Marion Yorck von Wartenburg
Encyclopedia
Marion Gräfin Yorck von Wartenburg (June 14, 1904 – April 13, 2007) was a German
jurist
and judge
. She was a resistance fighter against the Nazis and member of the Kreisau Circle
.
Yorck was born Marion Winter in Berlin
, Province of Brandenburg
. She went to school with the later theologist Dietrich Bonhoeffer
at Grunewald-Gymnasium in Berlin (now the Walther-Rathenau-Oberschule). She studied jurisprudence and earned her Juris Doctor
in 1929. In 1930, she married Peter Yorck von Wartenburg
, brother-in-law of Claus von Stauffenberg. Together with her husband, Marion Yorck von Wartenburg became active with the Kreisau Circle, an opposition group against the National Socialist regime, in 1933. Her husband was executed after the bungled assassination of Hitler
, and Marion spent three months in prison. She was jailed again in Poland for another three months and beaten by communist guards who refused to accept that she was not a Nazi.
After World War II
, Yorck worked in East Berlin
as a jurist. In 1946 she was nominated as a judge at Amtsgericht Lichterfelde in West Berlin
by the Allies. In 1952 she became the first female head of a juried court, and in 1969 she led the 9th Große Strafkammer of the regional superior court in Berlin. Her career as judge was marked by harsh sentences for homosexuals. She died in Berlin
.
She was a life-long living partner of Ulrich Biel
, a CDU politician who died in 1996. They lived together for some 50 years.
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...
jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
and judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
. She was a resistance fighter against the Nazis and member of the Kreisau Circle
Kreisau Circle
The Kreisau Circle was the name the Nazi Gestapo gave to a group of German dissidents centered on the Kreisau estate of Helmuth James Graf von Moltke. The Kreisauer Kreis is celebrated as one of the instances of German opposition to the Nazi regime...
.
Yorck was born Marion Winter 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...
, Province of Brandenburg
Province of Brandenburg
The Province of Brandenburg was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946.-History:The first people who are known to have inhabited Brandenburg were the Suevi. They were succeeded by the Slavonians, whom Henry II conquered and converted to Christianity in...
. She went to school with the later theologist Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and martyr. He was a participant in the German resistance movement against Nazism and a founding member of the Confessing Church. He was involved in plans by members of the Abwehr to assassinate Adolf Hitler...
at Grunewald-Gymnasium in Berlin (now the Walther-Rathenau-Oberschule). She studied jurisprudence and earned her Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
in 1929. In 1930, she married Peter Yorck von Wartenburg
Peter Yorck von Wartenburg
Peter Graf Yorck von Wartenburg was a German jurist and a member of the German Resistance against Nazism.-Biography:...
, brother-in-law of Claus von Stauffenberg. Together with her husband, Marion Yorck von Wartenburg became active with the Kreisau Circle, an opposition group against the National Socialist regime, in 1933. Her husband was executed after the bungled assassination of Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, and Marion spent three months in prison. She was jailed again in Poland for another three months and beaten by communist guards who refused to accept that she was not a Nazi.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Yorck worked in East 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...
as a jurist. In 1946 she was nominated as a judge at Amtsgericht Lichterfelde in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
by the Allies. In 1952 she became the first female head of a juried court, and in 1969 she led the 9th Große Strafkammer of the regional superior court in Berlin. Her career as judge was marked by harsh sentences for homosexuals. She died 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...
.
She was a life-long living partner of Ulrich Biel
Ulrich Biel
Ulrich Biel was a German politician, representative of the German Christian Democratic Union....
, a CDU politician who died in 1996. They lived together for some 50 years.