Niels Wernich

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Niels Anton Wernich (born August 28, 1892 in Ulkebüll , † June 18, 1977 in Sonderburg ) was a German doctor and chairman of the Bund Deutscher Nordschleswiger, the umbrella organization of the German minority in Denmark .

Life and work

Niels Wernich came from a German pastor family who immigrated to Sønderborg in the middle of the 18th century. After passing the Abitur in 1912 at the secondary school in Sonderburg, studied in Tübingen , Leipzig and Heidelberg up to the Physikum. From 1914 until his wounding in May 1915 he took part in the First World War as a volunteer . After studying in Rostock , he was a field doctor from 1917 until the end of the war in 1918 and was awarded the Iron Cross . The Danish state refused to recognize his German exam. He therefore had to complete another semester at the University of Copenhagen and then passed the required Danish state examination. In 1923 he opened his own ( homeopathic ) practice in Sønderborg , which he ran until 1964.

Dr. med. In 1947, Niels Anton Wernich became the first spokesman for the provisional board of the Bund Deutscher Nordschleswiger, the umbrella organization of the German minority in Denmark , which was founded in 1945 after the end of the Second World War . From 1949 to 1951 he was the first main chairman. Wernich, who had always distanced himself from it during the time of National Socialism, was instrumental in ensuring that the declaration of loyalty of the "Hadersleben Circle" to the Danish people and the Danish royal family became part of the founding declaration of the Federation of German North Schleswig-Holstein. This meant a departure from the border revision demand made by the German minority until the end of the Second World War and was thus a long-term prerequisite for reconciliation and the normalization process between the Danish and German parts of the population in Denmark. In 1951 he resigned the chair out of consideration for his practice, but remained on the board until 1968. From 1946 to 1954 he represented the interests of the German ethnic group in the Sonderburger city council as a member of the Schleswig party. In addition, Dr. Niels Wernich volunteers in many organizations of the German minority.

voluntary work

  • Chairman of the Association of the German School in Sonderburg, 1924 to 1938
  • Member of the church council in Sønderborg, 1925 to 1957
  • Chairman of the Sonderburger Gymnastics Club from 1926 to 1934
  • Chairman of the Sønderborg Citizens' Association from 1945 to 1972
  • Chairman of the Sønderborg Nursing Association from 1948 to 1953
  • Member of the board of the Association of German Libraries in North Schleswig from 1949 to 1972
  • Member of the board of the local history study group for North Schleswig from 1959 to 1972

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Entry by Niels Anton Wernich in the Rostock matriculation portal

swell

  • Ernst Siegfried Hansen: "Thistles on the way", Deutscher Heimat-Verlag, Bielefeld-Bethel, 1957
  • Nekrolog in "Deutscher Volkskalender Nordschleswig", born 1978
  • Family history yearbook Schleswig-Holstein year 20 - 1981
  • Part of the estate in the Schleswig-Holstein State Archives
personal data
SURNAME Wernich, Niels
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wernich, Niels Anton (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Danish-German doctor and chairman of the Association of German North Schleswig-Holstein
DATE OF BIRTH August 28, 1892
PLACE OF BIRTH Ulkebull
DATE OF DEATH June 18, 1977
Place of death Sonderburg