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Between the school grounds and the plots of Windelschmidt and Mainz was the school alley. On both sides of walls, which of course often challenged us to daring climbing tricks. Especially the wall of Mainz was gladly climbed over, a strong pumice plate wall, at top spiked with walled-in bottle shards. If one was happy over that wall, one ended up in the garden of Mainz with of the huge weeping willow at the pond. After crossing the garden came a passageway, on the left were the workshop and toilets as the passage to the ash place, then the bread storage began.

To the right, along the bakery, under the high fireplace lay the "back parts" of the ovens, the firings. From here they were fired mostly with briquettes.

Sometimes, however, the burnt and concealed loaves of bread that the bakers had forgotten in the oven ended up there. They had "zevöl jemullt""talked to much" or argued and forgot about the timely pulling out of the oven. The passage ended at the loading yard, between villa and factory. On the left was the bread store, followed by a draw and a passage to the barn. On the right, the yard was framed by the canopy of the bakery, under which the bread carts were driven to the bread warehouse in dry conditions, even in the rain. Subsequently, the flour tower with the sack lift, then the office, followed by the slightly back cutting room, where the bread was cut and packaged. Then, along the wall of the school alley, came the exit to the main road.

In the "old" school - towards the street - lay the entrance to the school, the classroom of the 1st class followed by teaching equipment room, in which, among other things, the large maps for geography lessons, later also the film screening apparatus were kept. Directly opposite the entrance was the dreaded teacher's room, next to it the classroom of the 7th school year. Above, on the first floor, was the upper class, the 8th year of school, with large windows facing Lambertz's garden. There above it, next to the window hung on the outer wall the school bell, which was smashed at the teacher's command at the beginning of the school and at the breaks by a - most preferred - pupil. Down the road was the apartment of teacher Lambertz.

Our school year was quite busy with almost 70 girls and boys. About one half came from the village, the other half from the Broich settlement, the Ley settlement, as it called that time. The boys from the settlement were like us, maybe a little more robust and tough. The settler girls, on the other hand, were very different from those from the village. They were freer, more casual, perhaps a little bit cheekier. Today you would say they had more pep. All I know about the origin of the settlement is that it was somehow related to the "Kull". The first settlement was probably in the marginal settlement, then followed the "old" settlement, which, however, was always considered at a distance from the marginal settlement. Then, under Hitler, the "new" settlement was founded, a consequence of the ever-growing meaning of coal mining of the mines in Alsdorf and Mariadorf, which needed more and more miners. A "model house" was built, which was presented to the population in 1939 by Dr. Ley with great propaganda - effort.

It was also Dr. Ley who, as Minister of Settlement, made the first groundbreaking in 1934. After him, the settlement was then also called simply and quickly Ley-Siedlung. The increase in coal production and the associated resettlement policy were a measure of the NSDAP (National-Socialist German Workers' Party). The measure created work and was therefore very popular at a time of high unemployment and therefore vital to the system. Later, the Kull even became important for the war. And after the war it was vital for many people because the miners received special rations and were the first to receive the coveted "CARE packages" from America, the content of which was the "Otto – Normalverbraucher” something he could dream of.

At school, our classroom was now on the 1st floor of the new school.

To the south were high, large windows. I sat in the row of windows and in the summer the sun always made me sleepy. In addition to this series, there was also a row with boys, followed – towards the inner wall - and thus towards the door - two bank-rich with the girls.

With Emma Laban, Josef Wenders, Betti Küffen, Kätchen Blocksdorf, Kurt Kappertz and others we brought Ernst Moritz Arndt to the Linden-Neusen School:

Sun, Moon and Stars

And the sun, it made the long ride around the world.
And the stars said, we travel with you around the world.
And the sun, it shouts, you remain at home,
for I burn you out the golden eyes
on the fiery ride around the world.

And the little stars went to the dear moon at night.
And they said, you, who are perched on clouds in the night,
let walk us with you, for your bright glow
would never burn our eyes.
And the moon took them, the journeymen of the night.

Now welcome, little stars and dear moon, at night!
You understand what lives silently in your heart, at night.
Come and light the heavenly lights,
that I can swarm along and play
in the friendly games of the night.

I had painted the sun, the moon and several stars on cardboard, cut it out and provided it with a stick to hold up. The costumes made of old curtains, curtains and coloured paper were community services. Emma Laban and I shared the rehearsals.

The performance was a great success and all the participants received a very big praise from the teacher.

Please, observe the copyright of Albert Johnen
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