Undelivered farewell letters from victims of Nazi persecution
The Bavarian State Archives and the Arolsen Archives start a cooperation on execution files from Munich-Stadelheim.
The Bavarian State Archives and the Arolsen Archives start a cooperation on execution files from Munich-Stadelheim.
The Munich-Stadelheim prison was a “central execution center” under National Socialism, making it one of the main sites of Nazi injustice in Munich. Over 1,000 people were executed there up to 1945. Touching documents from there are undelivered farewell letters from convicts to their relatives, which were withheld by the prison administration or authorities at the time. Over 50 of these letters can be found in 844 so-called execution files, which have been preserved in the Munich State Archives since 1975 and are freely accessible for academic and personal research.
Not only are these farewell letters relevant historical records on Nazi injustice, but also personal testimonies for the descendants of the executed persons. The Munich State Archives systematically reviewed and digitized the files and identified the farewell letters to reflect this significance.
“The Nazi past will not let us rest! Giving the victims of the regime of injustice a name and a voice is more important than ever,” states Bernhard Grau, Director General of the Bavarian State Archives. “We are delighted to have found a partner in the Arolsen Archives who allows adding more information to the source material in our archives and so helps track down any living descendants of the victims.”
The search for relatives begins
The Bavarian State Archives and the Arolsen Archives have now started a cooperation on the farewell letters and execution files. Agreed in April 2025, the purpose of this collaboration is to link the files of the Munich State Archives with the documents in the collection of the Arolsen Archives. The Arolsen Archives will also draw on its Europe-wide network of volunteers to search for the recipients of the farewell letters and families of these Nazi victims, contact them and issue them with copies of the original letters on request. Other documents in the Munich State Archives – including prosecution records from the Munich Special Court and Gestapo protective custody files – provide additional information and can be valuable in the search for relatives.
“People on Death Row tended to use their final hours to say goodbye to loved ones,” says Floriane Azoulay, Director of the Arolsen Archives. “Our mandate today is to find the addressees of the letters and the relatives in order to fulfill the last wishes of the unjustly condemned and to right this historical wrong. This can be of incredible importance for the families.”
Who were the victims?
Between 1933 and 1945, the judiciary was instrumentalized for the goals of the Nazi regime and hence became part of the system of injustice. The number of crimes punishable by the death penalty rose from three to 46 during this period. “Case law” handed down by the special courts was politically motivated and was intended to maintain power, eliminate opponents and intimidate the population.
The majority of men and women executed in Munich-Stadelheim, whose farewell letters have survived, came from Germany. People from Poland, France, the Czech Republic and other European countries are also among the victims. Their ages ranged from 20 to 81. The accusations included “disparagement of Germanness” and “the expression of views contrary to National Socialism”. Others were persecuted because of their faith or political commitment. The Decree Against Public Enemies – which came into force four days after the outbreak of the Second World War – opened the door to imposing the death penalty, even for minor property offenses. The National Socialist judiciary used this decree specifically to persecute and kill people who were viewed as “undesirable” or resistant to the regime.
Networking and education
The new cooperation between the Munich State Archives and the Arolsen Archives flies the flag for modern, networked access to Nazi documents. It was initiated following a report by the Bayerischer Rundfunk broadcaster about the letters in the execution files. The common goals are to promote research, to integrate relatives of victims of Nazi persecution in the culture of remembrance and to shed light on how the Nazi judiciary engaged in persecution. The project will be accompanied by a communication/education campaign and public events.
Biographies and excerpts from the letters
Please refer to our press dossier for selected biographies of the convicted persons and excerpts from their farewell letters. You can download it below.
Press photos
The following photos may be used in connection with publications about the Arolsen Archives, provided the photo credit is given. Changes to the images are not permitted.
Please send us a specimen copy or a short note with a link to the online publication. For further motifs or higher resolutions, please contact our press office.
