Nina Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg
Encyclopedia
"Nina" Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg (27 August 1913 – 2 April 2006) was the wife of Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
, the leader of the failed plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler on 20 July 1944
, after which she was arrested and imprisoned, where she delivered her youngest child.
, Lithuania
) to General Consul Gustav Freiherr von Lerchenfeld (1871–1944) and a Baltic-German noblewoman, Anna Freiin von Stackelberg (1880–1945).
. In accordance with von Stauffenberg's father's tradition, the couple's children were raised as Catholics, although Nina and Stauffenberg's own mother were Protestant.
The marriage produced five children:
After her husband's failed attempt to assassinate Hitler (von Stauffenberg was executed the night of 21 July), the Countess von Stauffenberg was arrested by the Gestapo
and taken into custody (according to the new Nazi law reinstating the ancient practice of Sippenhaft
.) The government placed her five children in an orphanage
in Bad Sachsa
, Lower Saxony
, under the false surname Meister.
Nina von Stauffenberg was pregnant at the time of Stauffenberg's death, and gave birth to her fifth child, Konstanze, in January 1945, while imprisoned in a Nazi maternity center in Frankfurt an der Oder. That same year, her own mother, Anna, died in a Russian camp.
By the end of World War II, Nina had been moved to the Italian
province of South Tyrol
, where she was held as a hostage in return for the redemption of Nazi property. After the war, she was reunited with her family at the Stauffenberg family seat in Lautlingen, Baden-Württemberg
.
near Bamberg
, Bavaria
and was buried there six days later.
portrayed Nina in the 1990 telemovie The Plot to Kill Hitler
. In the 2004 German production, Stauffenberg
, Nina is portrayed by actress Nina Kunzendorf. Dutch actress Carice van Houten portrayed Nina in the 2008 film, Valkyrie
.
Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg commonly referred to as Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German army officer and Catholic aristocrat who was one of the leading members of the failed 20 July plot of 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler and remove the Nazi Party from...
, the leader of the failed plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler on 20 July 1944
July 20 Plot
On 20 July 1944, an attempt was made to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of the Third Reich, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia. The plot was the culmination of the efforts of several groups in the German Resistance to overthrow the Nazi-led German government...
, after which she was arrested and imprisoned, where she delivered her youngest child.
Early years
She was born Magdalena Elisabeth Vera Lydia Herta von Lerchenfeld, but known as "Nina" in Kowno, Russian Empire (now KaunasKaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
) to General Consul Gustav Freiherr von Lerchenfeld (1871–1944) and a Baltic-German noblewoman, Anna Freiin von Stackelberg (1880–1945).
Biography
Nina and Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg first met around 1930 and were married on 26 September 1933 in BambergBamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
. In accordance with von Stauffenberg's father's tradition, the couple's children were raised as Catholics, although Nina and Stauffenberg's own mother were Protestant.
The marriage produced five children:
- Berthold Maria Schenk Graf von StauffenbergBerthold Maria Schenk Graf von StauffenbergBerthold Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg is a retired German Bundeswehr general.He is the oldest of five children of Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and nephew of Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, two German aristocrats who were active in the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf...
(b. 1934) - Heimeran Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (b. BambergBambergBamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
, 9 July 1936), unmarried and without issue - Franz-Ludwig Schenk Graf von StauffenbergFranz-Ludwig Schenk Graf von StauffenbergFranz-Ludwig Gustav Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg is a German attorney and politician from the CSU. He was a member of the Bundestag from 1976 to 1987 and of the European Parliament from 1984 to 1992....
(b. 1938) - Valerie Ida Huberta Karoline Anna Maria Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg (BambergBambergBamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
, 15 November 1940 - München, 4 June 1966), married on 4 April 1964 Heino von L'Estocq (b. PotsdamPotsdamPotsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, 6 April 1935) - Konstanze Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg (b.Frankfurt an der Oder, January 1945), married on 8 April 1967 Dietrich von Schultheiss-Rechberg (b. ZurichZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, 13 October 1937)
After her husband's failed attempt to assassinate Hitler (von Stauffenberg was executed the night of 21 July), the Countess von Stauffenberg was arrested by the 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...
and taken into custody (according to the new Nazi law reinstating the ancient practice of Sippenhaft
Sippenhaft
Sippenhaft or Sippenhaftung was a form of collective punishment practised in Nazi Germany towards the end of the Second World War. It was a legalized practice in which relatives of persons accused of crimes against the state were held to share the responsibility for those crimes and subject to...
.) The government placed her five children in an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
in Bad Sachsa
Bad Sachsa
Bad Sachsa is a town in the district of Osterode, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the southern Harz, approx. 15 km south of Braunlage, and 25 km southeast of Osterode am Harz. It is well known for being the town where Berthold Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and his four...
, Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, under the false surname Meister.
Nina von Stauffenberg was pregnant at the time of Stauffenberg's death, and gave birth to her fifth child, Konstanze, in January 1945, while imprisoned in a Nazi maternity center in Frankfurt an der Oder. That same year, her own mother, Anna, died in a Russian camp.
By the end of World War II, Nina had been moved to the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
province of South Tyrol
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
, where she was held as a hostage in return for the redemption of Nazi property. After the war, she was reunited with her family at the Stauffenberg family seat in Lautlingen, Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
.
Death
Nina Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg died on 2 April 2006, aged 92, at KirchlauterKirchlauter
Kirchlauter is a municipality in the Bavarian Administrative Region of Lower Franconia in the district of Haßberge in Germany. It is a part of the Verwaltungsgemeinde of Ebelsbach.-Geography:...
near Bamberg
Bamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
, 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...
and was buried there six days later.
Depiction in media
American actress Madolyn Smith OsborneMadolyn Smith Osborne
Madolyn Smith Osborne is an American actress.Madolyn Smith Osborne may be best-known for her roles in the TV miniseries If Tomorrow Comes and the feature film Funny Farm, which co-starred Chevy Chase. In 1984, she appeared in 2010, with Roy Scheider...
portrayed Nina in the 1990 telemovie The Plot to Kill Hitler
The Plot to Kill Hitler (film)
#The Plot to Kill Hitler is a 1990 television movie. It is about the 20 July 1944 plot by German officers to kill Adolf Hitler. Brad Davis stars as Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg who plants a bomb in the conference room of the Führer's headquarters in East Prussia.- Plot summary :“The...
. In the 2004 German production, Stauffenberg
Stauffenberg (Film)
Stauffenberg is a German-Austrian TV movie released in 2004 by Das Erste , about Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and the 20 July 1944 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler....
, Nina is portrayed by actress Nina Kunzendorf. Dutch actress Carice van Houten portrayed Nina in the 2008 film, Valkyrie
Valkyrie (film)
Valkyrie is a 2008 American historical thriller film set in Nazi Germany during World War II. The film depicts the 20 July plot in 1944 by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and to use the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan to take control of the country...
.
Biography
In 2008, Konstanze von Schulthess-Rechberg, von Stauffenberg's youngest daughter, wrote Nina Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg - Ein Porträt. Pendo Verlag: Munich, 2008, ISBN 3-858-42652-0/ISBN 9-783-85842-652-9External links
Nina von Stauffenberg – The Times 2006-04-11. Retrieved on 2009-07-18. "Stauffenberg-Witwe gestorben" – Netzzeitung, 4. April 2006- Schenk von Stauffenberg
- http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000600/images/index.html?id=00000600&nativeno=331