Is this not just a grave? Not at all. This is Grab Rudolf Petershagens. It marks the final resting place of a man who saved Greifswald from destruction during World War II.
Rudolf Petershagen was born in Hamburg in 1901. He entered military service early. By 1937, he found himself stationed in Greifswald. In 1945, Petershagen became the city’s commander. The war was drawing to a close. Soviet forces were advancing.
Imagine Greifswald then. Buildings wired with explosives. The Red Army closing in. The university rector formed a group. They planned to surrender the city without a fight. They needed someone on the inside.
Petershagen joined them. He knew the cost of war. He had fought on the Eastern Front. He had been wounded at Stalingrad. He understood the devastation that awaited Greifswald.
On the night of April 29, 1945, Petershagen sent a delegation. It included the university rector and the head of the university clinic. They met Soviet generals in Anklam. They negotiated Greifswald’s surrender. Petershagen defied orders. He prevented a battle. He saved Greifswald from becoming another ruined city.
But his actions had consequences. The Nazis condemned him to death. After the war, he was imprisoned by the Soviets until 1948.
Upon his return to Greifswald, Petershagen became involved in local politics. He joined the National Democratic Party. Later, he faced another trial. In 1951, American forces arrested him. They accused him of espionage. He was sentenced to prison but released in 1955.
Greifswald honored him. The city made him an honorary citizen. The Ernst Moritz Arndt University made him an honorary senator. Petershagen became a symbol of the city’s survival. He even wrote an autobiography called “Gewissen in Aufruhr”. It translates to “Conscience in Revolt”. It became a bestseller.
Rudolf Petershagen died in 1969. Hundreds attended his funeral. Representatives from all East German parties were present.
Look closely at the Grab Rudolf Petershagens. It’s more than a grave. It’s a symbol of courage. It represents a difficult choice made in desperate times. It reminds us that even in war, humanity can prevail. Petershagen’s legacy lives on in the streets of Greifswald. The Rudolf-Petershagen-Allee bears his name. His story continues to inspire.