In the #lostwords initiative, we are working alongside the Bavarian State Archives with support from volunteers to search for the families of victims of Nazi persecution who were executed in Stadelheim Prison in Munich. Shortly before they were murdered, the condemned prisoners were allowed to write farewell letters to their relatives. More than fifty of these handwritten letters were never delivered. Over eighty years later, we want these last words to finally reach the descendants of their intended recipients.
About #lostwords
#lostwords commemorates people who were executed by the Nazis in Munich-Stadelheim Prison — often for minor offenses.
Words of farewell – read by the ensemble of the Münchner Kammerspiele theater
In their farewell letters, the condemned prisoners address their parents, spouses, relatives, and friends. They explain what should be done with their personal belongings, and they say goodbye ‒ a few calmly and soberly, many in despair, and some enraged by the great injustice done to them. In six videos, performers from the Münchner Kammerspiele theater read selected passages from the farewell letters.
Stored in the execution files: letters of farewell
Writing a farewell letter was the final act granted to the condemned prisoners. Some of these letters never reached their recipients but were instead placed in the execution files. The historian Dr. Alexander Korb explains the purpose of these files, what they contained, and why they are important to researchers.
Since July 2025, with the support of our Europe-wide network of volunteers, we have been searching for relatives and survivors of the victims executed in Munich-Stadelheim. Find out more about how we search and what the project means to relatives and others who are involved.
Join in now and help commemorate the victims of Nazi justice
The crowdsourcing initiative #everynamecounts invites anyone interested to contribute to commemorating the injustices suffered by people during the Nazi era at the hands of the courts and the justice system.
Join in now and help us digitize documents from the German prisons. These original historical sources tell of persecution, repression, and arbitrary violence. They provide impressive insights into the fates of many victims.
#lostwords is only possible thanks to many partners and an active network – including the Bavarian State Archives, scholars, dedicated volunteers, and the artists of the Münchner Kammerspiele theater.
Our dossier offers in-depth insights into #lostwords. It tells the stories of the people who were executed in Munich-Stadelheim and asks what happened to their bodies after death. At the same time, it sheds light on how the Nazi judiciary passed its sentences – and the central role it played within the system of National Socialist persecution.
