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Gau Bayreuth
Encyclopedia
The Gau Bayreuth, until 1942 named Gau Bayerische Ostmark (English:Gau Bavarian Eastern March), was an administrative division of Nazi Germany
in Lower Bavaria
, Upper Palatinate
and Upper Franconia
, Bavaria
from 1933 to 1945. Previous to that, since 1926, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party in this region.
, a country perceived as hostile to Germany
. The term Mark
(March) was historically used in Imperial Germany for border regions to hostile neighbors.
It was the only one of the Bavarian Gaue to incorporate more than one Regierungsbezirk
, covering three of them.
Hans Schemm led the Gau until his death in a plane accident in 1935; his successor, Fritz Wächtler, could not muster the same popularity with the population of the region.
After the occupation of Czechoslovakia, parts of this country were incorporated in the Gau. The districts (German: Kreis) of Prachatitz
(population: 38,328) and Klattau
were added to the Gau.
From 1938, the Gau was also home to the Flossenbürg concentration camp
and its many subcamps.
Because the Gau Bayerische Ostmark was not a border region anymore, it was renamed into Gau Bayreuth in 1942.
Wächtler was shot on orders of Hitler, having left his capital Bayreuth in April 1945. He was replaced by Ludwig Ruckdeschel, whose reign until the surrender of Nazi Germany remained very brief.
Ludwig Ruckdeschel was also the deputy Gauleiter from 1 February 1933 to June 1941. In this position, he led the Gau from Hans Schemm's death to the appointment of Fritz Wächtler in 1935. After Wächtler's execution for defeatism by an SS squad in 1945, he became Gauleiter himself.
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...
in Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of the state.- Geography :Lower Bavaria is subdivided into two regions - Landshut and Donau-Wald. Recent election results mark it as the most conservative part of Germany, generally giving huge...
, Upper Palatinate
Upper Palatinate
The Upper Palatinate is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of Bavaria.- History :The region took its name first in the early 16th century, because it was by the Treaty of Pavia one of the main portions of the territory of the Wittelsbach Elector...
and Upper Franconia
Upper Franconia
Upper Franconia is a Regierungsbezirk of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia , all now part of the German Federal State of Bayern .With more than 200 independent breweries which brew...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
from 1933 to 1945. Previous to that, since 1926, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party in this region.
History
The Gau Bayerische Ostmark was formed in 1933, when Hans Schemm united the three Gaue of Oberpfalz, Niederbayern and Oberfranken into one in an internal power struggle. The term Bayerische Ostmark was coined after the First World War for the region to refer to the fact that the area now bordered the new CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, a country perceived as hostile to Germany
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...
. The term Mark
Marches
A march or mark refers to a border region similar to a frontier, such as the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales. During the Frankish Carolingian Dynasty, the word spread throughout Europe....
(March) was historically used in Imperial Germany for border regions to hostile neighbors.
It was the only one of the Bavarian Gaue to incorporate more than one Regierungsbezirk
Regierungsbezirk
In Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
, covering three of them.
Hans Schemm led the Gau until his death in a plane accident in 1935; his successor, Fritz Wächtler, could not muster the same popularity with the population of the region.
After the occupation of Czechoslovakia, parts of this country were incorporated in the Gau. The districts (German: Kreis) of Prachatitz
Prachatice
Prachatice is a town in the South Bohemian Region, Czech Republic.-History:The town of Prachatice has its origins in the 11th century, following the beginning of trade on the "Golden Path"...
(population: 38,328) and Klattau
Klatovy
Klatovy is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic.Klatovy is also the seat of the Municipality with Extended Competence and Municipality with Commissioned Local Authority.- History :Klatovy was founded during 1260–1263 by Přemysl Otakar II....
were added to the Gau.
From 1938, the Gau was also home to the Flossenbürg concentration camp
Flossenbürg concentration camp
Konzentrationslager Flossenbürg was a Nazi concentration camp built in May 1938 by the Schutzstaffel Economic-Administrative Main Office at Flossenbürg, in the Oberpfalz region of Bavaria, Germany, near the border with Czechoslovakia. Until its liberation in April 1945, more than 96,000 prisoners...
and its many subcamps.
Because the Gau Bayerische Ostmark was not a border region anymore, it was renamed into Gau Bayreuth in 1942.
Wächtler was shot on orders of Hitler, having left his capital Bayreuth in April 1945. He was replaced by Ludwig Ruckdeschel, whose reign until the surrender of Nazi Germany remained very brief.
Gauleiter
- Hans SchemmHans SchemmHans Schemm was a Gauleiter in Nazi Germany.-Life:Schemm, whose parents ran a shoemaker's shop, first went to a Volksschule for five years and then as of 1905 a teaching seminary. In 1915 he got married; in 1917 a son was born...
- September 1928 to 5 March 1935 - Fritz Wächtler - 5 December 1935 to 19 April 1945
- Ludwig Ruckdeschel - 19 April 1945 to May 1945
Ludwig Ruckdeschel was also the deputy Gauleiter from 1 February 1933 to June 1941. In this position, he led the Gau from Hans Schemm's death to the appointment of Fritz Wächtler in 1935. After Wächtler's execution for defeatism by an SS squad in 1945, he became Gauleiter himself.
Sources
- Shoa.de - List of Gaue and Gauleiter
- Die NS Gaue Deutsches Historisches MuseumDeutsches Historisches MuseumThe German Historical Museum , DHM for short, is a museum in Berlin devoted to German history and defines itself as a place of enlightenment and understanding of the shared history of Germans and Europeans....
website - Die Gaue der NSDAP