The photos of the shared childhood and youth of the former residents of the “Kinderdorf Pöttsching” (Children‘s Village) have now found a digital home, where memories and stories can be revived. To mark the anniversary, the Society of Austrian Children‘s Villages (GÖK) opened the Pöttsching Children‘s Village Topotheque.
The original purpose of the GÖK, founded in 1959 by Jakob Bindel, was to provide boarding school places for gifted children from socially disadvantaged families so they could complete an education that would otherwise be impossible. The years spent in close family life created strong bonds. However, some contacts are lost later in life as life progresses. The compilation of memories in the Topotheque enables a revival of the community. Peter Kolb, who can look back on a successful life after his years at the children‘s village, established the Pöttsching Children‘s Village‘s Topotheque and found numerous collaborators who have now compiled and made visible over 1,500 memorabilia. These include even scholarly works focusing on the Pöttsching Children‘s Village. His presentations of the new Topotheque at the anniversary celebration in Pöttsching were met with great emotion from the audience – this fulfills one of the Topotheque´s key objectives.
Peter Kolb, Initiator of the Topotheque Kinderdorf Pöttsching © GÖK
A simple photo of the presentation that cannot show the emotions of the audience. © GÖK
Looking back at the world of childhood and youth. © GÖK