BIOGRAPHY

Ida Enthof was born in Królikowo (then Königsgut), Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland (then German Empire), on 7 September 1913. She grew up on her parents’ farm in Königsgut, where her strict father managed both the small farm and the local post office. As she grew older, she was allowed to take charge of the post office herself. People came by with their packages and letters, which she accepted or delivered. Later, when the post office was equipped with a telephone, neighbors frequently visited the farm. Additionally, since Stalag I-B, a prisoner of war camp, was located nearby during the Second World War, the soldiers on guard duty also came by to make phone calls. She had a brother who was seven years younger than her. They had a lot of work to do on the farm, which spanned about 70 acres and included five cows and some pigs. In addition to farm chores, she also managed the post office. Occasionally, the family would take a Sunday carriage ride to Waplitz or Osterode.

At some point, she married and had two children. Then World War II began. Her husband, who had fought with the 6th Army at Stalingrad, was reported missing. As the Red Army drew closer, she had to escape in 1945. She slept on the train to Pomerania, where there was hardly anything to eat during the journey. Reluctant to travel by water with her two children due to the numerous drownings she had heard about, she first saw the Baltic Sea while fleeing to Pomerania. The Enthof family and their neighbors made it to Pomerania and found an apartment in the town of Koszalin (now in West Pomeranian Voivodeship). Soon after, the Red Army arrived at their doorstep. The family was in a large hall with others when the soldiers broke in with their Kalashnikovs, checking everyone and taking anything they deemed useful. According to her, they “had almost nothing left anyway.”

In Pomerania, she milked cows to ensure her family had a steady supply of milk. Occasionally, they would have pork to eat. According to her son, life became more difficult under the Poles, as they had little themselves and resorted to nighttime raids. During that time, Ida wanted to move further west. The family had relatives in Bad Münder, Lower Saxony, and eventually, they managed to leave. On 10 October 1945, the Enthofs arrived in Bad Münder. While their parents remained in the Soviet occupation zone, Ida and her brother successfully reached the West. Initially, she helped out on a farm, later worked in a children’s home, but later relied on welfare to get by. Her brother eventually returned to their parents’ home.

On her 110th birthday, she was visited by Wolfgang Schurmann, the mayor of Elze, accompanied by Deputy Birgit Freifrau von Cramm. They presented her with a gift from the town of Elze and the district of Hildesheim, along with a certificate from the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony. At the time, she had three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

RECOGNITION

On 6 October 2024, following the passing of 111-year-old Adele Lankenau, she became the oldest living person in Lower Saxony, at the age of 111 years, 29 days.

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Zum 110. Geburtstag ein Stück Zwetschgenkuchen” – leinetal24, 7 September 2023

* “Wo der Bundespräsident Krone trägt” – Preußische Allgemeine Zeitung, 26 March 2024

GALLERY