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Rudolf Ladewig bei Grundsteinlegung
© Stadtarchiv Reichenbach/Vogtland

Rudolf Ladewig * 1893

Armgartstraße 4 (Hamburg-Nord, Hohenfelde)

KZ Neuengamme
ermordet April 1945

further stumbling stones in Armgartstraße 4:
Alice Hertz, Eduard Hertz, Elisabeth Rosenkranz

Rudolf Wilhelm Emil Ladewig, born on 30 Apr. 1893 in Brodersdorf near Rostock, arrested on 22 Mar. 1945 in Hamburg, hanged on 23 Apr. 1945 in the Neuengamme concentration camp

Armgartstrasse 4

Hildegard Ladewig, née Bucka, born on 7 July 1892 in Posen (today Poznan in Poland), died on 30 Nov. 1944 as a result of suicide

Blumenstrasse 32, Winterhude

Rudolf Wilhelm Emil Ladewig was born as son of Rudolf Carl Heinrich Ladewig and Lucie, née Wollner. He had two sisters: Paula, born in 1891 in Brodersdorf, Hedwig, born in 1897 in Pastow, and three half siblings, born in Rostock: Charlotte (in 1903), Grete (in 1908), and Hans (in 1910). He attended Realschule [a practice-oriented secondary school up to grade 10] in Rostock, completed an apprenticeship as a bricklayer at the Holzminden Building Trade School (Baugewerbeschule), and subsequently studied at the Polytechnic Institute in Strelitz (Mecklenburg). In Aug. 1914, he volunteered for military service and he was discharged from the army in 1916 due to an injury (transfemoral amputation) in the battles of Verdun. In Oct. 1918, he finished his studies in Strelitz, which then enabled him to work as an architect.

On 15 Mar. 1919, Rudolf Ladewig married Hildegard Bucka in Breslau (today Wroclaw in Poland), born on 7 July 1892 in Posen (today Poznan in Poland). Her parents were of Jewish descent. Her mother Ella Bucka, née Jacobson, later emigrated to the USA. Father Siegfried Bucka, like his daughter, may have been of the Protestant faith. There were additional children, Erna and Robert. Hildegard Bucka studied architecture and art history at the Royal Academy of Breslau and in Strelitz.

The Ladewig family first lived in Neidenburg/East Prussia (today Nidzica in Poland), where daughter Annemarie was born on 5 June 1919. In 1919, Rudolf Ladewig became town architect in Waldenburg/Lower Silesia (today Walbrzyh in Poland). The family moved there, and son Rudolf Karl was born on 19 Feb. 1922. Both children were baptized Protestants when they were one year old. From Nov. 1925 to Sept. 1926, Rudolf Ladewig, influenced by the Bauhaus, was employed as the senior architect by the city of Reichenbach in Vogtland, where he lived with his family. He then worked as a freelancer for two years before being hired again by the city of Reichenbach from May 1928 onward. Examples of structures to which he contributed include St. Marien Kirche (St. Mary’s Church), the water tower, and a shelter for the homeless. He was dismissed at the end of 1931 because the design and construction management departments were dissolved. Rudolf Ladewig dealt with the theoretical and practical solution to the issue of small apartments and the design of new types of houses, which were characterized by extraordinary economy, impeccable room arrangement, and good furnishing. He was able to implement these approaches in 1932/33 when he built the Sternsiedlung ("star settlement”) in Reichenbach, which became his trademark. The "star settlement” consists of hexagons aligned with each other, which are formed by single-floor row houses.

According to an account by his sister Charlotte, Rudolf Ladewig could no longer carry out his work unhindered starting in 1934 for "racial” and political reasons. He left Germany and worked briefly in Sofia/Bulgaria. The family moved to Hamburg on 1 Sept. 1935 and lived at Thielengasse 4, today’s Georg-Thielen-Gasse. The house was built by Rudolf Ladewig. He became an associate of the well-known architects Professor Fritz Höger (builder of the Chilehaus) and Rudolf Klophaus (builder of the Pressehaus). He also worked for the German Housing Academy (Deutsche Akademie für Wohnungswesen) in Berlin. His office was located at Armgartstrasse 4.

Daughter Annemarie Ladewig was confirmed in 1934 and finished Realschule [a practice-oriented secondary school up to grade 10] in Reichenbach. In 1936, because of her mother’s Jewish ancestry, she was denied access to the "Hansische Hochschule,” as today’s Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg (Hamburg University of Fine Arts) was called during National Socialism. From Nov. 1936 to Jan. 1939, she attended Gerda Koppel’s art school, which after her emigration was continued by Gabriele Stock-Schmilinsky. Annemarie Ladewig trained in free painting and commercial graphics until 1 Dec. 1940; she was a talented artist. Annemarie Ladewig found her first job in the advertising department of the Reemtsma cigarette factory in 1940/41. Her superior, Hans Domizlaff, protected her by withholding her papers. Although she enjoyed working there, in Oct. 1942, she tried to start her own business as an advertising artist in her apartment. Since this did not succeed, she later worked as an advertising artist at Montblanc-Simplo. Friends described Annemarie Ladewig as warm, charming, cheerful, courageous, and, like her brother, very tight-lipped about current politics. In 1941, she became engaged to Hermann Sartorius, a doctor from Blankenese.

