The Movement
- Mara Ginic stayed in Switzerland until the war ended and married Ivo Kraus.
- They decided not to go to Yugoslavia but to Italy.
- From Italy they emigrated to Argentina.
- They had two children there and moved back to Italy, and in France, in Venezuela and finally São Paulo, Brazil, where they divorced.
- Mara then met Joe J. Heydecker with whom she lived until his death in Vienna, Austria.
Mara Kraus (right) with grandson Kevin and great-grandson Rafael.
Zermatt
- Once they reached the border of Switzerland, they met the guards and were informed that they couldn't stay in Switzerland.
"Since nothing could be expected from that side, the negotiations turned to imploring and begging for entry -- and when even tears were of no avail the two adult women threw themselves at the feet of the officials, pulled their hair and made such a scene that I had to look away in shame."
The Climb
- They were brought to Zermatt and stayed in a hotel
- Luckily, everyone had stayed in Zermatt then because they heard that Swiss police would hand over the refugees to the Germans.
"In Zermatt we became famous overnight. We were treated like heroes. People felt admiration for our accomplishment and compassion for our lot. "
- When the Germans occupied northern Italy, Mara, her father, and a few people fled immediately to the mountains to cross over to Switzerland.
"After an adventurous, dangerously unsuccessful try we were able to find a guide in Breuil (Cervinia)"
- It was Jean Antoine Carrel, the first Italian to climb the Matterhorn, who helped them cross the mountain to their destination.
"I gave him one of my mittens since his hands were freezing, as the cold became more biting."
''The path became more stony and narrow, and we now had to step carefully sideways, leaning against a steep rock face."
"'Its icy breath beat against us."
"Every step became an effort of will, not to mention jumping, when our backpacks yanked us to the ground every time."
"As father tried to help me I started to scream. At 11.500 feet this was exactly the right time to have a nervous breakdown."
"Soon we made it over the glacier."
The Escape
- In April 1941, Mara and her father tried to escape to the island Hvar after Hitler had occupied Belgrade.
- However, Hvar was also unsafe because the island was occupied by the Croat Ustashi.
- Then they decided to escape to Split which was occupied by the Italians.
- In December, the Italians deported them to Piedmont, Castellamonte and were interned as civil prisoner of war.
Streetcar in Belgrade bearing the sign: "Forbidden to Jews."
Background
- Mara Ginic was born in Zagreb, Yugoslavia in 1925.
- A few years later, Mara moved to Osijek, Slavonia with her grandparents in 1928.
- Unfortunately the conflict between her parents led to a divorce. Her mother moved to Belgrade while she stayed with her father and grandparents in Osijek.
- Until she was eight years old, Mara, her father, and her step-mother also moved to Belgrade.
Mara Ginic's Story
Mara Ginic and mother Johanna Ctvrtnik on the island of Hvar, Croatia, May 1941.
Mara and father Alexander Ginic, Castellamonte, Italy, 1943.