Hilda Vitzthum, Biography Papers
Title: Hilda Vitzthum,
Biography Papers
Creator: Vitzthum, Hilda, 1902-
Dates: 1980s
Quantity: 1 box (0.2 linear
feet)
Collection Number: MS 0045
Language: German, English
Restrictions: None
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Historical Records Statement: Please see our statement on historical records and materials.
Preferred Citation: Hilda Vitzthum, Biography Papers (MS 0045). Archives & Special Collections,
University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries.
Biography:
Born near the city of Salzburg in the Upper Austrian Hausruck district in 1902, Hilda
Vitzthum and her family experienced the repercussions of the collapse of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I. Vitzthum joined the Communist Party at an
early age and eventually emigrated to the Soviet Union. She married a Russian
engineer named Georgi Shcherbatov, who assisted in the construction of a large
metallurgical complex at Kuznetsk in Siberia. Soon after the completion of the metal
works at Kuznetsk, Josef Stalin labeled Vitzthum and her husband "enemies of the
people." She was separated from her children, and her husband was arrested. Sent to
a forced labor camp, Vitzthum survived eight years in the camp before finally being
released. Both of her daughters had died while she was incarcerated. Vitzthum worked
in the Soviet Union for two more years before she received permission to return to
Austria with her one surviving son.
Scope and Content:
The collection consists of the German typescript of Hilda Vitzthum's biography as
well as an English translation of the first chapter. Also included in the collection
are publication announcements for her biography and a few brief biographical
sketches. Vitzthum's biography describes her experiences as a communist living in
both Austria and the Soviet Union and her struggle to survive eight years in a
forced labor camp in Siberia.
Subjects:
Vitzthum, Hilda, 1902-
Communists -- Austria -- Biography
Political prisoners -- Soviet Union -- Biography
Container List:
Box 1. Folder 1. "Mit den Wurzeln
Austrotten"
Box 1. Folder 2. Translation, "Mit den Wurzeln
Austrotten," chapter 1
Box 1. Folder 3. Biographical sketches
Box 1. Folder 4. Publication announcements
Related Material and Resources: Vitzthum, Hilda. Mit der Wurzel Ausrotten: Erinnerungen einer
Ehemaligen Kommunistin. München: E. Vögel, 1984. _____________. Torn Out by the Roots: the Recollections of a
Former Communist. Translated with an introduction and notes by Paul
Schach. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, c1993. |