Wenzbach

What secrets does the Wenzbach hold? The Wenzbach isn’t just a small, unassuming stream. It carries a heavy history. This seemingly insignificant brook, a mere kilometer long, flows from Großhesselohe in Pullach to Thalkirchen in Munich, eventually joining the Floßkanal. The Wenzbach whispers stories of a local entrepreneur, Adolf Wenz. He owned a clinker brick factory near the Großhesseloher Brücke in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In those days, people often referred to the stream as the “Wenzscher Fabrikbach” or simply “Fabrikbach,” a testament to Wenz’s impact on the area. But the Wenzbach holds a darker secret. On October 17, 1946, it became the final resting place for the ashes of eleven war criminals from the Nuremberg trials. The US soldiers chose this quiet stream to scatter the ashes, hoping to prevent any shrine or memorial from being erected. Among these ashes were those of notorious figures like Hans Frank, Wilhelm Frick, and Julius Streicher. Even Hermann Göring’s ashes found their way into the Wenzbach after he took his own life to avoid the hangman’s noose. Their remains were cremated at Munich’s Ostfriedhof, and the urns were briefly held at the Villa Oberhummer before the final, unceremonious disposal. The Wenzbach flows on, its waters carrying a stark reminder of a dark chapter in history. So, as you stand here by the Wenzbach, remember it’s not just a babbling brook. It’s a silent witness, its waters whispering tales of industry, war, and the consequences of evil.