Cafe Waldheim

Could a cafe be more than just a place for coffee and cakes? At Cafe Waldheim in Flensburg, it certainly was. This seemingly ordinary cafe played an extraordinary role during the dark days of World War II. Cafe Waldheim became a beacon of hope, a hub of resistance against the Nazi regime. From 1933, Cafe Waldheim, located on Hainstraße 1 in Harrislee, transformed into a center of clandestine communication. The owners, Amadeus and Sophie Lützen, ran the cafe until its forced closure in 1943. They, along with their helpers like Wilhelm Schmehl, the former SPD chairman of Harrisleefeld, and Danish train driver Aage Lassen, used the cafe as a vital link between the banned SPD and the border secretariat of the exiled SPD in Copenhagen. Cafe Waldheim became a crucial meeting point for those involved in the resistance. It was here that plans were hatched, information exchanged, and refugees aided in their escape to Denmark. The Lützens and their network helped over 100 refugees, including former SPD Reichstag member Otto Buchwitz, escape Nazi persecution. This bravery came at a high price. The Lützens faced repeated arrests and interrogations. After the occupation of Denmark in 1940, the Nazis finally had the evidence they needed. Aage Lassen, the Lützens, and Wilhelm Schmehl were arrested. Sophie endured six and a half months of solitary confinement. Amadeus and Wilhelm were sentenced to a year and a half in prison for “preparation of high treason”. Amadeus tragically died shortly after the war ended in 1945, followed by Sophie in 1959. Their cafe, however, continued to serve the community. Until 1961, it housed the Harrislee municipal administration. Today, a memorial plaque stands near the cafe’s original location, a testament to the courage and resilience of those who resisted the Nazi regime at Cafe Waldheim.