Have you noticed the somber atmosphere? We are standing at Kriegsgräberstätte Regensburg. It is a place of remembrance and reflection. Here at Kriegsgräberstätte Regensburg, we honor the victims of war and violence.
Kriegsgräberstätte Regensburg is located in the Upper Catholic Cemetery. The cemetery was created between 1895 and 1915. You can find it in the Bischof-Konrad-Straße.
Let me tell you about the history of this site. Regensburg has two war cemeteries. The first one, Kriegsgräberstätte I, was established in 1939. It contains graves of soldiers who died in the hospital. Civilian victims and forced laborers from Eastern Europe are also buried there.
Kriegsgräberstätte II was created later during the war. A basalt lava high cross marks this section. Also a chapel-like entrance with an orientation plan identifies it. One hundred and one dead from World War I were moved here. They came from the Lower Catholic Cemetery. Soldiers from World War II and civilian bomb victims also rest here. They died in the devastating air raid on August 17 1943. The attack targeted the Messerschmitt aircraft factory. Hundreds of Regensburg families mourned loved ones.
This war cemetery tells a story of suffering. It recalls the air raids that Regensburg endured. The Messerschmitt factory was a primary target. It was one of Europe’s largest aircraft factories. The Reichsbahn facilities and the city’s ports were also attacked. About 3000 people died in twenty bombing raids. The Royal Air Force and the U.S. Air Force conducted these raids from 1943 to 1945. Many victims were prisoners of war.
Nearly 14000 foreign laborers had to work in Regensburg. This happened during the Nazi era. Around 700 of them died due to NS forced labor. They succumbed to epidemics and terrible living conditions. In 1942, 106 Regensburg Jews were transported to Piaski in Poland. They were later murdered in extermination camps. These camps were Belzec and Sobibor. Other transports went to Auschwitz and Theresienstadt. About 250 Jews deported from Regensburg were murdered during the Holocaust. Around 230 Regensburg Jews escaped annihilation. They did so through emigration and flight. In early 1945, the Colosseum subcamp was in Stadtamhof. It belonged to the Flossenbürg concentration camp.
Look at the memorial plaque here at Kriegsgräberstätte Regensburg. It says that this war cemetery was created in the final years of the war from 1939 to 1945. It contains the remains of 101 German soldiers from World War I. Also 717 fallen soldiers from World War II are here. Additionally 396 civilians including women and children are buried. They were killed by bombs. The Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge created this final resting place for them.
Take a moment to reflect on the names. Think about the lives lost. Consider the impact of war on families. Remember the importance of peace and understanding. Kriegsgräberstätte Regensburg is a reminder of the past. It is a call for a better future. A future free from war.