The Blieskastel Agricultural College –
: the birthplace of the Saar Rural Women’s Association (Landfrauen-Verband Saar e.V.)

1903–2003 | First home economics teacher at the Blieskastel Rural Women’s School

Anna Juliane Maria Wirth was born on 9 August 1903 in Homburg, the daughter of railway assistant Ludwig Wirth and Anna Carola Emilia Wirth, née Blaufus.[8] She was the first woman to teach at the Rural Women’s School in Blieskastel between 1929 and 1937. In August 1929, the idea of incorporating home economics courses for farmers’ daughters into the curriculum of the Blieskastel Agricultural School began to take shape. The creation of a girls’ class initially required the appointment of a suitable teacher at the school, which had previously been run by men and was intended for boys. In the recruitment process for the post of teacher of agricultural home economics, Anna Wirth, who had previously worked at the District Farmers’ Chamber, prevailed over several female competitors.

When she took up her post in October 1929, she moved from Landstuhl to Blieskastel, where she remained until the end of her first contract.[9] Owing to her performance, her contract was extended further in 1930 until, with effect from 1 April 1931, she was taken on as a permanent member of staff at the Blieskastel Rural Women’s School. As a home economics teacher, Anna Wirth taught her pupils the subjects of cooking, housework, food science, home management, domestic bookkeeping and arithmetic, German and correspondence, life skills and etiquette, health education and physical education. In 1937, she retired from her post as a subject teacher and adviser at the Rural Women’s School, which had an attached agricultural advisory service. Anna Wirth passed away in the Southern Palatinate shortly before her 100th birthday[10].

Head of the Agricultural Home Economics School, co-founder and managing director of the Landfrauen-Verband-Saar e.V.

If it is stated above that the Blieskastel Agricultural College was the cradle of the Saar Rural Women’s Association, then – to stick with the analogy of a birth – we must describe the head of the home economics department at that college as the midwife. It wasshe [Beate Koch] who sent out the invitations to the founding meeting and had drawn up the constitution.”[11]

Information about Beate Koch first became available from 1937 onwards, when she took up her post at the agricultural college in Blieskastel. She taught there as a subject teacher and head of the agricultural home economics school from 1937 to 1939 and again from 1950 to 1965. Whilst still in post, Koch spearheaded the founding of the Landfrauen Verband Saar e.V. From its foundation on 10 January 1957, she led the regional office in Blieskastel through its early years. Due to her concurrent teaching duties, she handed over the management of the association to Hedi Nietzert in 1960.[12] Following Nietzert’s departure in 1969, Beate Koch took over as acting head of the regional office until Annegret Fedisch was elected on 1 January 1972. She remained deputy managing director thereafter. In recognition of her outstanding achievements and service, the German Rural Women’s Association honoured her with the Golden Bee. The Saarland Chamber of Agriculture awarded Beate Koch the Golden Chamber Prize Coin.

1909–1999 | née Rössler | Founding member of the Saarland Rural Women’s Association and its first regional chairwoman

Annemarie Charlotte Agnes Rössler was born on 20 March 1909 in Berlin-Tiergarten.[13] On 27 November 1939, she married Karl Alexis Lindemann (1899–1988), a bank clerk and landowner, in Pyritz (now Pyrzyce in Poland)[14]. He moved from Saarbrücken to Blieskastel in 1925 and took over the Lindenfels estate in Blieskastel-Alschbach between 1926 and 1928. It is only possible to estimate roughly when Annemarie moved into the Lindenfels estate, sometime between mid-1940 and before June 1947.[15] In June 1947, the French occupying forces ordered the expulsion of the Lindemann family from the Saarland:“The expulsion itself did not, however, come into effect, as the husband was at that time subject to various forms of political persecution and had to endure periods of imprisonment, which were, however, unrelated to the expulsion order. The formal expulsion order was revoked on 20 December 1949, without the family having left the Saarland”.[16]

Annemarie Lindemann was elected regional chairwoman at the founding meeting of the Landfrauen Verband Saar e.V. and led the organisation through its early years alongside Beate Koch. In 1974[17], at the age of 65, Lindemann did not stand for re-election as regional chairwoman. In recognition of her services to rural women, she was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, the Order of Merit of the Saarland[18] and the Golden Pin of Honour from the Saar Farmers’ Association. After stepping down, Annemarie Lindemann remained honorary chairwoman and lived with her husband at Gut Lindenfels. She passed away in Homburg in October 1999 at the age of 90.