Upon leaving Wilhelm Reich's birthplace Dobrianychi we got into a tremendous thunderstorm. When the rain stopped, we looked back at the Galician fields. (photo: Stefan Hampl)
The aim of this research is reconstructing the collective memory of the places, where psychoanalyst and natural scientist Wilhelm Reich was born and spent his inspirational youth. This means personally visiting the villages in Ukraine, speaking to the local people, translating, experiencing, thoroughly documenting the findings and carrying out archival research.
Mission
The aim of this research is to re-reconnect the Austrian Cultural heritage of Galicia and Bukovina; i.e. make the places visible again, where Wilhelm Reich and/or members of his family spent their lives. Reichs father Leon was an assimilated Jewish settler, who considered himself an ambassador of the German culture. He favored an enlightened education for his sons Wilhelm and Robert. The boys grew up on farms in Dobrianychi (Galicia) and Yuzhynets (Bukovina). These territories part of Ukraine today. 100 years ago Wilhelm Reich experienced his most intensive childhood events there and developed the passion for what would guide his theoretical thinking and scientific research for the rest of his life.
“Occasionally something new starts with a conversation about something that has been commonplace for a long time, or just with a memory of something, that has fallen into oblivion.”
What was Achieved so far
- visited the villages of Dobrianychi and Yuzhynets, Ukraine
- interviewed the residents of Dobrianychi and Yuzhynets, Ukraine
- documented our research with photos, videos and audio recordings
- published a paper on Wilhelm Reich's birthplace (book presentation in fall 2017)
- updated and elaborated the Reich family tree on geni.com
- carried out bibliographical and archival research
- started building a community of local and international stakeholders for understanding Wilhelm Reich's Galician and Bukovinan heritage.
- identified translators and publishers for upcoming publications on Wilhelm Reich
- set up this website, a facebook page and a facebook group
preliminary Research results
- Vienna, Austria:
- Tomb of Leon Reich (father)
- Locations of Wilhelm Reich's residences
- Locations of his uncle's apartment
- Location of his grandmother Josefine Roniger's last residence
- Czernowitz, Ukraine
- Tomb of Cecylia Reich (mother)
- Connection between Wilhelm Reich and his relative Klara Blum (daughter of Cecylia Reich's uncle Josef Blum)
- Lviv, Ukraine: Location, where Cecilia Reich lived with her mother Josefine Roniger
- Dobrianychi, Ukraine
- Location of Hersch Chaim Reich (grandfather) house, fields and workplace
- possible location of Wilhelm Reich's birth house
- Yuzhynets, Ukraine
- Location of the Reich family's estate
- Location of the Reich family well