Freundschaftsbeziehungen

Freundschaftsbücher are small notebooks used by children and adolescents to collect messages, autographs, and drawings from friends. The books function as a social keepsake of childhood friendships and are especially common in German-speaking countries, though similar traditions exist in other cultures under different names.

Contents and prompts vary, but typical pages include fields for the friend’s name and date, class or place, a short message, and questions about favorites, hobbies, or memories. Many editions invite drawings or photos, and some pages feature prompts such as “Meine liebste Erinnerung” or “Zukunftswünsche.” When classmates part ways, the Freundschaftsbuch is often circulated so friends can sign and leave notes.

History and context indicate that friendship notebooks emerged as a loose, informal practice among schoolchildren in the 19th and 20th centuries and became widely adopted in the German-speaking world after World War II. They serve to document social networks within a class or community and can become nostalgic keepsakes in later life.

Formats and current use vary from traditional paper volumes to printable templates and digital equivalents. In modern times, the practice has declined somewhat with the rise of social media, yet many people still value the tangible handwritten messages and the sentiment of preserving friendships in a physical book.