Nazi Justice in Freiburg

Nazi torchlight procession through what was then Adolf-Hitler-Straße:
The banner reads: Thank you, Führer. Yes!
On the left is the district court building.
Cover of the exhibition catalog published by Rombach Verlag.

Red Baron listened to a presentation on Nazi Justice in Freiburg by Dr. Thomas Kummle.

We participants entered the modern wing of Freiburg's district court (Amtsgericht) through an airlock.

The Amtsgericht in the 1930ies

While the new building fulfills all the requirements of the modern penitentiary system, the outer look of the court building on Holzmarkt has not changed over the years.

In this District Court, three branches of the Nazi justice carried out their inhumane work. In addition to the standard justice system, the Nazis established special courts (Sondergerichte). The Reich Court of War ruled on cases of desertion or undermining military morale (Wehrkraftzersetzung).

Euphemistically, the Nazis called their highest court in Berlin the People's Court (Volksgerichtshof), although it was not the people who administered justice. It was Roland Freisler who exercised ruthless, arbitrary justice to the point that being brought before the People's Court was tantamount to a capital charge, with most defendants being hanged.

Execution chamber with meat hooks in Plötzensee Prison, Berlin (©Ab Wondergem/Google Maps)

Especially after the assassination attempt on the Führer on July 20, 1944, the pig hooks in the Gestapo prison in Berlin-Plötzensee were never empty.

Well-known victims of this Nazi justice were the Scholl siblings. For their highly political trial, Freisler especially traveled to Munich. In an unnatural act of mercy, the students were not hanged from the gallows but guillotined.

Today's view of the large courtroom of Freiburg's district court,
where the trials of the Sondergericht took place.

Back to Freiburg and its Sondergericht. With the Nazis' seizure of power, numerous new criminal laws came into force. Therefore, the Reich Ordinance of March 21, 1933, established Special Courts. In particular, §16 of the ordinance stipulated that no appeal was possible against the decisions of a Sondergericht.

These Special Courts dealt with violations of the Malicious Acts Act (Heimtückegesetz), the People's Enemies Ordinance (Volksschädlingsverordnung), the War Economy Ordinance (Kriegswirtschaftsverordnung), and the Ordinance on Extraordinary Broadcasting Measures: 
§1: The deliberate interception of foreign broadcasts is prohibited. Violations are punishable by hard labor imprisonment.

Ordinance on Extraordinary Broadcasting Measures of September 7, 1939

When an offense against the Nazi regime was not covered by a law, it was treated by analogy with sometimes very far-fetched offenses.

Since 1933, the special courts have handed down a total of over 11,000 judgments.

In the following, I shall illustrate a case of broadcast crime (Rundfunkverbrechen).

Volksempfänger radio with a warning sticker on the tuning knob. Remember: Listening to foreign broadcasts is a crime against the national security of our people. At the orders of the Führer, it is punishable by severe hard labor imprisonment.

Otto Friedrich, 67 years old, from Offenburg, was accused of listening to the London radio station and the Swiss station Beromünster from September 1939 to November 1941.

As Dr. Kummle reported, Friedrich, who listened to foreign radio stations in his garden shed, had told a neighbor about Rudolf Hess' flight to Scotland*. The "good" neighbor reported him to the police.
*The Führer's deputy and pilot, Rudolf Hess, flew in a Messerschmitt 110 to Scotland on May 10, 1941, to persuade the British government to make peace. He crashed, was taken to a hospital, and later became a prisoner of war.

Secret document on the Rudolf Hess affair

Friedrich was taken into protective custody on November 15, 1941.

Collecting evidence in the Friedrich case

An arrest warrant was issued against him on December 8, 1941.

On February 27, 1942, the Special Court at the Freiburg Regional Court sentenced Otto Friedrich to a total of

 

Three years in a hard-labor prison (Zuchthaus)

for listening to foreign radio stations and disseminating foreign radio news. For time served in pretrial detention, the sentence was reduced by two months. Friedrich's civil rights were revoked for a period of three years.

When, on December 1, 1944, the remainder of his sentence was suspended, Friedrich was not released but immediately arrested by the Gestapo. The broadcast criminal (Rundfunkverbrecher) was accused of having close ties to radical left-wing circles.

Friedrich died on April 30, 1945, in the Dachau concentration camp.

If time permits, Red Baron will report in future blogs about other outrageous sentences of Nazi justice in Freiburg.

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Roma a passo di carica

Following our visit to the Vatican Museums, we had scheduled a short lunch break.

  

We found a small restaurant in Via del Penitenzieri opposite the Chiesa di Santo Spirito in Sassia. The church dates back to a Schola Saxonum, which King Ine of Wessex had built in 727 for Saxon pilgrims. In the Middle Ages, not only pilgrims but also fighting men traveled along the Via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome.

Over the centuries, the adjoining hospice and church were frequently destroyed, i.e., during the Sack of Rome by the mercenaries of Charles V. Pope Sixtus IV joined the church to the nearby Hospital of the Holy Spirit for foundlings.

