Coal vacation
The unplanned temporary closure of schools and universities to save coal and other heating material is referred to as a coal holiday .
The term originated in the First World War , when the educational institutions were temporarily closed in cold winters. During the war years of 1941, 1942 and 1943 the schools closed several times for several weeks. This was repeated in the cold winters after World War II. The schools were closed for up to three months in the winter of 1946/47. In some places, students had to come to the unheated school twice a week to receive homework . The closing times varied locally.
Recently, coal vacations at universities have been discussed in connection with climate change . In Göttingen, the university extended the “ vacation ” ( company shutdown ) to January 2007 by one week. Between Christmas and New Year plus bridging days, all heating systems are throttled. Only safety-relevant personnel work (after approval of an exemption application) and parts of the building in which they are primarily located are heated to the normal level.