The older sisters in maria bildhausen still talk about it as the "gray buses" the nazis stopped in front of the monastery estate to pick up a few of their fosterlings. On 6. December 1940, 14 manner were sent to gunzburg, on 25. March 1941 another eight manner "transferred" to eglfing-haar. That no longer residents "requested how this was done at that time is probably due to the sisters, who are said to have been very committed to their charges.
It is also possible that the nazis simply saw the monastery estate as a flourishing agricultural business in which the residents of the home were "of use" were, says home director thomas hahn. He has been working in maria bildhausen since 1986 and still knew one of the residents who came back from gunzburg in 1942: leopold B.
Leopold B was born. 1904 in ettringen near mindelheim. His mother maria B. Was not married and is described in the records of that time as "armenhauslerin" denotes. The catholic boy leopold B. He was "insufficiently gifted" for the elementary school in ottobeuren had been, one wrote in an assessment. On 23. September 1912, at the age of eight, he entered the dominikus ringisen institution in ursberg and attended the special school there.
Leopold B is described. As a "hidden child", the "quiet in the church" is. In 1921 the school report said: "he is physically back for his age, but healthy"."
In september 1926, sister m settled in gunzburg. Ferdinanda with 18 "weak boys from ursberg to maria bildhausen, it is reported in old documents. One of them was leopold B. It was not until 1928 that the congregation submitted an "application to the district government for the establishment of an institution for the mentally handicapped", writes thomas hahn in his book about maria bildhausen.
Hahn experienced leopold B. As a "man with strong and weak". In his opinion he is "at most moderately handicapped" been. The native of ettring felt at home in maria bildhausen. He celebrated his 75th anniversary in the ursberg community here. He is described in early documents as a "harmless, always helpful sick man", of the "hard work in the monastery grounds", says the stands out. The fact that he was taken by the nazis to the district mental hospital in gunzburg in december 1940 and later even forcibly sterilized traumatized him severely, says hahn of the sisters who cared for leopold B. Known better at that time.
After hitler's seizure of power in january 1933, the national socialists' racial doctrine was cast into law, among other things in 1933 with the "law for the prevention of hereditarily ill offspring (sterilization law) and in 1935 with the "law for the protection of the hereditary health of the german people". For the handicapped in the ursberg institutions, this meant that under certain circumstances they were threatened with forced sterilization, according to the book by herbert immenkotter ("menschen mit behinderung"). Unless you keep them in "closed institutions" firmly. So the sisters also built fences around their houses in maria bildhausen, hoping to keep their protected children.
But the goblet did not pass the klostergut by: in 1940, 14 residents of the home were picked up and taken to gunzburg, it says at immenkotter. In the first days there, one of the bildhausen residents wrote in a letter: "we all felt a lot of homesickness. A lot of crying. Bildhausen good. Not well received. Coming, soon to leave." Apparently the sisters of the monastery did not know what their "boys" could do with the money was imminent, as can be seen from a letter from sister plautilla to the ursberg matron. The farewell was apparently hard, because the boys were heavy-hearted when they had to leave.
Also leopold B. Had been badly hit. "This one looked like a corpse. In the morning, he had brought his saved pennies, and they were to buy a heath child for him, and he was to stay with georg, so that his local friend, who had gone astray, would still be saved."
At the 13. December 1940 sister alma (ursberg) told sister plautilla in a letter that she had visited the bildhausen boys in gunzburg. She also mentioned leopold B. "He looks quite rested. I think he is most homesick. The food is so bad and little, no spice at all, said leopold."
There is another document in which the leadership of maria bildhausen asks the landesfursorgeverband schwaben for the return of the drafted children. One of the men brought to gunzburg from maria bildhausen was allowed to return home a few months later, it is said. Five were killed in hartheim in july 1941, two died in gunzburg, six came back to maria bildhausen in 1942, among them leopold B.
In gunzburg, leopold B. "Bullshit" and his "barrenness" was attested decided. He was forcibly sterilized when he returned to maria bildhausen, says the head of the home, hahn, from payments made by the sisters. For in the documents there is only the hint that this operation took place.
It was not until 1988 that the german bundestag decided to make reparations for the victims of forced sterilization under hitler. "That was 5000 marks, which was not counted towards the wealth limit", hahn und weib still remembers how the sisters in maria bildhausen thought about what to do to leopold B. Using the money to do good. Finally, it was decided to build a hanging slide, because he liked it very much.
Leopold B. Died in 1991 at the age of 97 years.
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Ursberg and Maria bildhausen commemorate the victims of national socialism: remembering the systematic extermination of disabled people during the nazi dictatorship is important. This is what those responsible at the dominikus ringisen plant and the st. St. Joseph's congregation (both ursberg) convinced. The memorials in ursberg and maria bildhausen commemorate the victims of this time. The bavarian state parliament and the foundation of bavarian memorials underscore the importance of such remembrance on 26. January with a memorial event in ursberg.
Also in maria bildhausen one wants to remain in this commemoration. On 28. January at 2 p.M. Peter kapfer (ursberg) gives a lecture on "action t 4" on the upper floor of the abbey building, behind which was the targeted murder of people with mental and physical disabilities. "T 4" stands for the berlin burozentrale at tiergartenstrabe 4, where the cruel measures were decided upon.
In the years 1940 to 1945, 379 people from dominikus ringeisen's homes were murdered in action t 4 alone, as can be seen from a memorial plaque in ursberg. The total number of victims in the six T 4 institutions is unbelievably high. According to kapfer's research, a total of 70,273 people were killed there in 1940 and 1941 alone.
There were also other death centers, for example in kaufbeuren, irsee, gunzburg and eglfing-haar, historians have researched. From the facilities of the st.-according to kapfer's research, a total of 70,273 people were killed there in 1940 and 1941 alone. 519 people with disabilities were transferred to such institutions at the congregation of st. Joseph (franciscan sisters) and the dominikus ringisenwerk in ursberg/swabia and its branches, which also included the franciscan convent of maria bildhausen. Of these, 199 people were killed by gas at hartheim castle near linz alone.
The new euthanasia memorial in the bildhausen cemetery is also dedicated to the hartheim victims. In addition, another 180 people with disabilities were killed in other institutions by starvation and injection of overdoses of sleeping pills. Of the 22 people "transferred" from maria bildhausen to gunzburg and eglfing-haar in the years 1940 and 1941 only 15 later returned to the monastery.