I’m not good with endings, but all things must come to an end. So please join me for the final episode of 34 Postcards.
It’s just one row amongst hundreds of other rows in the 1968 death register at the registrar’s office in Berlin Kreuzberg.
Paul Richard Kuhnt died on March 13th, 1968, at age 82.
I’m not surprised that Richard is dead. I had no illusions about finding a 138-year-old man alive. And still, I’m heartbroken. In episode one, I asked: What fits on the blank half of the back of a 4x6 postcard other than pleasantries and cliches? Eight episodes in, my answer is less cynical than the question.
34 German postcards allowed us a glimpse into the life of people who loved each other, and who built lives and families together. Many of them lived through two world wars. All of them were changed by that. Some lost their homes, some lost their loved ones, and some lost their lives. Those who survived put effort into holding on to each other, often through words on a postcard.
To: Herrn u. Frau Richard Kuhnt Deutschland Berlin SO36 Dresdener Str. 11
26.1.59 Liebe Großeltern! Die besten Grüße sende ich Euch von hier aus, und hoffe, dass Ihr munter seid. Es ist hier herrliches Wetter ich gehe gleich spazieren. Auch von Behringens* soll ich Euch herzlich grüßen. Bis bald herzliche Grüße von Christa**
Dear grandparents! I send you my best regards from here and I hope that you are well. It's wonderful weather here, I'm about to go for a walk. I shall also greet you warmly from Behringens*. See you soon, warm greetings from Christa**
C. Nering _*/Gerber Kt. Bern Schweiz Neuhaus Schlosswil
It’s January 1959, more than a year has passed since our last postcard at the end of 1957, and Christa is in Switzerland. It seems like she is on vacation or maybe visiting someone there, as she refers to “Behringens” or “Behringers” which is probably the last name of a family she is with, in Switzerland.
The front of the card shows the Wyl Castle in Bern, Schlosswil–today Grosshöchstetten–in Switzerland.
The castle was built in the early 13th century but was heavily damaged in a fire in 1546. It was rebuilt shortly after and renovated again in 1780. The castle was owned by French nobility until 1812. After that, the Canton of Bern purchased it and used it as a granary and a prison until 1881, at which point it was converted into an administrative building. The castle was sold again in 2011 and is today used as a rentable event space.
Our next postcard is sent a year later, on January 9th, 1960.
To: Herrn + Frau R. Kuhnt Berlin SO 36 Dresdener Str. 11
Liebe Grosseltern! Aus Amsterdam die herzlichsten Grüße von Christa Ich bin hier noch 1 Woche. Alles ist gesund und munter. Heute kam auch Euer Brief. Gruß + Kuss Christa Auch von uns viele Grüße Friedel + Bernhard
Dear grandparents! Warmest greetings from Christa from Amsterdam. I'll be here for another week. Everything is great. Your letter came today too. Greetings + kiss Christa Many greetings from us too Friedel + Bernhard
Christa is visiting Bernhard and Friedel in Amsterdam again. We know from the registration card that we learned about in episode 6 that Bernhard and Friedel live at Borssenburgplein 19 at the time of Christa’s visit.
The image on the front of the card is almost identical to the one on the card Hilde and Siegfried sent to Richard and Margarete 8 years earlier. It shows the Kolk, a narrow canal/lock in Amsterdam that was built at the beginning of the 15th century.
Christa visits Bernhard and Friedel again in April of the same year and sends a very short note to her grandparents.
To: Fam. R. Kuhnt Dresdener Str. 11 Berlijn SO36 Duitsland
Vele Groeten van Christa
Many greetings from Christa
Considering Christa’s usually fairly detailed cards, this one is somewhat of a surprise to me. It’s short and impersonal, and it’s written in Dutch rather than in German. And not only the message but also the address. I compared the handwriting on the card to Christa’s previous cards, and it’s her handwriting. Maybe she was in a hurry, or she just didn’t have a lot to say that day.
The front of the card shows the Singel, a canal we’ve already seen on other postcards.
Rather than our usual focal point, the Munttoren, however, this card features the Ronde Lutherse Kerk or the Round Lutheran Church. It was opened in 1671 and used as a Lutheran church until 1935. After that, it became a concert hall for a while. Today, the church isn’t open to the public, but the neighboring Renaissance Hotel, which is renting the church building, allows access upon request.
Our next postcard arrives about 6 months later, in October 1960.
To: Herrn Richard Kuhnt Dresdenerstr. 11 Berlin S.O. 36
Meine Lieben, von einem Wochenendausflug senden wir herzliche Grüße. Bernhard + Friedel. 9/X.60.
My dears, warm greetings from a weekend trip. Bernhard + Friedel. 9/X.60.
