Erich Kanitz

Erich Kanitz (born September 3, 1899 in Berlin , † July 19, 1932 in Weißwasser ) was a German communist, member of the KPD and first chairman of the International Workers Aid (IAH).

Life

Kanitz visited in 1906, the school, from 5th grade one secondary school . In 1917 he was discharged from school and served as a soldier until the end of the First World War in 1918. In 1919 he began an apprenticeship as a lathe operator at Bergmann Elektrizitätswerke . There he became a member of the metal workers' society and worked until 1926, when he was dismissed for "communist activities" and put on the " black list ". In the same year Kanitz became a member of the KPD and the Red Front Fighter League . He went on a hike and came to Weißwasser, where he found work in the Osram factory at the time and rented a room from the Herack family on Berliner Strasse . "Erich found a home with the Herack family, Berliner Strasse. They owned a larger apartment and were able to rent him a room. He was an agreeable and conscientious person, and people quickly made contact with him. Herack family washed and cooked for him Erich was at their side with all the work in the house and yard. He was very skilled at machine sewing, mending clothes and sewing new things. "

Kanitz became a member of the district leadership of the KPD and 1st chairman of the International Workers Aid (IAH). The distribution of newspapers ( Die Rote Fahne , Welt am Abend , Der Wahre Jacob ) was one of his tasks. In 1928 he married the widow Mathilde Heissler, who had three children, and moved to Gutenbergstrasse 17. He had two more children with her. The youngest daughter was born after his death. Kanitz is said to have captivated and convinced people in his political work. He was particularly committed to the interests of young people, led a theater group for the Young Pioneers, played plays and sang with them. He was fired in 1930, worked as a construction laborer from 1931 to early 1932 and again became unemployed, which was almost the norm at the time of the Great Depression. In addition, he was reprimanded and therefore had to report to Commissioner Völker or Commissioner Wiese at the police station. On the evening of Tuesday, July 19, 1932, there was an approved National Socialist election meeting and a larger counter-meeting of communist associations in the Hotel Zur Krone in Weißwasser . The police tried to disperse the crowd. Several shots were fired by both the demonstrators and the police. Kanitz died from a police bullet.

Honors

Gravestone of Erich Kanitz in the cemetery in Weißwasser

In Weißwasser , both the 10th POS and a street were named after Erich Kanitz. The street was renamed after the fall of the Wall . The school was demolished in 2012 after a few years of vacancy due to the population decline in the city. His grave and memorial stone is after several relocations in the cemetery in Weißwasser.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The death of the communist Erich Kanitz in Weißwasser (Richard Waclawik on Erich Kanitz). (No longer available online.) In: Lausitzer Rundschau . October 9, 2008, archived from the original on May 21, 2014 ; Retrieved May 20, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ↑ The death of the communist Erich Kanitz in Weißwasser (part 4: home historian Gerd Gräber about Erich Kanitz). (No longer available online.) In: Lausitzer Rundschau . September 25, 2008, formerly in the original ; Retrieved May 20, 2014 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
3. ↑ Daniel Preikschat: Kanitz-Stein starts the last journey. In: Lausitzer Rundschau. April 4, 2013, accessed May 23, 2015 . 

literature

• Trailblazer - from the life of anti-fascist resistance fighters in the Weißwasser district , Bautzen 1988. Editor: Commission for research into the history of the local labor movement; Traditional commission of the SED's Weißwasser district management