Travel Diary

A diary, together with various photo albums, documents Maria Fischer-Gieselmann’s scholarship trip through the United States from October 16, 1951, to January 8, 1952. In May 1950, the young architect had passed her examination for a Diplom at Karlsruhe Polytechnic and subsequently gained her first professional experience. During Maria Fischer’s studies, she was not the lone woman among male students in Karlsruhe anymore. Among the 278 architecture students who successfully completed their exams between the end of the war and the summer semester of 1950, 21 were women (7.6 %). The Women’s Bureau of the US Department of Labor arranged for Maria Fischer and her fellow in the profession, Dorothee Keuerleber, to travel through the USA as “expert[s] for women’s affairs.” The purpose of this sponsorship was to spark ideas and inspiration for use at home. The trip was tightly scheduled. The two young women visited many institutions, cities, and private homes. They also attended numerous lectures and other educational activities. The program, catering to young women, also included visits to several women’s clubs, such as the League of Women Voters, as well as schools and hospitals with maternity wards. Fischer describes her impressions overall as varied but also somewhat strange. She missed having more practical opportunities in the USA, as the focus of her trip had been on observation rather than hands-on experience. After returning, Maria Fischer established herself as a freelance architect. In the early postwar period, there was a notable trend toward offering exchange programs for German students to the United States. The goal was, to reintrduce Germans, shaped by National Socialism and the war, to democracy and life in liberty. Although women were still underrepresented in technical degree programs, this diary illustrates that efforts were already being made to promote them during the 1950s. as