Hans and Konradin’s Friendship

The friendship between Hans Schwarz and Konradin von Hohenfels grows from fascination into intimacy, then is tested by prejudice, political terror, and a final revelation.

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The Newcomer Arrives

The Newcomer Arrives A sudden fascination Konradin von Hohenfels enters Hans Schwarz’s classroom with aristocratic poise, immediately seeming unlike the other boys. Hans’s response Hans’s fascination joins admiration for Konradin’s appearance to awe at his family’s history. The arrival gives Hans a new hope for friendship.

A Friendship Begins

A Friendship Begins The first approach After Hans attracts Konradin’s attention with his coin collection, the boys meet on the way home and discover their mutual shyness. A new center of life They become inseparable. Their walks, conversations, and excursions turn an isolated adolescence into a shared world.

The Closed Household

The Closed Household A concealed boundary Konradin welcomes Hans into his room but keeps him from meeting his parents. Hans later sees the family’s public grandeur at the opera. The truth spoken Konradin admits that his mother hates Jews. His explanation preserves their affection but exposes a barrier friendship alone cannot remove.

Separation by Politics

Separation by Politics A changed school After antisemitic propaganda enters Karl Alexander Gymnasium, Hans is attacked and Konradin offers no public support. A forced departure Hans’s parents send him away. Konradin’s farewell letter reveals his political allegiance and turns an intimate friendship into a painful separation.

The Final Connection

The Final Connection An old wound reopened A memorial appeal from Karl Alexander Gymnasium makes Hans confront the classmates and country he has tried to forget. The last revelation Hans finds that Konradin was executed for involvement in the plot to kill Hitler. The news transforms an unresolved parting into a final, unexpected connection.

February 1932, at Karl Alexander Gymnasium

March 15, 1932, after school

Spring 1932, after Hans visits Palais Hohenfels

Autumn 1932, after the school’s antisemitic confrontation

Thirty years after Hans leaves Germany