The boy who drew Auschwitz
TODAY, Zug—the small, Swiss lakeside town where I live—is home to some of the world’s largest companies, but, in 1945, it was a humble farming community renowned for its cherry production. That summer, the Felsenegg children’s home poised on top of the Zugerberg, a mountain overlooking the town, opened its doors to 107 exhausted and bewildered boys and girls, who had arrived from the horrors of Buchenwald concentration camp in Weimar, Germany. A 15-year-old Jewish boy called Thomas Geve (his pseudonym) was among them.
I came across Thomas’s story by chance, thanks to a client of mine, Natalie Albrecht, who told me about an exhibition at Zug’s Burg Museum and gave me a. I’ve always been interested in Second World War history and was intrigued by Switzerland’s role. The leaflet explained how the Swiss alpine scenery allowed the children a chance to start their recovery and why for many, such as Thomas—who was mentioned by name—drawing and writing about their experiences was a great help, too.
