Oskar Brüsewitz
Encyclopedia
Oskar Brüsewitz was an East German Lutheran
pastor who committed self-immolation
to protest the repression of religion in the Communist state of East Germany. On August 18, 1976 Brüsewitz committed suicide by self-immolation
in a public market in front of the church in Zeitz
.
and became a prisoner of war
. He worked as a shoemaker after the war then attended a Lutheran seminary
from 1964 until 1969 in Erfurt
. In 1970 he was ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church at Rippicha in the district of Zeitz. He was critical of the East German Communist regime imposed by the Soviet Union after the war and symbolic acts of protest, including the installation of a cross of neon lamp
s at his church, brought him to the attention of the authorities. The leadership of his church sided with the state, rather than its priest, and asked, in 1976, for Brüsewitz to be moved to another rectorate. This was the immediate trigger for his suicidal protest.
On the day of his death he carried pamphlets accusing the communists of repression which read; "Funkspruch an alle: Die Kirche in der DDR klagt den Kommunismus an! Wegen Unterdrückung in Schulen an Kindern und Jugendlichen" ("A Radio message to everyone: The church in the GDR accuses communism! Because of the suppression of children at school"). In his suicide note he wrote of a "feigned deep peace, which had also intruded Christianity" in East Germany while in truth there was "a mighty war between light and darkness "zwischen Licht und Finsternis ein mächtiger Krieg".
Brüsewitz died of his severe burns on August 22, 1976 in a hospital in Halle Dölau
. His self sacrifice brought support from both his parishioners and figures in the church and led to a reappraisal within the church hierarchy of its relationship with the Communist dictatorship. The Protestant Church now sees Brüsewitz's protest as an early step towards the mass popular protests which led to the collapse of the GDR in 1989.
The Communist authorities initially attempted to suppress news of the event then, when news leaked and public support for his action grew, they branded him a psychopath. On August 31 Neues Deutschland
, the official newspaper of the SED, printed an article entitled „Du sollst nicht falsch Zeugnis reden“ "You shall not bear false witness" which asserted that self-immolation was the action of a sick, crazy man. A similar article appeared in the Neue Zeit, the newspaper of the East German CDU.
The Protestant church of the ecclesiastical province of Saxony commemorated his sacrifice twenty years later in 1996, six years after the reunification of Germany. Bishop Dehmke called his death an "act of desperation" in protest against the repressive nature of the communist regime and the collaboration of church members who had grown too close to the state. http://www.germnews.de/archive/dn/1996/08/18.html
To mark the 30th anniversary of his death, Neues Deutschland wrote an apology for the article they had carried at the time, admitting that the piece had been "slanderous" and written, not by journalists, but in one of the many offices of the central committee of the SED. In addition they published some of the thousands of critical letters to the editor they had received but not printed in 1976.
In the Federal Republic of Germany, the Paneuropa-Union established a Brüsewitz-Center to document the repression of opposition within the former GDR.
Brüsewitz's death is known in Germany as the Fanal von Zeitz or "Fire Signal of Zeitz".
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
pastor who committed self-immolation
Self-immolation
Self-immolation refers to setting oneself on fire, often as a form of protest or for the purposes of martyrdom or suicide. It has centuries-long traditions in some cultures, while in modern times it has become a type of radical political protest...
to protest the repression of religion in the Communist state of East Germany. On August 18, 1976 Brüsewitz committed suicide by self-immolation
Self-immolation
Self-immolation refers to setting oneself on fire, often as a form of protest or for the purposes of martyrdom or suicide. It has centuries-long traditions in some cultures, while in modern times it has become a type of radical political protest...
in a public market in front of the church in Zeitz
Zeitz
Zeitz is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Weiße Elster, in the middle of the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony.-History:...
.
Biography
With the Second World War nearing its end, Brüsewitz joined the Wehrmacht in 1944 as a fifteen year old, was captured by the Red ArmyRed Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
and became a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. He worked as a shoemaker after the war then attended a Lutheran seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
from 1964 until 1969 in Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
. In 1970 he was ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church at Rippicha in the district of Zeitz. He was critical of the East German Communist regime imposed by the Soviet Union after the war and symbolic acts of protest, including the installation of a cross of neon lamp
Neon lamp
A neon lamp is a miniature gas discharge lamp that typically contains neon gas at a low pressure in a glass capsule. Only a thin region adjacent to the electrodes glows in these lamps, which distinguishes them from the much longer and brighter neon tubes used for signage...
s at his church, brought him to the attention of the authorities. The leadership of his church sided with the state, rather than its priest, and asked, in 1976, for Brüsewitz to be moved to another rectorate. This was the immediate trigger for his suicidal protest.
