German Sütterlinschrift, created in the early 20th century, was banned by the Nazis as "Jewish." Nevertheless, it survived and today serves to read old letters and documents, connecting younger and older generations. Social initiatives teach young people this script, enabling them to decipher family history. This is an example of how the history of writing can be a carrier of memory and identity.

Script ban by the Nazis

Nazi authorities banned the use of Sütterlin, labeling it as "Jewish," in an attempt to erase part of the cultural heritage.

Reading family documents

Young Germans are learning the script to be able to read letters and diaries of their ancestors, discovering unknown threads of family history.

Bridge between generations

Jointly deciphering old texts becomes an integrative activity, building dialogue between grandchildren and grandparents.

Contemporary educational initiatives

Courses and workshops are emerging, often organized by archives or associations, teaching young people to write and read Sütterlin.

Sütterlinschrift, a distinctive German handwriting script introduced in 1911 by Ludwig Sütterlin, has experienced a turbulent history. Its goal was to simplify and standardize writing for students, replacing complicated Gothic typefaces. In 1941, the Nazi authorities of the Third Reich issued a ban on the use of so-called Gothic script (Fraktur) and related forms like Sütterlin, labeling them as "Jewish." The official reason was the alleged difficulty in reading by foreigners, which hindered propaganda. In fact, it was part of a broader policy of cultural cleansing and the imposition of Antiqua script as "German." The ban contributed to the rapid disappearance of this skill in subsequent generations. Today, this script is experiencing a kind of renaissance, but in a completely different context. It has become a key to the past, rather than a tool for everyday communication. Young people who never learned Sütterlin in schools are signing up for courses to be able to read letters from the front, great-grandmother's diaries, or old family documents discovered in the attic. The process of deciphering these texts is often a joint intergenerational endeavor. In many German cities, as mentioned in the context of Thuringia, state archives, libraries, or local associations organize workshops. Participants not only learn to recognize letters but also delve into the historical context of the era when the script was used. This combination of paleography with family history proves to be highly engaging. „Als ich endlich den Brief meines Urgroßvaters aus den Schützengräben des Ersten Weltkriegs entziffert hatte, war die Verbindung unglaublich. Das waren seine Worte, seine Angst und seine Hoffnung, festgehalten in dieser speziellen Schrift.” — Ursula Bender Such testimonies show the emotional dimension of this skill. This phenomenon goes beyond a mere hobby. It is a form of active commemoration and transmission of intangible heritage. In the digital age, where handwriting is fading, the return to Sütterlin is also a symbolic gesture of appreciating the material trace of ancestors. It allows for confronting difficult chapters of history, such as wars or Nazism, in a very personal way. Reading the script banned by the regime becomes an act of restoring memory that the regime wanted to erase. These initiatives are therefore not only educational but also have a profound socio-cultural dimension, building a bridge over the generational and historical divide.

Mentioned People

  • Ludwig Sütterlin — Creator of the Sütterlinschrift script introduced in 1911.
  • Ursula Bender — A course participant who read her great-grandfather's letter from the First World War.