Bernhard and Friedel have taken a weekend trip to Gulpen, a small village, 2.5 hours southeast of Amsterdam. If the village name–Gulpen–sounds familiar it's probably because we’ve briefly seen it in episode 6 on Bernhard’s registration card. From the registration card, we know that Bernhard and Friedel will move to Gulpen at the beginning of 1962.
For now, they are just visiting, and they are probably staying at the De Oude Geul Hotel. How do we know? Well, the front of the card shows a quite beautiful black and white drawing of it.
Today, the hotel is called Gulpenerland Hotel and looks–besides some small changes–just like it did back in the early 60s.
The next time we hear from Bernhard and Friedel, almost two years later, in April 1962, they have just moved to Gulpen.
To: Familie R. Kuhnt Dresdenerstr. 13 Berlin S.O. 36
Zum Hochzeitstag unsere herzlichste Gratulation. Hoffen Euch beide bei bester Gesundheit! Herzlichst Eure Kinder B. Lewitt Gulpen (L.)
Our sincerest congratulations on your wedding anniversary. Hope you both are in the best of health! Sincerely your children B. Lewitt Gulpen (L.)
Bernhard and Friedel, who endearingly refer to themselves as “Eure Kinder/Your children” on this card, send it to wish Richard and Margarete a happy wedding anniversary. We know since episode 2, that Richard and Margarete got married on April 8th, 1910, in Berlin. The card is postmarked April 4th, so the timing aligns. It’s 1962, and this is Richard and Margarete’s 52nd wedding anniversary. Richard was 24 when they got married and Margarete was 25, so both of them are in their mid-70s now. Bernhard, who was born in 1899, and Friedel, who was born in 1913, are in their early 60s and late 40s.
This card made me realize that we have spent quite some time with the Lewitt-Kuhnts. When we first met Richard and Gretel in 1917, they were in their early 30s. Bernhard was a teenager, and Friedel was only 4 years old.
The front of the card shows an elevated view of Gulpen from the Gulperberg.
Gulpen is located in the south of the Dutch province the Limburg, a beautiful hilly region that is famous for its natural surroundings and charming small towns. Today, less than 5,000 people live in Gulpen, and if you compare a recent aerial shot of Gulpen with the picture on the front of the card, I’d say probably even fewer people lived there in 1962.
Bernhard and Friedel live at Oude Akerweg 3 in Gulpen.
At first, I wasn’t able to find that address. According to Google Maps, there is no house number 3 on the Oude Akerweg. But then I realized that the Oude Akerweg had only even house numbers and that the Burgemeester Teheuxweg to the left of it, had only odd house numbers. Odd, right? (I’m sorry.)
Burgemeester Teheuxweg is named after Fons Teheux, who was the mayor of Gulpen from 1972 to 1982. Considering that he only became mayor in 1972, I doubt that this street was named Burgemeester Teheuxweg before then. Considering the odd and even house numbers, could it be that the odd part of Oude Akerweg became Burgemeester Teheuxweg sometime after 1972? I wasn’t able to find proof for this theory, but I think it’s possible. If so, this is the house that Bernhard and Friedel moved into in 1962.
The house was built in 1931 and is located in an area of Gulpen that is today described as quiet with a large senior population. I imagine it was pretty much the same back in 1962. Maybe Bernhard had just retired and he and Friedel decided to make a favorite vacation spot their retirement home.
Before we move on to the next postcard, we need to acknowledge a small detail that my attentive readers/listeners may already have picked up on. This card is not addressed to Dresdenerstraße 11 but to Dresdenerstraße 13.
We know since episode 1 that Richard and Margarete have been living at Dresdenerstraße 11 since at least 1937. 25 years later it seems like they may have moved two apartment buildings over.
As you may remember, Richard worked as a caretaker or facility manager when he and Margarete first moved to Dresdenerstraße 11. Maybe he decided to retire in the early 60s and they had to vacate the caretaker apartment at Dresdenerstraße 11, or maybe a more attractive or better-fitting apartment became available two doors down, and Richard and Margarete moved there. Maybe one or both of them had health issues, and so they were looking for an apartment on a floor closer to street level. I don’t know why they moved to Dresdenerstraße 13, but I’m confident that they did.
The next postcard is sent about a year and a half later, in October of 1963.
To: Fam. R. Kuhnt Berlin Kladow Mutter Genesungsheim Neu Kladower Allee Deutschland
Liebe Eltern, wir hoffen, dass Ihr auch so schönes Wetter habt wie wir hier in den letzten Tagen. Alles gesund? Erholt Euch gut und seid herzlichst gegrüßt und geküsst Eure B. + F.
Liebe Oma + Opa, auch von mir viele Grüße und erholt Euch man gut. Bis bald, ich bin auch Sonnabend wieder zuhause. Christa**
Dear parents, we hope that you have the same nice weather as we have had here in the last few days. All healthy? Have a good rest and greetings and kiss your B. + F.
