The picture shows Karl Reich sitting on a chair. He is sitting in front of a large light-coloured wall. He is wearing a dark suit with a waistcoat and a light-coloured shirt. The chain of a pocket watch is visible. He has short hair and is looking towards the camera with his mouth slightly open. His hands are folded in his lap.

Karl Reich, around 1922.

NLA Hanover Hann. 155 Lüneburg Acc. 2004/066 No. 08339.

KARL REICH (1885 – 1960)

Karl Reich from Hanover came from a middle-class family. He was almost deaf and left school without a degree. He began training as a bookbinder, but ran away. From then on, he struggled to get by and fell into poverty. In 1912, his mother had him admitted to the Lüneburg institution. On April 22, 1941, he was transferred to Herborn. On May 21, 1941, he was transferred to the Hadamar killing center, but was put on hold. He worked on the institution’s own farm in Schnepfenhausen for over a year and a half and was released on New Year’s Eve 1942. He died on April 12, 1960, in Ilten.

The memorandum is written in black ink using a thin pen. His handwriting is very even and slants to the right. The paper is folded in the middle and perforated.

Excerpt from Karl Reich’s memorandum dated February 2, 1922.

NLA Hanover Hann. 155 Lüneburg Acc. 2004/066 No. 08339.

In 1922, Karl Reich wrote a memoir on the occasion of his ten-year stay at the Lüneburg institution and nursing home. In it, he describes his thoughts on his long stay. He was also inspired by Emil Kraepelin, whose book »Introduction to Psychiatry« he had read.

back