in Czechoslovakia.
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While his family got out safe, there was something very precious that was left behind and Rudi spent much and more of his life trying to find it. It was only till he was in his 80s that he found where his father had hidden these family heirlooms, which were priceless.
1. Forced To Flee
Rudi Schlattner was forced to flee the family home as part of the mass expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia after President Edvard Benes ordered the ‘final solution of the German question’ by evicting all ethnic Germans from the country.
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The plan was enacted almost overnight, leaving Rudi and his family no time to prepare. They were also not told, as to where they were being relocated too. There was no option but to follow along or chance getting locked up in jail.
2. Partition
This mass relocation was caused directly by the destruction of World War II. There was an enormous hatred in Czechoslovakia of its ethnic German population. The government thought the only solution was mass-expulsion.
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Thousands died during the forced expulsions of 1.6 million ethnic Germans from their homes and into the American zone West Germany. These were the fortunate ones, and a further 800,000 were sent to the Soviet zone.
3. New Life
As you can imagine, the tensions were incredibly high at the time in both West and East Germany. The two parts were controlled by opposing nations, East by the Soviets and the other by the Americans.
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Those placed in the Soviet-controlled territory of Germany were used as forced labour for years while anyone who ended up in the American Zone found their way in Refuge camps for a long time. Rudi and his family were among those that ended up in the American zone.
4. Remembered
At the time, Germans were being forced to relocate from Hungary, Poland, and Czechoslovakia but everyone assumed that this was going to be a temporary measure and those relocated would be allowed to go back home.
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Rudi said ‘We thought we would one day return, and that would find a property there”. That is why his father had hidden several of their personal belongings inside their home. Rudi was only a young child at the time of the move but knew he had to find a way back home.
5. Home
The family lived in luxury in Czechoslovakia, where they had a well-appointed Villa which was a homestead for Rudi Schlattner’s entire family. It was a place of safety, laughter, and love. One which was stolen away from them.
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‘My father built the villa in 1928 and 1929″ From the pictures, you can tell that no expense was spared to build this house. The drastic change in their lifestyle also left a mark on the family but Rudi said “He always thought that one day we would return and get it back.’
6. 70-Year Search
What the family thought was a temporary relocation turned into a new life in West Germany. Rudi and his family lived and worked there but in the back of their minds, their home in Czechoslovakia was always remembered.
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They longed for their stately home and comfortable lifestyle and Rudi yearned to learn more about what his father had hidden in the roof of their homes. 70 years passed and time turned Rudi into an old man but his mind never forgot the secret in their home.
7. Back At Home
As the years went by, the laws surrounding German relocation also relaxed. It was only then when Rudi was in his 80s, was he only able to contact the municipal officials in the village, where his family home was based in.
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The small village of Libouch was in the north-western side of Chekloziakia, now known as the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, by the time he was authorized to visit, his family home had been turned into a kindergarten.
8. Renovations
Not just that, throughout the years it had gone a number of renovations. While, this might have given most people peace of mind, to know that their home was well-taken care off and in good condition, Rudi was just plain worried.
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He was concerned that during these renovations, his family’s secret treasures might have been discovered, stolen or just misplaced. After hearing this, he was more desperate than ever to get back to his home.
9. Official Approval
But before he could get there, he had to go through a very long-winded process to get approval. Thankfully, when he told his story to the municipal officers, their interest was instantly piqued.
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Rudi was allowed to visit and was accompanied by employees of a museum in the nearby town of Usti nad Labem together with the mayor of Libouch, manager of the kindergarten, archaeologist, and employees of the museum.
10. Not His Own
The reason why Rudi had to cross so much red tape was that whatever treasure that would be found in his childhood home would not be lawfully his own. It all belonged to the state since his family “abandoned it”.
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This was a tough pill to swallow for Mr Schlattner’s or for anyone that matters. Imagine handing over your family’s lost treasures to a museum. This law stated that, in the town of Usti nad Labem, all German property left behind during relocation would be considered as owned by the state
11. Understanding Laws
While most people would have fought against such a law, Mr Schlattner is reportedly not bitter over the fact that his family’s treasures cannot be returned to him. He had spent much and more of his life filled with curiosity, that this felt like worth it.