On the day of his death he carried pamphlets accusing the communists of repression which read; "Funkspruch an alle: Die Kirche in der DDR klagt den Kommunismus an! Wegen Unterdrückung in Schulen an Kindern und Jugendlichen" ("A Radio message to everyone: The church in the GDR accuses communism! Because of the suppression of children at school"). In his suicide note he wrote of a "feigned deep peace, which had also intruded Christianity" in East Germany while in truth there was "a mighty war between light and darkness "zwischen Licht und Finsternis ein mächtiger Krieg".
Brüsewitz died of his severe burns on August 22, 1976 in a hospital in Halle Dölau
Dolau
Dolau is a small village in Powys, mid Wales.The village is served by Dolau railway station, which features a wooden waiting shelter with a clock outside. H. M. Queen Elizabeth II unveiled a plaque at the station in 2002 commemorating her visit during the Golden Jubilee visit to Wales....
. His self sacrifice brought support from both his parishioners and figures in the church and led to a reappraisal within the church hierarchy of its relationship with the Communist dictatorship. The Protestant Church now sees Brüsewitz's protest as an early step towards the mass popular protests which led to the collapse of the GDR in 1989.
The Communist authorities initially attempted to suppress news of the event then, when news leaked and public support for his action grew, they branded him a psychopath. On August 31 Neues Deutschland
Neues Deutschland
Neues Deutschland is a national German daily newspaper. It was the official party newspaper of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany , which governed the German Democratic Republic , and as such served as one of the party's most important organs...
, the official newspaper of the SED, printed an article entitled „Du sollst nicht falsch Zeugnis reden“ "You shall not bear false witness" which asserted that self-immolation was the action of a sick, crazy man. A similar article appeared in the Neue Zeit, the newspaper of the East German CDU.
The Protestant church of the ecclesiastical province of Saxony commemorated his sacrifice twenty years later in 1996, six years after the reunification of Germany. Bishop Dehmke called his death an "act of desperation" in protest against the repressive nature of the communist regime and the collaboration of church members who had grown too close to the state. http://www.germnews.de/archive/dn/1996/08/18.html
To mark the 30th anniversary of his death, Neues Deutschland wrote an apology for the article they had carried at the time, admitting that the piece had been "slanderous" and written, not by journalists, but in one of the many offices of the central committee of the SED. In addition they published some of the thousands of critical letters to the editor they had received but not printed in 1976.
In the Federal Republic of Germany, the Paneuropa-Union established a Brüsewitz-Center to document the repression of opposition within the former GDR.
Brüsewitz's death is known in Germany as the Fanal von Zeitz or "Fire Signal of Zeitz".
Literature
- K. Motschmann: Oskar Brüsewitz, Würzburg 1978, ISBN 3-921155-37-1
- H. Müller-Enbergs, H. Schmoll, W. Stock: Das Fanal. Das Opfer des Pfarrers Brüsewitz aus Rippicha und die evangelische Kirche, Berlin 1993.
- Harald Schultze (Hrsg.): Das Signal von Zeitz - Reaktionen auf die Selbstverbrennung von Oskar Brüsewitz, Leipzig 1993, ISBN 3374014275
- H. Müller-Enbergs, W. Stock, M. Wiesner: Das Fanal. Das Opfer des Pfarrers Brüsewitz aus Rippicha und die evangelische Kirche, Münster 1999 (erweiterte 2. Auflage), ISBN 3-402-05263-6
- Freya Klier: Oskar Brüsewitz - Leben und Tod eines mutigen DDR-Pfarrers, Berlin 2004, ISBN 3-00-013746-7
- Krampitz, Karsten; Tautz, Lothar; Ziebath, Dieter: " Ich werde dann gehen..." - Erinnerungen an Oskar Brüsewitz, Leipzig 2006, ISBN 3-374-02398-3
Film
- Der Störenfried. Ermittlungen zu Oskar Brüsewitz. Dokumentarfilm von Thomas Frickel (1992)
External links
- Biographie on the MDRMitteldeutscher RundfunkMitteldeutscher Rundfunk is the public broadcaster for the federal states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt...
website - Leben und Wirken von Oskar BrüsewitzBiographie by Stiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur (PDF)
- „Der Protestant“, Article in Berliner Tagesspiegel of 6 August 2006
- „Du sollst nicht falsch Zeugnis reden“, Article in Berliner ZeitungBerliner ZeitungThe Berliner Zeitung, founded in 1945, is a German center-left daily newspaper based in Berlin, published by Berliner Verlag. It is the only East German paper to achieve national prominence since unification. In 2003, the Berliner was Berlin's largest subscription newspaper—the weekend...
of 19./20. August 2006 - UOKG-conference on 30th anniversary of Oskar Brüsewitz's death
- Bundesregierung
- Stiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur
- Das Fanal
- Aug. 18, 2006 article in Die Welt: Der Fall Oskar Brüsewitz