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Background

02. Childhood and Youth

    Raoul Wallenberg was born on August 4, 1912, in Stockholm. His father died of cancer three months before Raoul was born. Raouls mother and his grandfather, Gustaf Wallenberg, took charge of Raouls education. Gustaf Wallenberg had been a diplomat in Japan, China… 

    03. Raoul Wallenberg; University and Training:

      From 1931 to 1935, Raoul Wallenberg studied architecture in Michigan, USA.He then spent some time in Capetown and Haifa. Here he began to train as a banker. His grandfather would have liked to have seen Raoul follow in the family tradition and become a banker. The Wallenberg family was Sweden´s best known banking family. Raoul discovered early enough that banking was not for him. In a letter to his grandfather Raoul writes: “To tell you the truth, I don´t find myself very bankerisch. … My temperament is better suited to some positive line of work than to sitting around saying no.“
      It was in Palestine that Raoul first made contact with the „Hitler-Germany-Refugees“. Here he found out about the Jewish persecution in Germany. Wallenberg returned to Stockholm

      04. Hungary 1933-1944

        Hungarys Relationship To NS-Germany: In 1933 Hungary looked twords Germany for direction, Hitler was chancellor. The Trianon Peace Treaty saw Hungary lose two thirds of its territory and up 60% of its population. In 1920 Admiral Miklos Horthy was elected… 

        05. Jews in Hungary

          History Of The Jews In Hungary till 1933 In the third century Jews lived in the region we know now as Hungary. Following the first world war and the resultant collapse of the monarchy coupled with the effects of the… 

          07. The Extermination

            Deportation, Auschwitz:   End of April 1944, Adolf Eichmann organized the first deportation of Jews from Hungary. From the middle of the May four groups daily, each concisting of 3.000 Jews, started for Auschwitz. By the 9th of July the…