We had ordered a salad, were served our water, and waited for our lunch. So we had time to look around. Opposite the restaurant, Pope Benedict XIV, one of the patrons of the institution, is commemorated.

©RA

Eventually, time became short for our meeting at the Castello Sant'Angelo for the guided tour of Rome. We signaled to the waiter that we wanted to leave and just pay for the water. Apparently, he was not as hungry as we were, but as frustrated, and said we should go without paying.

©Facebook

We arrived just in time and started our Rome visit at a fast pace. 

©RA

We passed the Pantheon, ...

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... glanced at the Fontana di Trevi, and just made it ...

... to the farewell mass in Santa Maria Maggiore.

The mass was presided over by a cardinal who spoke in extenso about the motto of our pilgrimage: Aid to the Church in Need.

For us German pilgrims, the evening ended with a communal meal at a restaurant in the Travestere district.

     

As we approached the Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere, we heard a brass band performing in the church square.

     

It was the Banda Musicale Folkloristica from Folgaria in Trentino.

The Basilica Santa Maria is the heart and soul of Rome's Trastevere district. It's one of the oldest churches in the Holy City, dating back to the 3rd century. It was rebuilt in the 12th century under Pope Innocent II.

 
The interior is of stunning Romanesque architecture, with ancient granite columns. Especially the 13th-century golden mosaics by PietroCavallini shimmer in the apse and the richly decorated ceiling. They depict scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary. 

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We spent some time in the Basilica. As we left, the darkness was setting in, and for a while we watched the pavement painters at work.

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We returned to the place after dinner and were astonished to see that the artists had brought Pope Leo XIV's central message to the pavement:

Jesus invites all people to follow Him

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Obing

©Oberwirt in Obing

Red Baron was invited to a two-day birthday party in Obing, Bavaria. The jubilarian turned 90 and celebrated the event together with his extended family of over 60 people.

©Oberwirt in Obing

We stayed at the Oberwirt, enjoyed hospitable meals, and were invited to other activities such as golf, bridge, swimming, and sightseeing.

The hotel has a floating dock on the lake.

Of all these activities, Red Baron joined a group that first visited the neo-Gothic church in Rabenden and later the Seeon Benedictine monastery.

The impressive neo-Gothic steeple of St. Jacobus (St. James)

Already in Roman times, Rabenden was located on the vital traffic route between Augsburg and Salzburg, as evidenced by a milestone dating from 229. It is no wonder that salt was the main commodity transported here. This salt road also served as a pilgrimage route to the tomb of St. James in Compostela, with pilgrims using St. Jacobus as a welcome stopover.

The interior of the church is dominated by its Gothic high altar and side altars. The structures and figures, created around 1500, are attributed to the "Master of Rabenden," about whom nothing is known.

     

A detailed view of the winged altar. St. James the Elder, in the center, is recognized by his pilgrim's staff, shell, and hat. On the left, Simon the Zealot, holding his traditional martyrdom symbol, a double-handed saw. Judas Thaddaeus, on the right, referencing his martyrdom, features a large club.

The altar wings are painted with scenes from the Nativity cycle: the Annunciation, the Nativity, the visit of the Magi, and the presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Click on the image to enlarge).

A final view of St. James's impressive steeple.

Seeon monastery complex in an old engraving

Today's view (©Kloster Seeon)

Embedded in the monastery wall is the weathered cartouche of Abbot Columban I Freitlsperger (1653-1665). Archbishop Paris of Salzburg confirmed Columban, who was prior in 1653, as abbot.

Ascent to the monastery church St. Lambert

St. Lambert is a Romanesque column basilica with roots dating back to the 11th/12th century.

Note: St. Lambert is one of Freiburg's patron saints, depicted here on a stained glass window with the cross of St. George, another patron saint of the city.

A closer look at the crucifixion scene.

On our way out, we saw six remaining carts lined up in a meadow of originally 50 of an art installation from 2000 called LAUDEMIUM, i.e., contributions. These six remaining carts represent popular piety with their crucifixes, while the book symbolizes the famous caligraphic art of the early Seeon monastery; wine and fish represent natural offerings, and the skull symbolizes the cycle of life and death. The chickens, again, represent natural offerings. One cart, bearing the date 1804, is empty, as it symbolizes Napoleon's secularization and thus the end of all contributions to monasteries.

 

On the big evening of the festival, we enjoyed not only an excellent meal, but also folkloric performances such as Schuhplatteln.

Classical music was not neglected, as our host is blessed with an exceptionally musical family.

Back when the world was still in order

A stagecoach run by the postal service stops at the Oberwirt relay station. In the background, Obing's St. Laurentius Church points its neo-Gothic steeple into the Bavarian white-blue sky.

On the last day, Red Baron paid a visit to the Church of St. Laurentius. I went in front to disturb the sexton who was lighting the candles for the upcoming mass.

He pointed out the statue and casually remarked, "Laurentius is the patron saint of barbecue enthusiasts."