Dear grandma + grandpa, many greetings from me too and have a good rest. See you soon, I'll be home again on Saturday. Christa**
This card isn’t addressed to Dresdenerstraße at all but to a convalescent home called Müttergenesungsheim in Berlin, Kladow. Kladow is the southernmost district in Berlin Spandau, about 40 minutes west of the Kuhnts’ apartment at Dresdnerstraße 13. The Müttergenesungsheim is operated by the German AWO or Arbeiterwohlfart, a charity that provides social services and support to people in Berlin and across Germany. The home is located in a manor on the grounds of the Neukladow estate.
The manor was built around 1800 and was privately owned until it was sold to the city of Berlin in 1928. Between 1932 and 1945 the estate was used for military purposes, mainly by the Nazis. In 1951, the AWO started using the estate as a convalescent home. They closed the home in 1995, after which the estate stood empty for many years. Today it is open to the public and used as a cultural event space and restaurant.
I assume that Richard and Margarete are at the Müttergenesungsheim to rest and recharge, rather than for a specific health issue. Institutions like this one are common and popular in Austria and Germany, and people tend to make use of them in the later years of their working lives to rest and recover.
The front of the card shows the bus station in Gulpen, back in the early 1960s.
Here’s an almost identical view from today.
As you can see, while the houses in the background have pretty much remained the same, the bus station, and the buses, have changed quite a bit in the last 60 years.
Postcard number 31–yes, we are almost at our final postcard– is sent about 6 months later, once again from Gulpen to Dresdenerstraße 13.
To: Herrn Richard Kuhnt Berlin 36 Dresdener Str. 13/14
3.6.64 Meine Lieben, vielen Dank für Euren Brief, hoffentlich macht Ihr Euch nicht krank mit der Nachbarwohnung. Heute haben wir Regen und Sturm und mussten die Wäsche auf den Gang oben hängen.
Auch von uns herzliche Grüße. Hoffentlich hat all die Arbeit auch für Euch was eingebracht. Käthe wird ja ausführlich erzählen. Kuss B. + F.
Gruß Wir sind 18.09 Bhf. Zoo Käthe + Richard**
My dears, thank you very much for your letter, I hope you don't make yourself ill with the neighboring apartment. Today it’s rainy and stormy, and we had to hang the laundry upstairs in the corridor.
Greetings from us too. I hope all the work has brought something for you too. Käthe will tell in detail. Kiss B + F
Greetings We are on 18.09 at station Zoo Käthe + Richard**
Käthe and Richard are visiting Bernhard and Friedel in Gulpen. It sounds like Richard and Margarete are somehow involved with some work at one of their neighboring apartments, which I assume relates to Richard having worked as, or still working as a caretaker. Then again, it’s 1964 and Richard is almost 80 years old, so maybe he and Margarete are just helping out their neighbors.
The front of the card shows the landscape around a trout farm/forellenkwekerij in Gulpen.
Postcard 32 is sent about a year later, in July of 1965. Käthe is visiting Bernhard and Friedel in Gulpen again. It seems like this time she is there alone.
To: Herrn u. Frau Rich. Kuhnt Dresdener Str. 13/14 Berlin 36
Meine Lieben, Ihr werdet sicher den Brief an R. gelesen haben und wir nehmen an, dort ist das Wetter auch nicht anders als hier, dann wisst Ihr alles. Aber trotzdem ist es schön, und die Tage vergehen. Jetzt gehen wir auf den Markt, d.h. B, u. ich, Friedel hat Wäsche. Bisher sind wir noch nicht viel gelaufen, Wald und Wiesen sind nass. Wir hoffen, dass es nächste Woche besser wird. Herzl. Gruß Käthe Bernhard + Friedel
My dears, you will certainly have read the letter to R. and we assume the weather there is no different than here, then you will know everything. But it's still beautiful, and the days go by. Now we're going to the market, i.e. B and I, Friedel has laundry. So far we haven't walked much, forest and meadows are wet. We hope next week will be better. Greetings Käthe Bernhard + Friedel
It sounds like Käthe is enjoying her visit, even though the weather is bad and they haven’t been out and about as much as she’d like, but she seems content spending time with her sister and brother-in-law.
The front of the card is another shot of the trout farm. This time it’s a close-up of one of the trout pools.
Postcard 33, is sent from Bernhard and Friedel to Richard and Margarete from a trip to Amsterdam.
To: Herrn Richard Kuhnt Dresdenerstr. 13/14 Berlin 36
Liebe Eltern, von hier viele Grüße. Brief folgt. B. + F.
Dear parents, many greetings from here. Letter follows. B. + F.
The front of the card is a colorful shot of the Minttower/Munttoren.
