Roman Karl Scholz

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Roman Karl Scholz

Roman Karl Scholz (born January 16, 1912 in Mährisch Schönberg , † May 10, 1944 in Vienna ) was an Austrian Augustinian canon in Klosterneuburg and resistance fighter against the Third Reich .

Life

As the illegitimate son of Josefa S. he grew up with his grandparents and attended grammar school in Mährisch Schönberg. In 1930 he joined the Augustinian Canons of Klosterneuburg. He was ordained a priest in 1936, he was a poet and youth minister. He came from a Christian-German youth movement and was already a member of the Sudeten German Catholic youth association "Staffelstein" while he was still at school. At first he turned to National Socialism .

In 1936, however, after visiting the Nazi party rally in Nuremberg , Roman Karl Scholz recognized its true intentions and in autumn 1938 founded the first resistance group in Austria with Viktor Reimann . The name of the group was initially "German Freedom Movement", after the outbreak of war in 1939 it was renamed " Austrian Freedom Movement ". The political goals were, on the one hand, to educate the population about the true face of National Socialism and, subsequently, the overthrow of the regime, the exit of the Danube and Alpine Gaue from the Reich and the re-establishment of a state of Austria that also included all of Bavaria up to the Main should.

The group also included the two castle actors Fritz Lehmann and Otto Hartmann . The pastor was betrayed to the Secret State Police by the latter, who was an informant . Hartmann had proposed to the group to undertake acts of terrorism and sabotage, but this was rejected by Scholz because of his Christian sentiments. Hartmann, on the other hand, disclosed everything that was said and planned at the meeting directly to the Gestapo.

On July 22, 1940, Scholz was arrested. It was almost four years before he was tried. During this time he was repeatedly interrogated without revealing anyone involved and was transferred from prison to prison. An intervention by Hermann Göring's sister, with whom friends of his had contact, was also unsuccessful. He was sentenced to death on February 23, 1944. The telegram to Adolf Hitler , in which Cardinal Theodor Innitzer asked for a pardon, was not even answered. After years in prison, Scholz was executed on the scaffold on May 10, 1944 for high treason. His last words were: "For Christ and Austria!"

Appreciation

Tomb in the Heiligenstadt cemetery

Today he is known for his dedication to history and for his poetry. He was buried in the Heiligenstadt cemetery (part N, group 1, number 32).

A square in downtown Klosterneuburg is named after Roman Karl Scholz.

A commemorative plaque was set up in the Klosterneuburg grammar school in 1990.

In 1999 the Catholic Church accepted Roman (Karl) Scholz into the German martyrology of the 20th century as a witness of faith .

Publications

  • Song of Justice - Hymn of the Freedom Movement Text: Roman K. Scholz, music: Eberhard Würzl 1939. In: Der Freiheitskampf, 53rd Jg./Nr. 4th
  • Fine distant things. Self-published.
  • Goneril. Andermann, Vienna 1947.
  • I will always be with you. Mayer, Klosterneuburg 1994, ISBN 3-901025-29-4 .

literature

  • Ulrich Bons: The Anrath prison in the Third Reich, the attempt at a reconstruction. In: Heimatbuch des Kreis Viersen 2002. Viersen 2001, pp. 161–179. Roman Karl Scholz had been a prisoner in Anrath prison since June 1941.
  • Georg Biron : The last confession. Story of a betrayal. Vienna 1988.
  • Walter Crammer, Roman Karl Scholz group. In: Information and Press Service of the Austrian Resistance Movement No. 2/1992.
  • Ildefons Fux : Roman Karl Scholz. In: Jan Mikrut (Ed.): Martyrs of Faith. Vol. I, Vienna 1999.
  • The secret of salvation is called memory. Festschrift for the unveiling of a memorial plaque for Roman Scholz in the Klosterneuburg high school. 1990.
  • Josef Greiner : The end of the Hitler myth. Amalthea, Vienna 1947.
  • Rudolf Grulich : Sudeten German Catholics as Victims of National Socialism. Brannenburg 1999.
  • Alexander Gutenthaler: Roman Karl Scholz - Utopian or Realist? Diploma thesis Vienna 2002.
  • Grete Huber-Gergasevics: Roman Karl Scholz. Klosterneuburg 2010.
  • Benedicta Maria Kempner : Priest before Hitler's tribunals. Munich 1966.
  • Christine Klusacek: The Austrian freedom movement. Roman Karl Scholz group. Europa Verlag, Vienna 1968.
  • Radomír Luža : The Resistance in Austria 1938–1945. Österreichischer Bundesverlag, Vienna 1985.
  • Otto Molden : The call of conscience. The Austrian struggle for freedom 1938–1945. Herold Publishing House, Vienna 1958.
  • Helmut Moll (Ed. On behalf of the German Bishops' Conference): Witnesses for Christ. The German martyrology of the 20th century. 7th, revised and updated edition. Volume I, Paderborn et al. 2019, ISBN 978-3-506-78012-6 , pp. 872-873.
  • Edda Pfeifer: Contributions to the history of the Austrian resistance movement of the conservative camp 1938–1940. Dissertation. Vienna 1963.
  • Viktor Reimann : Five unusual conversations. Ueberreuter, Vienna 1991.
  • Robert Rill : History of the Augustinian Canons of Klosterneuburg 1938 to 1945. Vienna / Salzburg 1985.
  • R. Rill, F. Röhrig:  Scholz Roman (Karl). In: Austrian Biographical Lexicon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Volume 11, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1999, ISBN 3-7001-2803-7 , p. 131 f. (Direct links on p. 131 , p. 132 ).
  • Floridus Röhrig : Roman Karl Scholz. In: Jan Mikrut (Ed.): Austria's Church and Resistance 1939–1945. Vienna 2000.
  • Wolfgang Neugebauer:  Scholz, Roman Karl. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 23, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-428-11204-3 , p. 461 f. ( Digitized version ).
  • Helga Thoma: Against the current. Civil courage and resistance in the Third Reich. Wirtschaftsverlag Ueberreuter, Vienna 2002.
  • Heinrich Zeder: Judas is looking for a brother. Dom Verlag, Vienna 1947.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Austrian Biographical Lexicon : Scholz Roman (Karl) oeaw.ac.at
  2. ^ Rolf Steininger, Günter Bischof, Michael Gehler: Austria in the Twentieth Century ; Pages 146 and 147 ; Transaction Publishers, 2002, ISBN 0-7658-0175-2 .
  3. ↑ Dr. Pia Maria Plechl : Great Austrians . Verlag Carl Ueberreuter, Vienna 1985.
  4. ↑ Entry on Scholz, Roman Karl in the Austria Forum  (in the AEIOU Austria Lexicon )

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Scholz, Roman Karl
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian pastor and resistance fighter against the Third Reich
DATE OF BIRTH January 16, 1912
PLACE OF BIRTH Moravian Schönberg
DATE OF DEATH May 10, 1944
Place of death Vienna