The Swabia

Swabia

Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...

n children (German: Schwabenkinder) were peasant children taken from poor families in the Alps

Alps

The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....

 of Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

 and Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 to work on German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 farms. They were taken in Spring and brought to the child markets in Germany, mainly in upper Swabia

Upper Swabia

Upper Swabia is a region in Germany in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. The name refers to the area between the Swabian Alb, Lake Constance and the Lech...

, where they would be purchased by farmers for the season. The use of Swabian children as workers was most popular in the 19th century.

The march over the Alps

Principal passes of the Alps

This article lists the principal mountain passes and tunnels in the Alps, and gives a history of transport across the Alps.-Main chain:From west to east:-Other passes:Detailed lists of passes are given by Alpine subdivision, see the following articles:...

 to Germany proved very difficult. The children could often freeze to death or be killed by avalanches. Usually their guide was a priest, who was also responsible for ensuring the children had a warm stable to sleep in.

The marches were not done in small groups, but were large, organised groups of several thousand children, taken over the snow covered mountains often still dressed in rags. It was not uncommon for five and six-year-old children to be taken.

The American press began a campaign in 1908 exposing the Swabian children, describing the child market in Friedrichshafen

Friedrichshafen

This article is about a German town. For the Danish town, see Frederikshavn, and for the Finnish town, see Fredrikshamn .Friedrichshafen is a university city on the northern side of Lake Constance in Southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria.It is the district capital of the...

 as a "barely concealed slave market".

The child markets were abolished in 1915, yet the trade of Swabian children did not end completely until compulsory schooling for foreign children was introduced in Württemberg

Württemberg

Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....

 in 1921.

Many immigration certificates from Swabia show surnames typical of Tyrol

County of Tyrol

The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...

 and other regions the Swabian children were taken from (eg. Braxmeier from Braxmarer).

Film

• Schwabenkinder, TV film (Erstausstrahlung 2003), director: Jo Baier, actors: Tobias Moretti
  Tobias Moretti
  Tobias Moretti is an Austrian actor.-Biography:Born in Gries am Brenner, Tyrol, Moretti is the eldest of four brothers. His brothers are named Tomas, Cristoph and Gregor. Since 1997 he has been married to Julia Moretti , an oboist...
  
  , Vadim Glowna
  Vadim Glowna
  Vadim Glowna is a German actor and film director. He has appeared in over 150 films and television shows since 1964.He directed the 1983 film Dies rigorose Leben, which won an Honourable Mention at the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival. In 1989, he was a member of the jury at the 39th Berlin...
  
  

The movie is based on the novel "Die Schwabenkinder - Die Geschichte des Kaspanaze" ("The Swabian Children - The Story of Kaspanaze") by Elmar Bereuter (ISBN 3-7766-2304-7).

Film synopsis: After his mother is killed in an avalanche, the farmer boy Kaspar is sent by his struggling father to work in Swabia. Together with other children from the village, their guide (Tobias Moretti

Tobias Moretti

Tobias Moretti is an Austrian actor.-Biography:Born in Gries am Brenner, Tyrol, Moretti is the eldest of four brothers. His brothers are named Tomas, Cristoph and Gregor. Since 1997 he has been married to Julia Moretti , an oboist...

) brings the group to the child market at Ravensburg

Ravensburg

Ravensburg is a town in Upper Swabia in Southern Germany, capital of the district of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg.Ravensburg was first mentioned in 1088. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City and an important trading centre...

. There the miraculous story begins: The brutal treatment of the boy by the farmer, his escape, emigration to the USA, and final home coming to his village many years later to visit his dying father.