Paul Stritter

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Paul Eberhard Oscar Stritter (born December 13, 1863 in Ulm , † September 17, 1944 in Tübingen ) was a German theologian and director of the Alsterdorfer Anstalten .

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Born in Ulm, Stritter moved to Hamburg with his parents in 1867 . His family had close ties with the Heinrich Matthias Sengelmanns family , the founders of the Alsterdorfer Anstalten. Stritter attended the Matthias-Claudius-Gymnasium in Hamburg . He then studied theology at the University of Tübingen and the University of Erlangen . During his time as a candidate, he worked as head nurse at the Alsterdorfer Anstalten. After his ordination as a pastor, he received a pastor's position at the main church of St. Michaelis in 1888 . As an honorary member of the board of directors of the Alsterdorfer Anstalten, elected in 1893, he took over as director after Sengelmann's death on July 2, 1899.

Stritter had numerous problems to solve during his tenure. Due to the increase in the number of people accommodated here from around 600 in 1900 to over 1200 in 1931, he had to revise both the building and the organization of the facility. In the years up to 1924 he expanded the facility to include numerous buildings and an estate outside Hamburg. During the second half of the First World War , many carers had to do military service as soldiers. Due to a lack of food and a flu epidemic, many inmates died in a short time. The world economic crisis that followed later again caused great difficulties. Stritter led the Alsterdorfer Anstalten as a pedagogically competent, humorous and extremely child-loving director. He dealt very seriously with disabled people and also published on this topic.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Alsterdorfer Anstalten were criticized as a collection of “mentally inferior young people” and by “deep idiots and stupid epileptics”. Stritter was divided here. In a paper he emphasized the principle of Christian love called for by Sengelmann as the basis for dealing with the disabled. In 1916, however, he wrote that he agreed with the idea that “the state and local authorities are obliged to use public money in a budgetary manner and that disproportionate sums should not be used for the benefit of the more or less anti-social elements”. He only mentioned the humanitarian principle in the treatment of disabled people in passing. Thus, he prepared the killing of more than 500 inmates of the facility, which took place during the time of National Socialism under his successor Friedrich Lensch . During these murders, Stritter, who had been an honorary member of the institute's board of directors since the end of his service, did not take action against them, which made him an accomplice.

Stritter maintained contacts with numerous public and church-sponsored institutions. He participated in several church and professional organizations. His tenure as director ended in September 1930. The theologian, who had been married to Maria, née Zimmermann, since 1920, last lived with her for several years in southern Germany. He died there in September 1944 after a long illness.

Since 1936 the Paul-Stritter-Weg near the institutions in Alsterdorf reminds of the former director of the facility. The nearby Paul Stritter Bridge has also been named after him since 1960.

bibliography

  • Paul Stritter: The confirmation of idiots . Reprint: Conference lecture by Director Pastor Stritter. - North 1910
  • Paul Stritter: Pastoral care for the mentally weak . - Reprint after D. Blau, Praktische Seelsorge, Vol. II, 2, Bertelsmann Verlagbuchhandlung Gütersloh 1930. - Alsterdorfer Anstalten 1930

literature

personal data
SURNAME Stritter, Paul
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Stritter, Paul Eberhard Oscar
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German theologian and director of the Alsterdorfer Anstalten
DATE OF BIRTH December 13, 1863
PLACE OF BIRTH Ulm
DATE OF DEATH September 17, 1944
Place of death Tübingen