Juliusz Bursche
Encyclopedia
Juliusz Bursche was a bishop of the Evangelical-Augsburg Church in Poland
. A vocal opponent of Nazi Germany
, after the German invasion of Poland in 1939 he was arrested by the Germans, tortured, and sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp
where he died.
and his wife Mathilda, born Müller. The family went to Zgierz
near Łódź, where his father became Protestant pastor.
Bursche studied Lutheran divinity at the University of Tartu
and became a member of the "Konwent Polonia", where he was influenced by the ideas of Leopold Otto
, a Lutheran pastor at Warsaw
. Otto wanted to overcome the stereotype of Catholic = Polish and Lutheran = German.
he returned to the Warsaw Lutheran congregation in 1888. In 1904 he was elected as General-Superintendent
of the Protestant Church in Congress Poland
. In 1905 he instituted the use of the Polish language in Lutheran church services, which had previously been ministered only in German.
After the outbreak of World War I in 1914 the Russian administration of Congress Poland began to deport members of the Lutheran church, considering them as Germans. Bursche was sent to Moscow in 1915, where he remained until the Russian February Revolution
in 1917. He returned to German–occupied Warsaw in February 1918 and became a member of the Regency Council of the Kingdom of Poland
. After the foundation of the Second Polish Republic
he was a member of the Polish delegation at the Paris Peace Conference
, and attempted to incorporate the predominantly Lutheran area of Masuria
into the Polish state. According to the Treaty of Versailles
the East Prussian plebiscite
took place on July 20, 1920 and Bursche became the chairman of the Masurian Plebiscite Committee, organizing the unsuccessful Polish publicity campaign in East Prussia
. Over the period 1922–39 he issued the Polish newspaper in Masuria Gazeta Mazurska.
In 1936 the Polish government acknowledged the Evangelical-Augsburg (i.e. Lutheran) Church in Poland and Bursche became Poland's first Lutheran bishop. Because of his staunchly pro-Polish policy the German minority in Poland, most of them Lutherans, opposed his guidance and founded an independent Lutheran church in Poland in spring 1939.
on October 3, 1939 and imprisoned at Radom
, after October 13, 1939 at the central Gestapo
– Prison in Berlin. In January 1940 he was sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp
, in the end of February 1942 his family received the information that Bursche died on February 20, 1942 in Berlin–Moabit Prison. The exact circumstances of his death and even the real date and place are unknown.
Bursche's brothers:
Evangelical-Augsburg Church in Poland
The Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland , the largest Protestant body in Poland, is rooted in the Reformation. The first Lutheran sermons were held in 1518, and in 1523 the first Lutheran dean, Johann Heß, was called to the city of Breslau, whence Lutheranism was spread into the...
. A vocal opponent of 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...
, after the German invasion of Poland in 1939 he was arrested by the Germans, tortured, and sent 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 died.
Youth
Bursche was born as the first child to Ernst Wilhelm Bursche, Vicar of the Lutheran church at KaliszKalisz
Kalisz is a city in central Poland with 106,857 inhabitants , the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, the city forms a conurbation with the nearby towns of Ostrów Wielkopolski and Nowe Skalmierzyce...
and his wife Mathilda, born Müller. The family went to Zgierz
Zgierz
Zgierz is a town in central Poland, located just to the north of Łódź and part of the metropolitan area centered on that city. As of 2007, it had a population of 58,164....
near Łódź, where his father became Protestant pastor.
Bursche studied Lutheran divinity at the University of Tartu
University of Tartu
The University of Tartu is a classical university in the city of Tartu, Estonia. University of Tartu is the national university of Estonia; it is the biggest and highest-ranked university in Estonia...
and became a member of the "Konwent Polonia", where he was influenced by the ideas of Leopold Otto
Leopold Otto
Pastor Leopold v. Otto also Leopold Marcin von Otto was a Lutheran Pastor of the German Community in Warsaw and Poland and a national activist, participant of the patriotic manifestation of 1861 in Warsaw. In 1866-1875 Otto worked in Cieszyn...
, a Lutheran pastor at Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. Otto wanted to overcome the stereotype of Catholic = Polish and Lutheran = German.
