New plaque in Dachau: Honor for the church of the church!
New plaque in Dachau: Honor for the church of the church!
On June 18, 2025, a new plaque was inaugurated in the Dachau concentration camp memorial, which not only commemorates the two courageous martyrs Fritz Gerlich and Wolfgang Meier, but also of all those victims from the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising who lost their lives during National Socialism. Christoph Klingan, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, took over the ceremonial blessing of the table, and gave the ceremony a special depth with his words. Klingan emphasized the unshakable courage of Gerlich and Meier, which despite the repression of the Nazi regime stood for their beliefs and did not bow to their fate. katholisch.de reports that the table bears a Bible word of deep meaning: "Lord of my rescue, on the day and at night I scream in front of you ..."
Fritz Gerrich (1883–1934), editor -in -chief of the “Munich's latest news”, was a sharp critic of Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP. As one of the first political prisoners, he was brought to Dachau concentration camp in March 1933 and murdered there a little later. His beatification process was opened by Cardinal Reinhard Marx in 2017. In memory of Gerlich, the new plaque is a suitable homage to its courage and resistance.
Wolfgang Meier and his life story
The second martyr, Wolfgang Meier (1878–1945), was a simple farmer from Upper Bavaria, who was involved in the support of the Jesuit provicial Augustin Rösch against the Nazi regime. His determination finally brought him to the Dachau concentration camp, where he died of typhoid on February 22, 1945. Meier's life was honored posthumously, and he is captured as faith in the German martyrology of the 20th century.
Both men are now honored by this plaque, which also reminds of the other victims of National Socialism who suffered from the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. Klingan encouraged those present to learn from history and to stay vigilant towards the victims and their stories.
commemorative celebrations and Remembrance events
In another significant commemoration, a commemoration of the Church of Reconciliation will take place on the grounds of the Dachau concentration camp on June 30th. The occasion is the memory of six people, including Fritz Gerlich, who were murdered by the SS in the Dachau concentration camp on July 1, 1934. This event is accompanied by several well-known personalities, including Ernst Grube, a Holocaust survivor, as well as Judith Einsiedel and Björn Mensing. The Süddeutsche Zeitung reports that the end of the celebration in the neighboring Jewish memorial with a lecture by Ilse Danziger, the chairman of the Jewish municipality of Regensburg, will take place.
Memorial work in Germany has become increasingly important in recent years. The Dachau memorial location is just one of many who document the cruel deeds of National Socialism and remember that the fight against forgetting must be continued. You can find out more about memorials in Germany in the comprehensive list, which can be found on Wikipedia
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| Ort | Dachau, Deutschland |
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