Herta Mertens: 104 years full of love, war and wisdom!

Herta Mertens: 104 years full of love, war and wisdom!

Herta Mertens, an impressive woman, lives in tranquil Pritzwalk and will celebrate her 104th birthday on July 12, 2025. Born in 1921, she looked back on a life full of experiences marked by war, love and hard work. Their story is not just that of an individual fate, but also reflects the challenges of that time. Loud Northern Courier At the age of 10, Herta helped run her relatives' shops in Berlin. An early life full of challenges began when her father decided at the age of 14 that she should train to be a chef because her search for an apprenticeship as a saleswoman was not successful.

Herta began her culinary training at the Pritzwalker Bahnhofshotel in 1935 and made a name for herself in various restaurants in Berlin and northern Germany. Her last stop during the war was the army airfield in Hagenow, where she was allowed to cook for the soldiers stationed there. On this occasion she met a soldier with whom she had a very special connection - she had started it all with a borrowed spoon. They married in 1941 and their first child was born a short time later.

Family history in the shadow of war

The post-war years were marked by uncertainty for Herta and her family. Her husband was taken prisoner by the Americans and fought not only against hunger, but also against the effects of diphtheria, which struck him shortly after the end of the war. Herta, who in the meantime left her child with her parents, did everything she could to find him. When she finally met him, his return from captivity was a bright spot in a dark time. The family settled in Pritzwalk and expanded their circle to include a total of four children.

The Mertens were almost self-sufficient: a garden with fruit trees and animals ensured the family's basic needs. Herta worked in the gear factory for 21 years and looked after the apprentices' home, which gave her an additional perspective in the world of work. Unfortunately, her husband died in 1986 before he could reach the age of 70 - a terrible blow to the family they had built.

Living in the present

After reunification, Herta Mertens had experiences that she describes as striking. The difference between East and West Germany was impossible to ignore, and while she noticed that much had changed, she thrived. Traveling became a new passion that enabled her to discover the world even in old age. She has been attending the DRK's day care twice a week for eleven years now, where she spends her days with other seniors and exchanges ideas.

After a long life marked by historical upheavals, Herta now leads a tranquil life in the security of her daughter Marlies. Every day she devotes herself to her passion for romance novels, which help her to inspire her imagination and keep the memories of the past alive. She will be 104 years old in June 2025 and says with a smile: “But we lived well.”

Shaped by the turbulent times of the Second World War, in which many soldiers, as described in an article by bpb, who often had to have different experiences, we know the dark side of life, which Herta faced with courage. She has always shown a good knack for the little things in life and her story shows us that despite all adversity, confidence and love for one another are the most important things.