The Rotenburg Institutions of the Inner Mission (now succeeded by the »Rotenburg Works«) were and still are a church-run facility for people with disabilities. Established in 1880, the »Asylum for the Care of Epileptics« was one of the largest healing and care facilities in the province of Hanover.
Between 1940 and 1941, under the direction of Pastor Johannes Buhrfeind and Chief Physician Dr. Kurt Magunna, at least 562 female patients fell victim to »Aktion T4« according to current research. In addition, the institutions of the Inner Mission (under the medical direction of Dr. Wening until 9 January 1940) participated extensively in forced sterilisation between 1934 and 1942. At least 335 female residents were proven to have been sterilised against their will.
From autumn 1941 onwards, the institutions served as alternative hospitals, and a reserve military hospital was set up. Only 240 residents remained; the rest were transferred to other institutions.
This included the children and young people in the »children’s ward,« which was dissolved. As a result, on 9 and 10 October 1941, 138 children and adolescents (including eight children with diphtheria) were transferred to the »children’s ward« in Lüneburg. 88 per cent of them died, mainly in 1942 and 1943. Only nine boys and seven girls survived.
Furthermore, medical records suggest that the care provided to children and adolescents in the Inner Mission institutions had been dire even before their transfer in autumn 1941, at least since 1938.
The Rotenburg Works of the Inner Mission re-examined its history from 1990 onwards. This involved not only addressing the crimes committed during the Nazi era, but also conducting historical and scientific research into acts of violence and coercion committed between 1945 and 2000.
