Imagine standing where unspeakable acts once occurred at Heil- und Pflegeanstalt Karthaus-Prüll Stolperschwelle. This place, now a Bezirksklinikum, carries a history soaked in both healing and horror. Let’s step back in time and uncover the hidden layers of this location.
The story of Heil- und Pflegeanstalt Karthaus-Prüll begins long before its dark chapter. Initially, it was the Kloster Prüll. Founded in 997 as a Benedictine monastery, it served travelers. By 1484, it became a Carthusian monastery known as Karthaus Prüll.
Centuries passed. Then came 1803 and secularization. The monastery dissolved and its treasures were scattered. Some books were used to pave a road. By 1835, the site transitioned into something drastically different. It became a mental asylum.
The Heil- und Pflegeanstalt Karthaus-Prüll opened in 1852. Initially, there was an effort to provide work therapy. Patients engaged in gardening and crafts. However, overcrowding and financial constraints took their toll. Conditions deteriorated.
The rise of National Socialism marked the darkest period for Heil- und Pflegeanstalt Karthaus-Prüll. Under the directorship of Paul Reiß, unspeakable atrocities occurred. The Nazis used the “Gesetz zur Verhütung erbkranken Nachwuchses” to implement forced sterilizations beginning in 1933. Approximately 1.5% of those subjected to this procedure died.
Then came Aktion T4. This was a Nazi program of systematic murder of people with mental and physical disabilities. Between 1940 and 1941, 642 patients were deported from Heil- und Pflegeanstalt Karthaus-Prüll to Hartheim. There, they were murdered in gas chambers. After these deportations ceased, around 950 more patients died within the institution itself. Hunger, cold, and neglect were the causes. In total, at least 1,600 patients were murdered.
After World War II, the Heil- und Pflegeanstalt Karthaus-Prüll slowly transformed. It evolved into a modern psychiatric hospital. Later, it became associated with the Universität Regensburg. Today, it is known as the Universitätsklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie and Universitätsklinik für Neurologie.
In recent years, efforts have been made to remember the victims. In 2020, a Stolperschwelle was placed on the grounds of the Bezirksklinikum. This “stumbling block” serves as a memorial. It connects the history of Karthaus-Prüll to the Stolpersteine throughout Regensburg. These stones commemorate victims of Nazi terror.
The Stolperschwelle at Heil- und Pflegeanstalt Karthaus-Prüll stands as a stark reminder. It urges us to confront the past. It compels us to value compassion and understanding in the present. It is a solemn place for reflection. It is a powerful symbol of remembrance. Let us never forget.