Childhood in Barmbek

Schmidt’s parents Gustav and Ludovika (née Koch) do not come from wealthy backgrounds. But they provide their young family with an education-focused and relatively sheltered existence. After World War I, they find a spacious apartment for themselves and their two sons Helmut (in the centre) and Wolfgang (on the right). The apartment is situated on the top floor of a mid-19th century building, beside the Eilbekkanal. The area around Richardstraße, as Schmidt recalls seven decades later, is one of the »so-called better« corners in the »working-class district« of Barmbek. He grows up in this area in an »apolitical« household. Schmidt says he was not allowed to read the newspaper, nor were current events discussed with the children.