Anatol Gotfryd

In his interview with “COSMO Radio po polsku”, Anatol Gotfryd explained why they chose Germany: “I didn’t feel any enmity towards the Germans. We did not equate the SS and the Gestapo with the entire German people. Some of my family came from Austria and grew up speaking this language, which is why this culture was not foreign to us. We had a lot of friends among the Germans and our family reestablished contact with them straight after the war. There was absolutely nothing exotic about our leaving for Berlin.”[4]

The Gotfryd’s took German courses and worked unofficially in various dental practices, although they often had to grapple with German bureaucracy to do so. To work as a dentist you had to have a permit to work and reside legally, which was an extremely difficult proposition for Eastern European citizens. The two of them then enrolled as free students at the dental clinic at the Free University of Berlin so that they could study for their PhDs.

A few months later, Anatol Gotfryd’s lucky streak returned. He found out that the American army was looking for dentists and that they were not asking the doctors for work permits. So he reported to the US headquarters in Clay-Allee where he took a practical professional examination. The Polish couple were then employed in the dental clinic, a military hospital, and were given the rank of lieutenant.

For the young immigrants, this was like a big win on the lottery. Their employment with the American army came with good salaries and many privileges. The doctors were provided with freshly washed surgical gowns every day as well as coats to go to the canteen where lavish meals awaited them. They even had an “errand boy” at their service. On top of this, as members of the US army they were able to buy goods that had been imported from the US in the Post-Exchange shops (PX-Shops).

Anatol worked in this clinic for a year. Danuta then took over his position and stayed in this role for a further four years. Their employment at the military clinic was an important step in the professional careers of the two dentists, not least because they learnt from the Americans how to work well. “The way the Dental Clinic was organised, the efficiency and the generous use of time and materials were unusual in post-war Europe”, recalls Anatol Gotfryd.[5] American experts often gave lectures and presented new treatment methods.

From 1949 to 1990, West Berlin was divided into three sectors that were controlled by Great Britain, France and the US. The allied powers dictated the tone of the city. The Gotfryds’ professional and personal lives were shaped by their dealings with the Americans. They were invited to lavish parties, visited the Officers’ Club in the Harnack House, the French cultural centre “Maison de France” and the University of Art and Design.