Sauk City/WI: A German Dairy Farmer in Wisconsin

Schwansdorf was part of the "Sudetenland", a region traditionally inhabited by Germans, but which now lies in the Czech Republic. Today the town is called Svatonovice. Hausner's family was expelled from the region in 1946. After the Second World War and many years of Nazi oppression, the Czech government drove almost all Germans out of the country. Karl Hausner himself had to do forced labor in a Czech work-camp for a year before he could leave the country.

Karl and Hermine Hausner

Originally, Karl Hausner did not want to emigrate to America. After the war, Hausner felt betrayed by the Americans because US President Truman had agreed to the expulsion of the Sudeten-Germans.

However, after he got his university degree, a friend convinced Hausner to go and see for himself what life in the US was like: "I had studied engineering. Back then, anyone who was trained in a technical field got a visa without any hassle. That's how I came to the US. And when I first got here, I stayed on a farm."

Karl Hausner decided to settle down permanently in America. He became a successful entrepreneur in the field of medical technology. It was only 16 years ago that he fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a farmer when he bought his first farm.

Karl Hausner is a devoted Catholic and firmly believes in God. On his farm, he has built a chapel, where a continuous tape recording welcomes visitors. He has dedicated the chapel to all the peoples of the world who have been expelled from their native lands.

Hausner does not only want to commemorate the expulsion of the Sudeten-Germans. He says the chapel should also remind people of the fate of the Native Americans, who lived in Wisconsin before white settlers drove them out or killed them.

Karl Hausner and his wife are active in many German clubs in America. They also take part in the annual meetings of the Sudeten-Germans in Germany. "We keep in close touch with many German groups, but we're only engaged in groups that don't have nationalist tendencies. I am against nationalism. But that doesn't mean that I am not proud of my German heritage."

Karl Hausner has a very practical way of promoting international cooperation and understanding: He always invites two or three students from different parts of the world to work on his farms. They can learn from his experience and gain first-hand knowledge of farming.

Karl says he has experienced ethnic hatred first-hand and these trainee programs are his small contribution to bringing people of different races or nationalities together.