Joseph Müller (priest)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Müller was a German Catholic priest and critic of the Nazi regime.
He was born in Salmünster
in Hessen. He was the youngest of seven children of a teacher Damien and his wife Augusta. Two of his brothers also became Roman Catholic priets. After repeating a political joke, he was arrested and sentenced to death by the Volksgerichtshof in Berlin
. He was executed by guillotine
in Brandenburg-Görden Prison
.
According to the 2007 documentary Laughing with Hitler, the joke was about a soldier on his deathbed, who asked to see the people for whom he was laying down his life. A portrait of the Führer was laid on his one side, a portrait of Göring
on the other. Then, he gasped: "Now I can die like Jesus Christ, between two criminals."
Each year on the anniversary of death, a bell is tolled at his former parish church in the village of Groß Düngen
.
He was born in Salmünster
Bad Soden-Salmünster
Bad Soden-Salmünster is a town in the Main-Kinzig district, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated on the river Kinzig, between Fulda and Hanau.-References:...
in Hessen. He was the youngest of seven children of a teacher Damien and his wife Augusta. Two of his brothers also became Roman Catholic priets. After repeating a political joke, he was arrested and sentenced to death by the Volksgerichtshof in 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...
. He was executed by guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
in 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...
.
According to the 2007 documentary Laughing with Hitler, the joke was about a soldier on his deathbed, who asked to see the people for whom he was laying down his life. A portrait of the Führer was laid on his one side, a portrait of Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
on the other. Then, he gasped: "Now I can die like Jesus Christ, between two criminals."
Each year on the anniversary of death, a bell is tolled at his former parish church in the village of Groß Düngen
Groß Düngen
Groß Düngen is a village in the borough of Bad Salzdetfurth, in the north German state of Lower Saxony. It lies in the Innerste valley southeast of the county town of Hildesheim on the B 243 federal highway.- History :...
.