NFC zu E-K-04

WHY LÜNEBURG?

The Lüneburg Institution and Nursing Home and the Lüneburg City Hospital were the scenes of various »Euthanasia« crimes. There were several reasons for this. Lüneburg is also unique in terms of the scale of the crimes.

The Lüneburg Hereditary Health Court handed down more than twice as many rulings on forced sterilisation as elsewhere. This was partly because all the facilities needed to implement »racial hygiene« were located there: a special school, barracks, the health department, a institution and nursing home, a hereditary health court and a hospital. The institutions worked hand in hand.

In total, more than 2,000 patients from hospitals and nursing homes in the province of Hanover were transferred to »Aktion T4«. Only a few survived.

Transfers of patients from the province of Hanover in 1941.

Most institutions in the province of Hanover transferred fewer than 200 patients on average. A total of 483 patients were transferred from the Lüneburg mental hospital to the »T4« institutions. That was more than twice as many as from almost all other institutions in the province of Hanover. The reason for this was that in the spring of 1941, 476 patients were to be transferred from the Langenhorn institution in Hamburg to Lüneburg, and free beds were needed.

In 1939, Lüneburg’s urban planning did not initially envisage the expansion of Lüneburg into the »Gaustadt«. The Lüneburg institution and nursing home was still untouched in the legend (number 7). That changed between 1939 and 1941.

Es ist ein vergilbter Bebauungsplan der Stadt Lüneburg in schwarz-weiß mit gelb hervorgehobenen Hauptverkehrsachsen und blau hervorgehobenem Flusslauf der Ilmenau. Verschiedene Gebiete sind unterschiedlich schraffiert. Eine unten links platzierte Legende gibt Aufschluss darüber, welche Gebiete landwirtschaftlich, industriell, oder militärisch genutzt werden, und wo sich Wiesen, Felder und Wohngebiete befinden. 26 Anlagen sind mit Nummern gekennzeichnet und ebenfalls in der Legende aufgeführt. Hierzu gehören das Krankenhaus, Friedhöfe, aber auch die Kasernen, das Elektrizitätswerk und andere Infrastrukturen der Stadt Lüneburg.

Lüneburg 1939, Pinnekamp Collection, from: Werner Preuß: Urban development and architecture. Lüneburg in the 20th century, Husum 2001, p. 73.

Es ist ein vergilbter Bebauungsplan der Stadt Lüneburg in schwarz-weiß. Verschiedene Gebiete sind unterschiedlich schraffiert. Eingezeichnet ist ein Gauforum, ein Parteitagsgelände, riesige Flächen zur militärischen Nutzung. Auch der Zentralfriedhof ist neu ausgewiesen und entspricht der Größe der gesamten Altstadt. Die gesamte Stadt, so kann dem Plan entnommen werden, sollte neu erbaut werden mit Stadtpark, Strandbad und neuem Kurpark und neuen Wohngebieten.

Lüneburg 1939, Pinnekamp Collection, from: Werner Preuß: Urban development and architecture. Lüneburg in the 20th century, Husum 2001, p. 74.

The general development plan from 1941 shows that a gigantic Gauforum was planned to the north-east of the Lüneburg institution and nursing home, which would have been more than four times the size of the grounds of the institution and nursing home. A party conference centre was to be built to the south of the asylum. A »National Political State Institution« (NAPOLA) was planned for the use of the institution and nursing home.

Es ist ein vergilbter, kolorierter Bebauungsplan der Stadt Lüneburg, in dem verschiedene Nutzungen und Gebiete farblich hervorgehoben sind. Neben den grün gehaltenen Grünflächen stechen die in Gelb gehaltenen Neubaugebiete hervor, die militärisch genutzten Flächen sind in rosa eingefärbt.

Map of Lüneburg with markings indicating planned Nazi buildings, circa 1941.

StadtALg K 10-H-6-1.

The institution was to fall victim to Lüneburg’s expansion to become the Gau capital. Max Bräuner prevented this.

In addition to using the institution for a NAPOLA, there are also said to have been plans to move an SS training centre or barracks into the institution. Parts of the Gau administration were also to be housed in the institution buildings. Max Bräuner was able to avert the closure of the institution and nursing home by setting up a »Specialised children’s ward«.

Extract from a statement by Max Bräuner dated 30 November 1961.

NLA Hannover Nds. 721 Lüneburg Acc. 8/98 Nr. 3.

»All this has now persuaded me to accept the Reich Committee’s proposal to set up a specialised children’s department. In this way at least, I could count on being able to preserve the institution for my patients.«

NLA Hannover Nds. 721 Lüneburg Acc. 8/98 Nr. 3.

Es ist ein schwarz-weißes Gruppenfoto von 40 Jungen im Alter von sechs bis 16 Jahren, drei Pflegerinnen und zwei jungen Männern. Viele Jungen tragen Matrosenhemden und einen Pullover, kurze Hosen, Strümpfe und Stiefel. Die älteren Jungen tragen Hemden und Jacken. Eine Pflegerin sitzt inmitten der Gruppe und hat einen Jungen auf dem Schoss. Zwei Pflegerinnen tragen ihre Uniform mit Schwesternhaube. Die Gruppe steht in vier Reihen im Garten eines der Gebäude der Heil- und Pflegeanstalt Lüneburg. Die meisten Jungen lachen in die Kamera.

Group photo of children and young people with their carers in the holiday home on the grounds of the Lüneburg institution and nursing home, 26.7.1920.

ArEGL 118.

There were already facilities for the establishment of a »Children’s special wards«. By the summer of 1920, individual buildings were already being used for a »Holiday home« for children. In spring 1922, a »Children’s holiday home« was set up in houses 12, 14, 16, 20 and 26. It was run by the Landesverein für Volkswohlfahrt Hannover. Priority was given to children from the province of Hanover. Medical care for the children was provided by the first senior physician of the institution and nursing home.

Es ist eine vergilbte Seite Papier. Sie trägt den Briefkopf des Reichsministers des Innern. Der Text ist mit einer Schreibmaschine getippt. Es gibt keine Notizen und Unterstreichungen.

Excerpt from the circular of the Reich Minister of the Interior dated 6 September 1944.

BArch R 1501/3768.

Because the Lüneburg institution and nursing home had experience in the selection and murder of patients through the »Children’s special wards«, it was later suitable as one of eleven »collection centres for mentally ill Eastern workers and Poles« (»foreigners’ collection centre«). In addition, there were already many patients of foreign origin in the Lüneburg institution and nursing home. They were housed in separate wards from 1943 onwards.