A memorial for the forgotten: Memory of Albert Warnking and Co.

A memorial for the forgotten: Memory of Albert Warnking and Co.

a moving legacy: Matthias Warnking created a memorial for his uncle Albert, which he was never allowed to get to know, but his tragic story touched him deeply.

Albert Warnking, the deaf-mild uncle of Matthias, was victims of the cruel Nazi E-Euthanasia in 1941 in the Heil and Nursing Institute in Wehnen near Oldenburg. His fate, which was often told by his father, remains shaped by sadness. "My father suspected that he was abused for medical attempts," recalls Matthias. After ten years of intensive search for traces, he has now compiled documents and files that illuminate the dark history of his uncle.

bring the cruel truth to light

Matthias discovered that Albert was picked up in 1934 by the National Socialists from the St. Josefshaus Waldbreitbach and brought to Wehn. At first friendly and helpful, the treatment changed dramatically from 1939. The medical reports became harder, and in 1940 Albert's name was called on a registration arch of the Nazi Euthanasian headquarters in Berlin. "He was torn and starved to starve," explains Matthias, who read the shocking diagnoses in sober official German. This systematic murder was part of a program that cost around 200,000 people in Germany.

To commemorate the victims of these atrocities, a memorial was built at the Andreaswerk in Vechta. The “Memorial for Human Dignity” is reminiscent of 88 people from the Vechta district, which were murdered like Albert in Wehn. Matthias, Managing Director of Andreaswerk, is proud of this project, which also includes an accompanying book with life stories and biographies. "We want to give back the victims the dignity that was taken away," he emphasizes. A strong sign against forgetting and for humanity.