And here we finally are. Postcard 34. The last one. Written on October 30th, 1967, and sent to Richard and Margarete by Bernhard and Friedel from a trip to Amsterdam, probably to visit Hilde.
To: Herrn Richard Kuhnt Zimmer 201 Berlin 61 Blücherstr. 26 B
Meine Lieben, von unserem Ausflug nach Amsterdam herzliche Grüße B + F Liebe Familie Kuhnt. Sitzen mit Friedel und Bernhard wiedermal in Amsterdam und denken viel an Ihnen Wie ich höre geht es Ihnen Gott sei dank gut es grüßt Ihnen Ihre Hilde Schwarz**
My dears, warm greetings from our trip to Amsterdam B + F Dear family Kuhnt. Sitting with Friedel and Bernhard in Amsterdam again and thinking a lot about you. I hear you are doing well, thank God. Greetings, your Hilde Schwarz**
The card isn’t addressed to Dresdenerstraße but to Blücherstraße 26 B in Berlin. There’s an ink stamp just above the address that reads: Bezirksamt Abt. Sozialwesen, Altenheim Blücherstraße, 31. Okt, 1967, Blücherstraße 26b.
Richard and Margarete have moved to a retirement home, 1.3 miles from Dresdenerstraße 13.
The building of the retirement home is still around today, but it’s now a home for housing-insecure people.
Richard dies 5 months after this last postcard, on March 13th, 1968. I don’t know what happens to Margarete after that. I’ve reviewed all death records for Kuhnt and Grosse (Margerete’s maiden name) in Berlin Kreuzberg up until 1991, which is the most current year available, and I was not able to find her. She either moved out of Kreuzberg, or she lived beyond 1991, or I just wasn’t able to find her record. I don’t know. I just don’t.
I do know that Bernhard dies on February 24, 1992, in Gulpen, at age 92. I also know that Friedel returns to Berlin after his death and that she is still alive in 2010 when the stumbling blocks for Regina, Johanna, Werner, and Jürgen get set into the sidewalk in front of Holsteinische Straße 34. Friedel is 98 at the time. Unfortunately, I don’t know what happened to Hanni and Käthe, but I do know that Käthe’s husband Richard Nering dies in Kreuzberg in 1992.
I also know that Hilde Schwarz dies in 1996, at age 88, and that her husband Siegfried dies in 1976, aged 72.
I know there would be so much more to research, learn, and appreciate about this family, but for now, we’ve almost come to the end of the Kuhnts’ story on Unanswered. There’s just one more question I’d like to answer: How did 34 German postcards end up at an antique store in Palm Springs, almost 6000 miles away from the address they were once sent to?
Let me start by saying that I have not been able to prove this answer, so what you get may not be the truth, but it is my most educated guess.
As most of the cards were addressed to either Richard or Margarete or both, I assume that they initially had the postcards. Maybe by the time they moved to a retirement home, or after both their deaths, the cards were passed on to another family member. I don’t think it would have been Bernhard and Friedel, as they lived quite far away, and I wasn’t able to find any connection to the United States for the two of them. This leaves us with Hanni, who we haven’t heard from since the 1940s, and Käthe, who lived in the same apartment building as her parents until, and most likely still after her parents moved to a retirement home. I lost Käthe’s track after the 1960s, but Richard Nering stayed in Berlin until he died in 1992. The two of them, however, have two children, Dieter and Christa. I was never able to find any information about Dieter, but I did learn that Christa immigrated to the United States and lived in San Diego in 1966. She married Joseph Brown on August 12th, 1967, and I can still place her in San Diego in 1993. After that, I lost track of her.
San Diego is about 130 miles or a 2-hour drive from the antique store in Palm Springs where I found the cards. I assume that Christa had the cards, and I don’t know if she decided to part ways with them, but I doubt it. She brought them from Berlin to San Diego and held on to them for so many years just to sell them? Probably not. I assume that Christa passed away and that the cards ended up at the antique store as part of an estate sale.
I was born and raised about 7.5 hours south of Berlin, long after these postcards were written. For most of my life, I didn’t know the Kuhnts, but I ran into them 6000 miles away from both of our homes. For most of my life, I didn’t know the Kuhnts. For the rest of my life, I won’t forget them.
For now, dear Unanswered readers and listeners, this is the end of 34 Postcards, but not of Unanswered. I’ll read or hear you again, at the end of June, when we look into a brand new unanswered question.
On the off chance that a relative of the Kuhnts reads these lines and would like to have the cards, please reach out to me here or at unanswerwed@gmail.com. It would be an honor to reunite them with family.
*I’m marking words and letters that I can’t decipher with “_” to call them out. If you can read them, please let me know at unansweredcommunity@gmail.com. I appreciate your help!
**Deciphered and transcribed with the help of johannadambergk from the Genealogy subreddit. Thank you so much for sharing your time and skills with me <3.