Beginnings

After the end of the Second World War, Czechoslovakia, which had previously been occupied by the German Reich, became a sovereign state again. Most of the more than 3 million German-speaking inhabitants either had to flee or were expelled or forcibly resettled, mainly to Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and the former Soviet occupation zone (later the GDR).

In June 1948, the “Böhmerwäldler Heimatbrief” was first published in order to exchange information and strengthen the cohesion of the dispersed ethnic group from the former district of Prachatitz, now Prachatice in South Bohemia. The Heimatbrief also helped people to come to terms with their experiences and offered opportunities to re-establish contact.

The journal was restructured in several phases from 2016 and has been published in a new layout under the title ‘Der Böhmerwald’ since 2020. The historical issues have been completely digitized and now serve as a source for family and local history researchers.

All historical issues can be ordered as a digital version here for 60 euros (via USB stick or data download).