Schoolchildren Collecting Medicinal Herbs in Solbad Hall in 1940

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Herbal Collection – Article from September 21, 1940, in the Innsbrucker Nachrichten

Photo article from September 21, 1940. Held in: anno Austrian newspaper portal. 

A report in the Innsbrucker Nachrichten dated 21 September 1940 describes several school classes from Solbad Hall collecting medicinal herbs in nearby woodland under their teachers’ supervision. The short article shows how an organised activity involving children was presented to the public during the Second World War. It says nothing about the conditions of participation or how the plants were used.

Schoolchildren collecting medicinal herbs under a teacher’s supervision near Solbad Hall, 1940. AI-generated black-and-white reconstruction based on a report in the Innsbrucker Nachrichten of 21 September 1940; not a historical photograph. The report documents supervised collecting but does not establish whether participation was compulsory. Heilkräutersammlung Tertiarschwestern

What the newspaper reported

The newspaper presented the collection as an opportunity for children to learn about local plants. It mentioned several school classes, fine afternoons and supervision by teachers. The extract reproduced on the DBANT page does not identify the schools, collecting sites or plant species.

School and everyday life during the war

The activity took place at a time when the Nazi regime involved children and young people in organised collective activities. Collecting useful plants could combine educational aims with practical interests. The newspaper’s reference to the “valuable resources of the homeland” links nature study to language about homeland and usefulness characteristic of the period. The report alone does not establish the specific purpose for which these herbs were collected.

Medicinal plants that may grow in and around Hall in Tirol: stinging nettle, yarrow, ribwort plantain and chamomile (top left to bottom right). AI-generated black-and-white collage for illustration; not a historical photograph. Source: DBANT.

What the source cannot establish

The report does not show that the children volunteered. Nor does it prove that participation was compulsory, that parents faced penalties, or that the activity amounted to forced labour. Such claims would require additional evidence, such as school instructions, administrative records or personal accounts. The newspaper documents supervised herb collecting and its public presentation, not the experiences of the children involved.

📜 The Historical Context: War Economy and Child Labor

During World War II, the mobilization of the entire population for the war effort was common. This included children and adolescents, whose labor was propagated as a contribution to the "home front."
·       Agricultural Work: The collection of medicinal herbs served medical supply needs, while the collection of Colorado potato beetles – a dreaded crop pest – directly served food security. The threat from the potato beetle was real, and its control was economically imperative.
·       Ideological Overlay: The description that the children learned about "valuable assets of the homeland" reflects Nazi ideology, which linked closeness to nature, love of the homeland, and a willingness to sacrifice for the common good.
·       Systematic Character: Similar to other authoritarian systems (e.g., the GDR), education and leisure activities could be instrumentalized by the state to enforce collective duties.
The following table contrasts the contemporary portrayal with the historical reality:

Summary

The herb collection in Solbad Hall offers a documented example of school classes taking part in an organised activity outside regular lessons in 1940. Whether attendance was compulsory and what happened to the herbs remain open questions.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

When did the collection take place? ​

The newspaper report appeared on 21 September 1940. It refers to recent fine afternoons but gives no exact collection dates.

Who took part? ​

According to the report, several school classes from Solbad Hall collected herbs under their teachers’ supervision.

Was participation compulsory? ​

The report does not say. Other sources would be needed to answer this reliably.

Were the Franciscan Tertiary Sisters involved? ​

The newspaper report does not establish any connection between the herb collection and the sisters. ​

Source and image note

Innsbrucker Nachrichten, 21 September 1940, report on medicinal herb collecting by schoolchildren from Solbad Hall; reproduced on DBANT, private archive of K. Walder, Hall in Tirol; ANNO Austrian historical newspapers and journals. Any AI-generated reconstruction should be clearly labelled as such.