Katakombenschule
Encyclopedia
Katakombenschulen were set up in South Tyrol
in the mid-1920s during the period of Fascist Italianization when teaching of the German language
was banned (Lex Gentile, October 1923) by the authorities of Italy
which had occupied the area in 1918. Approximately 30,000 students in 324 Schools were affected. German nursery schools were dissolved too as were all higher education institutions.
School teachers in the province were replaced by Italian ones. The population then organized private lessons which were banned in November 1925. Underground education continued illegally. The main organizers were, among many others, priest Michael Gamper and lawyer Dr. Josef Noldin. School books were smuggled from farm to farm and lessons held in living rooms, by the dismissed German teachers and approximately 500 young female volunteers. The Katakombenschulen focused on the teaching of writing and reading in German. People caught educating children faced prison terms and repeatedly caught teachers deported to South Italy. The 25-year-old teacher Angela Nikoletti died after having acquired tuberculosis during a prison term and Josef Noldin was deported to Lipari
in 1927.
After the signing of the Lateran treaty in 1929 at least religious lessons on Sunday were allowed to be held in German.
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
in the mid-1920s during the period of Fascist Italianization when teaching of the German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
was banned (Lex Gentile, October 1923) by the authorities of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
which had occupied the area in 1918. Approximately 30,000 students in 324 Schools were affected. German nursery schools were dissolved too as were all higher education institutions.
School teachers in the province were replaced by Italian ones. The population then organized private lessons which were banned in November 1925. Underground education continued illegally. The main organizers were, among many others, priest Michael Gamper and lawyer Dr. Josef Noldin. School books were smuggled from farm to farm and lessons held in living rooms, by the dismissed German teachers and approximately 500 young female volunteers. The Katakombenschulen focused on the teaching of writing and reading in German. People caught educating children faced prison terms and repeatedly caught teachers deported to South Italy. The 25-year-old teacher Angela Nikoletti died after having acquired tuberculosis during a prison term and Josef Noldin was deported to Lipari
Lipari
Lipari is the largest of the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the north coast of Sicily, and the name of the island's main town. It has a permanent population of 11,231; during the May–September tourist season, its population may reach up to 20,000....
in 1927.
After the signing of the Lateran treaty in 1929 at least religious lessons on Sunday were allowed to be held in German.