The Grettstadt Medicus Karl Dorda is still remembered by many. Not only as a doctor with charisma, but also as a photographer and keeper of orchids.
Photo: Dorda Archives
Medicus Dr. died on June 12, 1965. med. Karl Dorda in the University Hospital Würzburg. Until his death, he practiced as a resident doctor for 15 years and looked after Grettstadt, Dürrfeld and Dampfach. In addition, he took care of the natural areas of Grettstadt, which were considered nationwide at the time. Dorda was married to Dr. phil. Maria Dorda. In addition to her family of five, she ran a publishing house, wrote books and gave numerous lectures.
On February 4, 1917, Karl Dorda was born the fourth child of a pharmacist and master of pharmacy and his wife Irene in Graz, Austria. The father was there in the First World War as a pharmacist at the garrison hospital and adjutant to the commander in the Austro-Hungarian army. After the First World War, he moved with his family to Jägerndorf, a Sudeten German town in what was then the Czechoslovak Republic, where he ran a thriving pharmacy in his own house.
Dr. med. Karl Dorda – Vocation is more than a profession
Karl spent his childhood and youth in Jägerndorf. After graduating from high school, he began studying medicine at the German Charles University in Prague and did his doctorate. During his time in Prague, the medicus met and loved his future wife Maria Ebert, who studied Slavic studies and history there and also graduated with a doctorate. She was born in Marienbad in 1917.
Photo: Dorda Archives
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Like his entire generation, Karl Dorda was drafted into the Wehrmacht as a Sudeten German at the beginning of World War II. There he was a doctor on the Eastern Front for four years, was wounded several times and received the Iron Cross on ribbon for bravery in the medical care of wounded soldiers.
In May 1945 the lieutenant came with the destroyer 39 from Königsberg over the Baltic Sea to Kiel, where he was taken prisoner by the English. Dorda was assigned to the Reinbek auxiliary hospital near Hamburg. As an external doctor with free access, he was able to visit Hamburg-Eppendorfer University, sit at the dermatological clinic, take exams to become a specialist in skin diseases and pass the course as an obstetrician. He wanted to heal war wounds and help mothers give birth to their children.
See you again after the eviction
With the help of the tracing service of the German Red Cross, he found his family again at Bayerhof Castle near Waldsachsen. His wife Maria, whom he had married during a home leave in Mariánské Lázně, had been forced into quarters there with her baby, mother, grandmother and mother-in-law after being expelled from their homeland.
Photo: Dorda Archives
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The family was together with Karl when he returned, and two children were added until 1948. Burgberg Verlag was founded at Bayerhof and still exists today. The young doctor looked for a suitable doctor’s office, which he found in Grettstadt. There it was mainly the meadows, the orchids of which nature lovers loved. A house was built in 1952 and the practice expanded in 1960. Together with midwife Lore Lenhard, he gave birth to many a child to the light of day. Apart from two weeks of further training per year, there was no vacation for him. He was ready day and night for his patients in Grettstadt, Dürrfeld and Dampfach. In his free time, he photographed plant rarities from the Grettstadt meadows and exerted his influence when it came to preserving these natural treasures.
Maria Dorda, a versatile humanist
Wife Maria Dorda collected a lot about the local history and written writings that are still used today. From 1949 she took on many tasks in the cultural, communal and church area. From 1952-56 she was the first woman in the municipal council of Grettstadt. She was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit for her services. The Burgberg Verlag, in which the Jägerndorfer Heimatbrief appears, led her until her death in 2004. In return, she received the great honorary award of the Sudeten German team. Since 2004, the management of the publishing house has been in the hands of her son Wolfgang, who today works as a voluntary community archivist in Grettstadt. It wasn’t until 16 years later that Dr. med. Hermann Kraus a successor for Dr. Dorda.
Photo: Archives Dorda Repro Ruth Volz
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Grettstadt
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Ruth Volz
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Medical practices
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dermatology
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German Red Cross
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First World War (1914-1918)
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Familys
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Skin diseases
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Midwives
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Medical studies
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University hospitals
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Wehrmacht
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World wars
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doctors
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Dr Maria Dorda was a wonderful person. She was teaching English at the Private Wirtschaftschule Mueller in Schweinfurt.
With her gentle and funny personality, it was a joy to enjoy her classes in 1977. She had a heart for her students and gave advise and recommendations. She told me to pursue the English language. I did not know at that time that I later marry an
American Soldier.