Felix Fechenbach
Encyclopedia
Felix Fechenbach was a German
-Jewish journalist
, poet
and political activist, who was murdered by the Nazis.
He was born in Mergentheim as the son af a baker and worked in a shoe store. He took vocational education in Würzburg
until 1910. In 1911 he worked in Frankfurt
but got fired because of a strike he led against unpaid work. From 1912 until 1914 he was a party secretary of the SPD
in Munich
, later becoming state secretary (1918-1919). During World War I
he was a pacifist and served as secretary for Kurt Eisner
, the prime minister, shortly after the war.
He was jailed in 1922 for publishing an alleged secret diplomatic telegram while Staats Secretary under Eisner, before the Münchner Räterepublik. He was pardoned in 1924. He thereafter travelled to Berlin
and worked for Kinderfreunde (Friends of Children) and criticised the SPD
in his children's stories while still a member of the party.
In 1929, he became an editor of the SPD newspaper Volksblatt in Detmold. On March 11, 1933 he was jailed by the new Nazi government for his anti-fascist activities, and was shot on August 7 by the SS in a forest between Detmold
and Warburg
while being transported to the Dachau concentration camp. The Felix-Fechenbach-Gesamtschule Leopoldshöhe was named after him.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-Jewish journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and political activist, who was murdered by the Nazis.
He was born in Mergentheim as the son af a baker and worked in a shoe store. He took vocational education in Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
until 1910. In 1911 he worked in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
but got fired because of a strike he led against unpaid work. From 1912 until 1914 he was a party secretary of the SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, later becoming state secretary (1918-1919). During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he was a pacifist and served as secretary for Kurt Eisner
Kurt Eisner
Kurt Eisner was a Bavarian politician and journalist. As a German socialist journalist and statesman, he organized the Socialist Revolution that overthrew the Wittelsbach monarchy in Bavaria in November 1918....
, the prime minister, shortly after the war.
He was jailed in 1922 for publishing an alleged secret diplomatic telegram while Staats Secretary under Eisner, before the Münchner Räterepublik. He was pardoned in 1924. He thereafter travelled to Berlin
Berlin
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...
and worked for Kinderfreunde (Friends of Children) and criticised the SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
in his children's stories while still a member of the party.
In 1929, he became an editor of the SPD newspaper Volksblatt in Detmold. On March 11, 1933 he was jailed by the new Nazi government for his anti-fascist activities, and was shot on August 7 by the SS in a forest between Detmold
Detmold
Detmold is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of about 74,000. It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947...
and Warburg
Warburg
Warburg is a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia on the river Diemel near the three-state point shared by Hessen, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. It is in Höxter district and Detmold region...
while being transported to the Dachau concentration camp. The Felix-Fechenbach-Gesamtschule Leopoldshöhe was named after him.