St. Laurentius shows his attribute, the iron grate on which he was roasted alive, in many churches. Here are two examples:

Stained glass window in Freiburg's Minster (©mijoergens/Wikipedia)

Statue in Warendorf's St. Mary's church. The photo was taken in 2006.

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I Musei Vaticani

This blog is a follow-up to Red Baron's pilgrimage to Rome, where our group paid a visit to the Vatican Museums. These exhibitions alone are worth a trip to the Holy City.

We German pilgrims queued up (sorry), stood in line at the entrance with the rest of the crowds. 

There was no chaos; the masses were channeled, ended up in a reception hall, were badged, grouped, and waited for their guides to appear.

While waiting, did I see Karol Józef Wojtyła on guitar? No, this is Pope John Paul II. Pope Benedict XVI beatified him in 2011, and Pope Francis canonized him in 2014.

Our charming Italian guide took our group outside to the Pine Tree Courtyard.

 

From there, we enjoyed a breathtaking view of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.

This nearly four-meter-tall bronze pine cone was crafted in the 1st or 2nd century AD as part of a fountain near the Pantheon. In 1608, Pope Paul V finally placed it in its current niche in the Cortile della Pigna. 

Renaissance and Baroque architects admired the Pigna for its scale and classical pedigree. In Dante’s Divine Comedy, the poet likens the giant Nimrod’s head to “the pine-cone of Saint Peter’s” to convey a testament to the sculpture’s fame in Rome’s cultural memory.

On the other side of the courtyard, a neoclassical structure bearing the Latin inscription: PIVS VII P M FECIT AN XXII. His translates to Pope Pius VII, Pontifex Maximus, made [this] in the 22nd year [of his papacy].” The building provides room for the immense collections of the Vatican Museums.

Pius VII guided the Church through the difficult times of the Napoleonic era.

Inside the museum, the Laocoön Group was inaccessible because of the crowds besieging it. So, instead of showing the usual Vatican highlights, I’ll entertain you in the following with some personal impressions.

We passed a 1.6-metre-tall fragmentary marble statue of a male nude believed to be a 1st-century BC original known as the Belvedere Torso.

The well-preserved mosaic floor depicting hunting scenes comes from the buried-by-lava Pompeii.

Before entering the Gallery of Maps, I read the following proud statement: “Religion has ennobled and perfected the profane arts, having redirected them to the worship of God."

Here is an example. The ceiling fresco depicting the discovery of the Holy Cross. St. Helena is lightened and guided by the Holy Spirit.

To my right-hand side, an old fisherman’s statue. My first impossible thought was, "That's me." But I'm not a fisherman, and I walk with a cane.

On this tapestry, cardinals are counting money; I assume it is indulgences that have just come in.

Mephisto in Goethe's Faust knew that "The Church has a big stomach," and the construction of St. Peter's Basilica cost money, a lot of money.

New Italy

Pope Gregory XIII commissioned the 120-meter-long Gallery of Maps in the late 16th century. It features 40 large frescos, surprisingly accurate maps of Italian regions and islands, each of about 3 x 4 meters.

  

Sicily

Bella Venezia

 

This painting depicts the clash between Constantine I and Maxentius on October 28, 312 AD, at the Milvian Bridge over the Tiber. Constantine’s victory paved the way for his sole rule of the Western Roman Empire and ultimately led him to favor Christianity as the main religion. This work is attributed to the circle of Raphael, painted around 1519–20 as part of the Vatican Loggia.

The Latin inscription beneath the scene reads: “Gaius Valerius Aurelius Constantine, whose righteous victory over Maxentius has secured the resources and safety of Christians.”

This Renaissance fresco shows Emperor Constantine kneeling before Pope Sylvester I, symbolically handing over control of Rome and the Western Roman Empire to the papacy. The Donation of Constantine was later exposed as a forgery.

During the early persecution of Christians, King Herod Agrippa I persecuted the members of the early Christian community in Jerusalem. He had the apostle James, the brother of John, executed. When he saw that this was well received by the Jews, he also had Peter arrested during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (i.e., around Passover).

Raphael and his workshop executed “The Liberation of Saint Peter” in a dramatic way between 1514 and 1516.

 
The Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 12, describes the events in Jerusalem in the year 44:

On the night before Peter’s trial, an angel of the Lord suddenly appears in the prison. Light fills the cell, but the guards notice nothing. The angel nudges Peter to wake him up. The chains fall from his hands, and the angel says, "Put on your clothes, put on your sandals, and follow me!" At first, Peter thinks he is having a vision, but the iron gate to the city opens by itself. The angel guides Peter through a street - and then disappears. It's only now that Peter realizes all this has really happened.

Peter goes to the house of Mary, the mother of John and Mark, where many people have gathered to pray for the apostle. The maid Rhoda recognizes Peter by his voice and is so surprised that she forgets to open the door. At first, the others do not believe her - they think it is "his angel." Finally, they open the door, see Peter, and are amazed. He informs them of what has happened, asks them to share the news with James and the others, and then leaves the city for safety reasons.

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