INFORMATION ON MY GENEALOGY

Helena Koffler, née Philipps, was born around 1888 in Stanislawow, a town in Galicia, which at the time was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After World War I, Austrian Galicia became part of Poland, and after 1945, it was incorporated into the USSR. Today, it is in Western Ukraine. Note: Do not confuse Austrian Galicia with the Spanish province of the same name (home to cities like Santiago de Compostela, Vigo, and A Coruña). Her birth took place during a period when Poland did not exist as an independent nation, having been partitioned by Austria, Prussia, and Russia at the end of the 18th century. Helena’s family background, with her father Johann Philipp born in 1863 and her mother Jozefa Gorska in 1869, places them squarely within this multi-ethnic empire, where Poles, Ukrainians, Jews, and other groups coexisted under imperial rule. Helena married Anton Kofler from Austria (Bozen, South Tyrol) in the early years of the 20th century, a time marked by growing nationalist

 The journey into the past can often reveal more than just names and dates; it can uncover layers of personal connections, family ties, and shared histories that intertwine with the broader strokes of national narratives. As I delved into the extermination of the Danube Germans, my interest deepened when I came across the tragic story of Anna Philipps, who died in 1946 at the Rudolfsgnad concentration camp. Her fate opened a portal into the harrowing experiences endured by the Danube Swabians during and after World War II. While researching, I stumbled upon a memorial page dedicated to Anna Philipps. The site not only provided insights into her life but also served as a reminder of the countless individuals whose stories have been lost or forgotten. Anna’s tragic end in a concentration camp epitomizes the suffering inflicted upon the Danube Germans after the war, when many were expelled or killed due to their ethnicity. You can find more about her memorial on https://www.findagrave.c