Protestant Pastor
Bursche started working as a Vicar at Warsaw in 1884 and married Amalie Helena Krusche in 1885. After a short time as a pastor at ŻyrardówZyrardów
Żyrardów is a town in central Poland with 41,400 inhabitants . It is situated in the Masovian Voivodship ; previously, it was in Skierniewice Voivodship 45 km West of Warsaw. It is the capital of Żyrardów County...
he returned to the Warsaw Lutheran congregation in 1888. In 1904 he was elected as General-Superintendent
Superintendent (ecclesiastical)
Superintendent is the head of an administrative division of a Protestant church, largely historical but still in use in Germany.- Superintendents in Sweden :...
of the Protestant Church in Congress Poland
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
. In 1905 he instituted the use of the Polish language in Lutheran church services, which had previously been ministered only in German.
After the outbreak of World War I in 1914 the Russian administration of Congress Poland began to deport members of the Lutheran church, considering them as Germans. Bursche was sent to Moscow in 1915, where he remained until the Russian February Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
in 1917. He returned to German–occupied Warsaw in February 1918 and became a member of the Regency Council of the Kingdom of Poland
Kingdom of Poland (1916–1918)
The Kingdom of Poland, also informally called the Regency Kingdom of Poland , was a proposed puppet state during World War I by Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1916 after their conquest of the former Congress Poland from Russia...
. After the foundation of the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
he was a member of the Polish delegation at the Paris Peace Conference
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
, and attempted to incorporate the predominantly Lutheran area of Masuria
Masuria
Masuria is an area in northeastern Poland famous for its 2,000 lakes. Geographically, Masuria is part of two adjacent lakeland districts, the Masurian Lake District and the Iława Lake District...
into the Polish state. According to the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
the East Prussian plebiscite
East Prussian plebiscite
The East Prussia plebiscite , also known as the Allenstein and Marienwerder plebiscite or Warmia, Masuria and Powiśle plebiscite , was a plebiscite for self-determination of the regions Warmia , Masuria and Powiśle, which had been in parts of East Prussia and West Prussia, in accordance with...
took place on July 20, 1920 and Bursche became the chairman of the Masurian Plebiscite Committee, organizing the unsuccessful Polish publicity campaign in East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
. Over the period 1922–39 he issued the Polish newspaper in Masuria Gazeta Mazurska.
In 1936 the Polish government acknowledged the Evangelical-Augsburg (i.e. Lutheran) Church in Poland and Bursche became Poland's first Lutheran bishop. Because of his staunchly pro-Polish policy the German minority in Poland, most of them Lutherans, opposed his guidance and founded an independent Lutheran church in Poland in spring 1939.
World War II
After the German Invasion of Poland in September 1939 Bursche was captured by the SicherheitsdienstSicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
on October 3, 1939 and imprisoned at Radom
Radom
Radom is a city in central Poland with 223,397 inhabitants . It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship , having previously been the capital of Radom Voivodeship ; 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw.It is home to the biennial Radom Air Show, the largest and...
, after October 13, 1939 at the central 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...
– Prison in Berlin. In January 1940 he was sent 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...
, in the end of February 1942 his family received the information that Bursche died on February 20, 1942 in Berlin–Moabit Prison. The exact circumstances of his death and even the real date and place are unknown.
Family
Bursche's son Stefan was killed by the Gestapo in 1940, his daughter Helena, director of the Lutheran Anna – Wasa Lyceum in Warsaw, died in 1975, his daughter Aniela, journalist at the Lutheran newspaper Zwiestun, died in 1980 in Warsaw.Bursche's brothers:
- Edmund Bursche, Lutheran Pastor (July 17, 1881 – July 26, 1940 Mauthausen concentration camp)
- Alfred Bursche, Lawyer (November 16, 1883 – January 15, 1942 Mauthausen concentration camp)
- Teodor Bursche, Architect (May 31, 1893 – March 15, 1965)
Literature
- Paweł Dubiel, Józef Kozak: Polacy w II wojnie światowej: kim byli, co robili, Oficyna Wydawnicza RYTM, Warsaw, 2003
- Eugeniusz Szulc, Cmentarz Ewangelicko-Augsburski w Warszawie, Warsaw 1989.