Here stands a plaque. A simple plaque. It marks a life far from simple. This is the Philipp Schaeffer Plaque. It sits unassumingly on a Berlin building. It tells the story of a man. A man of contradictions.
Philipp Schaeffer. Born in 1894. He lived a life of contrasts. A scholar of the Orient. A committed communist. A courageous resister. His life was marked by both profound intellectual pursuits and dangerous political activism. The plaque commemorates his life. It also serves as a grim reminder. A reminder of the brutal Nazi regime.
Schaeffer’s journey began in Königsberg. His family later moved to St. Petersburg. There he began studying Orientalism in 1913. World War I interrupted his studies. He and his father were interned in Archangelsk. After the war he joined Freikorps units in the Baltics. He then went to Heidelberg to continue his education. He received his doctorate in 1923. His dissertation focused on the Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna. Among his Heidelberg friends was Netty Reiling. She later became the famous writer Anna Seghers.
In 1926 Schaeffer moved to Berlin. He worked for the Ufa film studio in Babelsberg. He secured a position at the Berlin-Mitte district central library in 1927. In five years he transformed it. He transformed it into one of Berlin’s most significant social science libraries. In 1928 he joined the Communist Party of Germany. His political activities led to his dismissal in 1932.
The Nazi seizure of power marked a turning point. Arrests and imprisonment became a recurring theme in Schaeffer’s life. His dedication to the outlawed KPD continued. In 1935 he was arrested and sentenced to five years in Luckau prison. After his release in 1940 he remained under police surveillance. He secretly resumed his involvement in the resistance. Many of his contacts were connected to the Red Orchestra resistance group.
Easter 1942 brought tragedy. A Jewish friend’s desperate plea for help arrived. Schaeffer’s attempt to save the couple ended in a serious fall. He suffered severe injuries. The Jewish couple took their own lives. A six-month hospital stay was followed by another arrest. In October 1942 he was charged with high treason.
On May 13 1943 Philipp Schaeffer was beheaded in Plötzensee Prison. He was still recovering from his injuries. This simple plaque in Dorotheenstraße 68 remembers him. It bears the inscription: “Here lived the scientist and resistance fighter Dr. phil. Philipp Schaeffer Born on November 16 1894 Murdered on May 13 1943 in Plötzensee”. The Philipp Schaeffer Plaque is a testament to his courage. A lasting tribute to a life cut short. A life dedicated to scholarship and resistance. This is his legacy. This is his story. Remember him.