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Rudi was not just okay with not owning his family’s treasure but even went as far as promising officials that he would help to identify and dating any objects, as long as he was in good health.
12. So Close
After all the official laws were understood, it was finally time for Mr Schlattner to go to his home. He had to wait 70 years to get to this point. Even still, the officials accompanying him were even second-guessing him if he knew what he was talking about.
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With all the new renovations and the house’s layout being incredibly different from his childhood, Rudi knew exactly where to go. 70 years seem to have faded for Rudi and he was back on the day when his father was busy hiding away their treasure.
13. A Little Trick
They went straight to the roof, where Museum assigner Tomas Okurka told Czech daily newspaper Blesk: ‘Mr Schlattner was tapping the roof boards with a small hammer. All of them had the same sound”
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It all seemed like a lost cause but ” Then he tried to find a string that was supposed to detach the boards which were a system set up by his father” The level of excitement in the room was palpable, with everyone holding their breath and earnestly waiting for Rudi to uncover the treasure.
14. Doubts
‘It took too long and we thought that the shelter had perhaps been discovered and the items removed during the roof reconstruction and we would not find anything” Said Tomas Okurka.
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But after knocking on the wooden panels in the loft, Mr Schlattner found a small piece of string hanging from one of the panels. When he pulled it, a set of shelves were revealed, containing the long lost secret possessions.
15. What was it?
‘He told his son that he would only have to pull the string in order to detach the boards and suddenly he found the string, and when he pulled it two boards detached and the shelter full of objects untouched for 70 years appeared”
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Everyone was in awe at Mr Schlattner ability to locate with such precision, a treasure which had been hidden for the better part of nearly a hundred years! The museum officials gave Rudi some space and he slowly started taking out the objects.
16. Perfectly Wrapped
Tomas Okurka added “The packages were very skilfully hidden in the vault of a skylight. It was incredible how many things fitted in such a small space. It took more than one hour until we put everything out.’
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There were some packages wrapped in brown paper and some unwrapped objects but what were they? Well, it turns out this treasure didn’t really have any monetary value instead was more sentimental.
17. Historical Significance
The items included, skis, hats, clothes-hangers, newspapers and paintings by Josef Stegl who also lived in the house during World War II. Many of the objects were related to Mr Schlattner’s childhood after he left the country aged 13.
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Although the objects may not hold considerable value, they represent an invaluable insight into family life in the 1940s Mr Okurka said: ‘We were surprised that so many ordinary things were hidden there. Thanks to the circumstances these objects have a very high historical value.’
18. Childhood Memories
One of the items which were stored away was an old scale. The museum officials were fascinated by its condition. It was one of the few of its kind which had all the parts were still working, and there was hardly any rust.
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But Rudi had a more emotional attachment to the scale, he explained when he and his siblings were young, they played with the scale, pretending they worked in a scale store. It seemed like this discovery was not just historically significant but a walk down memory lane for Rudi.
19. Resting Place
After the hiding place was thoroughly searched, it seemed like Rudi’s father had wrapped up several of his household items in the attic, with the hope of coming back and finding them safe and secure, sadly that never happened.
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All the packages were taken to a museum in the town of Usti nad Labem where they were unpacked, analyzed and filed. Pictures were taken of each item and even posted on the internet, to allow the public to help date the items. It is not yet been decided which institution will take the objects.
20. Final Goodbye
So far several packages have been unpacked. Some umbrellas, hats, badges, paperweights, paintings, pens, school tables, unpacked cigarettes, socks, books, sewing kits and much more. Everything was in very good condition according to the historians.
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Manager of the museum Vaclav Houfek said: ‘Such a complete finding of objects hidden by German citizens after the war is very rare in this region.’ Mr Schlattner is reportedly ecstatic that he finally discovered what was hidden in his attic and that he was allowed to say a final goodbye to his home.