Ernst Knaack
Encyclopedia
Ernst Knaack was a German
Communist and resistance fighter against the Nazi Germany
régime.
.
In 1928 he joined the Communist Youth League of Germany (KJVD). He performed the function of leader for agitation and propaganda
in the Berlin neighbourhood of Prenzlauer Berg
. From 1933, he fought illegally against Nazi domination.
In 1935, he was arrested for the first time, and on 2 October 1936, the Berlin Superior Court of Justice (Kammergericht) sentenced him to two years at hard labour in a Zuchthaus. After being released, Knaack joined the illegal organization around Robert Uhrig
. On 26 March 1942, he was once again arrested by the Gestapo
and taken to Sachsenhausen concentration camp
, where he stayed more than two years until his trial. On 6 July 1944, the Volksgerichtshof handed down a death sentence to Knaack. He was executed at Brandenburg-Görden Prison
in Brandenburg an der Havel.
Knaackstraße, the Ernst Knaack Youth Centre – nowadays known as the Knaack Klub (Greifswalder Straße 224 in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin) – and the Ernst Knaack Fourth Polytechnic Secondary School (Kastanienallee in Prenzlauer Berg) are named after Ernst Knaack. The stele "Traditionen der deutschen Arbeiterklasse" ("Traditions of the German Working Class") by Heinz Worner (Knaackstraße 53-67 in Prenzlauer Berg) is dedicated to the murder
ed antifascists Ernst Knaack and Siegmund Sredzki
.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
Communist and resistance fighter against the Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
régime.
Biography
Knaack was born in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
In 1928 he joined the Communist Youth League of Germany (KJVD). He performed the function of leader for agitation and propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
in the Berlin neighbourhood of Prenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg is a locality of Berlin, in the borough of Pankow.Until 2001, Prenzlauer Berg was a borough of Berlin; in that year it was included in the borough of Pankow....
. From 1933, he fought illegally against Nazi domination.
In 1935, he was arrested for the first time, and on 2 October 1936, the Berlin Superior Court of Justice (Kammergericht) sentenced him to two years at hard labour in a Zuchthaus. After being released, Knaack joined the illegal organization around Robert Uhrig
Robert Uhrig
Robert Uhrig was a German communist and resistance fighter against National Socialism.- Background :Born in Leipzig, the son of a metalworker, Uhrig grew up to become a journeyman toolmaker. He joined the Communist Party of Germany in 1920 and took several courses at the Marxist Workers' School...
. On 26 March 1942, he was once again arrested by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
and taken to Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
, where he stayed more than two years until his trial. On 6 July 1944, the Volksgerichtshof handed down a death sentence to Knaack. He was executed at Brandenburg-Görden Prison
Brandenburg-Görden Prison
Brandenburg-Görden Prison is located on Anton-Saefkow-Allee in the Görden section of Brandenburg an der Havel. Erected between 1927 and 1935, it was built to be the most secure and modern prison in Europe. It was a Zuchthaus for inmates with lengthy or life sentences at hard labor, as well as...
in Brandenburg an der Havel.
Knaackstraße, the Ernst Knaack Youth Centre – nowadays known as the Knaack Klub (Greifswalder Straße 224 in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin) – and the Ernst Knaack Fourth Polytechnic Secondary School (Kastanienallee in Prenzlauer Berg) are named after Ernst Knaack. The stele "Traditionen der deutschen Arbeiterklasse" ("Traditions of the German Working Class") by Heinz Worner (Knaackstraße 53-67 in Prenzlauer Berg) is dedicated to the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed antifascists Ernst Knaack and Siegmund Sredzki
Siegmund Sredzki
Siegmund Sredzki was a German Resistance fighter against the Nazi regime.-Life:Born in Berlin, Sredzki was a lathe operator and in 1918, he joined the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany . In 1920, he joined the Communist Party of Germany...
.
Further reading
- Luise Kraushaar et al. Deutsche Widerstandskämpfer 1933 - 1945. Biografien und Briefe. Vol. 1, Karl Dietz Verlag Berlin Berlin (1970) page 506ff
- Stephan HermlinStephan HermlinStephan Hermlin , real name Rudolf Leder, was a German author. He wrote, among other things, stories, essays, translations, and lyric poetry and was one of the more well-known authors of former East Germany.- Life :...
. Die erste Reihe, Verlag Neues Leben, Berlin 1951, Seite 92ff der fünften Auflage 1985