Walter Spitta
Walter Spitta (born October 5, 1903 in Bremen , † January 26, 1945 in Nakel in the German-occupied Poland) was a German Protestant pastor and leading member of the Confessing Church in the Oldenburger Land .
Life
Spitta was the son of Bremen's senator and later mayor Theodor Spitta (1873-1969). From 1923 to 1928 he studied Protestant theology at the Universities of Marburg and Berlin . On July 11, 1928, he passed the first exam in Marburg and on October 10, 1928, he entered the Oldenburg church service. After temporary work in Bad Zwischenahn and from May 15, 1928 in Jade , he passed the second exam on September 28 of the same year and was ordained and introduced as pastor on November 8, 1931, also in Jade .
At the time of National Socialism , as a leading member of the Confessing Church and the church struggle in the Oldenburger Land, he soon came into conflict with the rulers. On the part of the Oldenburg Higher Church Council , a sermon ban was pronounced against him in the course of the church struggle, because he had taken part in the illegal candidate examinations for the Confessing Church.
As an opponent of racial hatred and anti-Semitism, Spitta was very committed to the Jewish population living in Oldenburg . His biographer Heinrich Höpken sees Spitta's lasting importance for Oldenburg and beyond.
Even before 1933 he had given lectures against racial hatred in many parishes and, in addition to silent approval, had met with radical rejection and hostility.
Together with other helpers, he managed to support the Jewish families in Varel , Oldenburg and Wilhelmshaven with food and practical help between 1940 and 1942 . Spitta was the only person from whom such comprehensive and direct help for the Jewish population in the Oldenburger Land became known. However, he could not prevent the transport to the extermination camps from 1942 onwards.
Spitta was drafted into the medical service of the army of the Wehrmacht as an unpleasant person in 1942 and fell during the defensive battles in occupied Poland in early 1945.
Furthermore, Spitta was also active as a writer and wrote a number of unpublished stories, some of which are set against the background of the church struggle.
family
Spitta was married to the pastor's daughter Charlotte born from Württemberg. School. After the death of her husband, Charlotte Spitta initially continued his office in Jade as the first pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg.
Commemoration
The church and village community center in Jade, which was inaugurated in 2014, bears the name Walter-Spitta-Haus . A bronze plaque inside reminds of Walter and Charlotte Spitta with their life stages.
literature
- Heinrich Höpken: Spitta, Walter. In: Hans Friedl u. a. (Ed.): Biographical manual for the history of the state of Oldenburg . Edited on behalf of the Oldenburg landscape. Isensee, Oldenburg 1992, ISBN 3-89442-135-5 , p. 681 f. ( online ).
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Spitta, Walter |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German Protestant pastor and member of the Confessing Church |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 5, 1903 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bremen |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 26, 1945 |
| Place of death | Nacle |