Lebensborn Maternity Home Wienerwald, 1938-1945

Barbara Stelzl-Marx (Univ.-Prof. Dr.)/Lukas Schretter (Dr.)

Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht

Established in Pernitz/Feichtenbach in 1938, the Heim Wienerwald served the SS association Lebensborn as a maternity home to increase the birth rate of Aryan children. This volume brings together recent research on the history of the Heim Wienerwald. The articles focus on the maternity home in the wider context of National Socialist racial policy, presenting findings on the regulations for keeping births within Lebensborn secret, the requirements for admission to Lebensborn, and the assessment of mother and child. Secondly, the volume examines everyday life in this facility. Thirdly, it provides an insight into the experiences and everyday life of the staff. Fourthly, the volume deals with the children born in the Heim Wienerwald who did not meet the selection criteria of the SS.