“Betrayed” whispers the wind. This Kurt-Kresse-Brücke I stands as a silent witness to a tragic chapter in Leipzig’s history. It is more than just a bridge. It’s a memorial to Kurt Kresse.
Who was Kurt Kresse? He was a local book printer. Kresse was also an antifascist who bravely resisted the Nazi regime. Born in 1904 in Kleinzschocher he grew up in a working-class family. His younger brother Walter Kresse later became Leipzig’s mayor. Kurt’s early life involved hard labor. He worked as a miner before finding work as a book printer in 1924.
Kurt Kresse joined the KPD in April 1924. He quickly rose through the ranks becoming a member of the West Saxony district leadership. He even led the “Fichte” workers’ sports club in Leipzig. After the Nazis seized power in 1933 Kresse faced imprisonment twice including a stint at the Colditz concentration camp. Yet imprisonment did not stop him. He organized support for political prisoners and their families. From 1939 to 1944 he worked as a milling machine operator.
In the early 1940s Kurt Kresse became a key member of Georg Schumann’s resistance group. He connected with workers. Together they spread leaflets promoting the NKFD’s goals. They offered advice on sabotaging war production. Kresse also organized aid for foreign forced laborers. This brave group was later known as the Schumann-Engert-Kresse Group.
Tragedy struck on July 19 1944. Kresse was arrested. On November 24 1944 he was sentenced to death. The infamous People’s Court condemned him along with Schumann and Engert. On January 11 1945 Kurt Kresse was executed in Dresden at the age of 40.
Leipzig honored Kurt Kresse after the war. On August 1 1945 the Ringstraße in Kleinzschocher was renamed Kurt-Kresse-Straße. A sports facility was named Kurt-Kresse-Kampfbahn. Even a barracks and a polytechnic school bore his name during the GDR era.
Today Kurt-Kresse-Brücke I stands as a reminder of Kresse’s courage. His street still exists. It stretches through Kleinzschocher and Großzschocher. The street crosses the Plagwitz-Gaschwitz railway line. The Zeitzer railway line is also underneath. The Kurt-Kresse-Straße bears witness to his life.
As you cross Kurt-Kresse-Brücke I remember Kurt Kresse. Remember his fight against injustice. Think of his sacrifice for a better future. This bridge is more than steel and concrete. It is a symbol of resistance. It is a testament to the enduring power of the human spirit. His story must never be forgotten.