Rudolf Mandrella

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Memorial plaque at Mandrellaplatz 6, in Berlin-Köpenick
Memorial plaque of the martyrs of the Nazi era in the crypt of the Saint Hedwig's Cathedral in Berlin-Mitte

Rudolf Mandrella (born March 6, 1902 in Auschwitz, Poland (then Austria-Hungary ), † September 3, 1943 in Brandenburg-Görden ) was a German lawyer, Catholic and opponent of National Socialism .

Life

After the death of his father, Mandrella grew up in modest circumstances and, thanks to his very good academic achievements, was able to complete the grammar school, which he finished in 1920 with the Abitur . In the turmoil of the time after the First World War , he was initially German national. He joined the Upper Silesian Border Guard and took part in the ranks of the armed clashes between Germans and Poles in Upper Silesia . After graduating from high school, he was unable to study as he wished, but instead began working as a customs officer . Here he made it to the customs secretary.

Raised in the Catholic faith by her parents, Mandrella joined the Quickborn Catholic Youth Association . With financial support from his Catholic friends, Mandrella was able to study law in Berlin . In 1936 he was appointed to the district court advisor at the district court in Berlin-Köpenick and moved into an apartment in Berlin-Karlshorst . Here he belonged to the parish of the Marienkirche . Increasingly, Mandrella came into contradiction with Nazi ideology because of his beliefs . His doubts were reinforced by the prohibition and the compulsory dissolution of the Quickborn Youth Association in 1939. Mandrella escaped the threat of being drafted into the Wehrmacht in 1941 with a voluntary report to the Navy . Initially he was stationed in Kiel , but was transferred to Stettin after a short time . Here he made contact with a group of clergy who opposed the Nazi regime. With the help of infiltrated informers, the Gestapo finally succeeded in breaking the circle of regime critics in 1942, the members were arrested and brought to justice. A first trial in the same year before the Reich Court Martial failed because the chairman of the court, General Staff Judge Werner Lüberz , did not want to be forced to give the accused a death sentence and took his own life. In a new process before the Reich Court Martial in Dessau , Rudolf Mandrella was sentenced to death on May 12, 1943 for undermining military strength . Rudolf Mandrella was executed in the Brandenburg-Görden prison on September 3, 1943 .

Rudolf Mandrella was married and had three children.

Honors

  • In the Berlin district of Köpenick , the former Kirdorf- Platz in front of the courthouse was renamed after Rudolf Mandrella in 1947 (Mandrellaplatz).

literature

  • Heinz Kühn: Rudolf Mandrella , in: Blood witnesses of the Diocese of Berlin , 2nd edition, More-Verlag Berlin, 1952, pages 88-104.
  • Hans-Rainer Sandvoss : Resistance in Friedrichshain and Lichtenberg. Edited by the German Resistance Memorial Center , 1998, pages 253/254.
  • Ursula Pruß, Art .: Rudolf Mandrella , in: Helmut Moll , (Ed. On behalf of the German Bishops' Conference), Witnesses for Christ. The German Martyrology of the 20th Century , Paderborn et al. 1999, 7th revised and updated edition 2019, Volume I., Pages 165–168.

Web links

Commons : Rudolf Mandrella  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mandrella Square. In: Street name lexicon of the Luisenstädtischer Bildungsverein (near  Kaupert )
personal data
SURNAME Mandrella, Rudolf
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German lawyer and opponent of the Nazi regime
DATE OF BIRTH March 6, 1902
PLACE OF BIRTH Auschwitz ( Austria-Hungary )
DATE OF DEATH September 3, 1943
Place of death Brandenburg-Görden