Since her brother Rudolf Karl Ladewig was not allowed to study medicine or chemistry in Berlin, he worked for the husband of a fellow student of Annemarie’s, the wine merchant Holst. He studied Russian at the foreign language school on the side and was regarded as an aficionado and connoisseur of literature.

Rudolf Ladewig Sen. was considered a conservative Social Democrat and had been active in the "KdF Group” since an unknown date. The acronym deliberately coincided with the Nazi slogan "Kraft durch Freude” ("strength through joy”), but actually stood for "Kampf dem Faschismus” ("fight fascism”). Its goal was to fight National Socialism, to create a democratic government, and subsequently to end the war. The KdF Group was formed before the war from a loose circle of friends in Hamburg, which was gradually joined by other opponents of the Nazi regime from all social classes. In 1939/1940, a connection to resistance circles in Leipzig developed, which brought new impulses to Hamburg and led to the formation of groups in companies, among others, at AEG and HEW. From 1942 onward, forced laborers and prisoners of war were also integrated into the group. Later, air-raid safety officers and men of the Volkssturm ["people’s storm,” Germany’s last-ditch defense forces raised at the end of WW II] were added.

For conspiratorial reasons, only a few members maintained contact with each other. The group hid resistance fighters as well as Jewish children, helped foreigners with food cards, and committed covert production sabotage. Starting in 1942/1943, there were also (radio) contacts to the group around Bernhard Bästlein (see Stolpersteine in Hamburg-Winterhude and www.stolpersteine-hamburg.de), to the "National Committee for a Free Germany” ("Nationalkomitee Freies Deutschland” – NKFD), and to other resistance groups in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Britain, and Switzerland. Members of the Nazi party also succeeded in obtaining information from meetings of the Gau leadership. Starting in 1944, arms caches were set up in Hamburg and detailed plans were drawn up to support the Allies during the time of the collapse of the Nazi regime. This included the interruption of the power supply as well as the release of the prisoners from the Neuengamme concentration camp.

Due to the massive deployment of informers after 20 July 1944, the Gestapo received more and more clues about the KdF Group, which occupied an important place in the Hamburg resistance movement.

The Ladewig family moved to Blumenstrsse 32 in Aug. 1943.

Rudolf Klophaus dismissed Rudolf Ladewig on 28 June 1944 in "consideration of the current circumstances of the times.” According to his sister Charlotte, Rudolf Ladewig felt threatened in the summer of 1944, which is why he left for Ludwigslust and worked for her. In 1944, the siblings Annemarie and Rudolf Karl had their affectionate but frightened and confused mother Hildegard admitted by Hermann Sartorius to the Psychiatric and Mental Ward of the Eppendorf University Hospital (Psychiatrische und Nervenklinik des Universitätskrankenhauses Eppendorf) with Prof. Bürger-Prinz as the attending physician. Since she fell seriously ill there, her husband returned to Hamburg. From 23 Oct. 1944 onward, he was deployed as a construction worker with an architect. His objection that he, as a seriously disabled veteran from the First World War, could not do this work was unsuccessful.

Hildegard Ladewig died on 30 Nov. 1944 in the Eppendorf Psychiatric Clinic. The official cause of death was suicide. The Eppendorf University Hospital writes on its website about this time: "There is strong suspicion that killings took place within the clinic.” Rudolf Ladewig was deeply shocked. There were fierce arguments with his children, causing him to move out of the shared apartment. He then lived with his friend Anna Elisabeth Rosenkranz at Armgartstrasse 4.

Elisabeth Rosenkranz was born on 6 Mar. 1906 in Kassel and had three sisters. Her father Heinrich was a master craftsman and building fitter, her mother Anna Katharina a housekeeper. After graduating from high school and passing her journeywoman’s examination in tailoring, she attended the arts and crafts schools in Munich and Düsseldorf for six semesters. Her marriage in 1928 to the merchant August Franz Beck was divorced in 1929. Starting in Jan. 1939, Elisabeth Rosenkranz lived at Armgartstrasse 4. She worked as an employee for Rudolf Ladewig and was also active in the KdF Group.

Annemarie Ladewig became increasingly depressed in 1944/45 due to her increasingly difficult situation, but she remained life-affirming. In Dec. 1944, she was billeted with the Schacht couple, presumably for surveillance. The siblings had to perform forced labor at the Howaldt Shipyard starting in Jan. 1945. Rudolf Karl Ladewig had to clear debris from bomb attacks in the Freihafen (the duty-free port).

At the beginning of 1945, a female informer, Lotte Hinze, was quartered in Elisabeth Rosenkranz’ apartment. Informer Alfons Pannek established contact with her and Rudolf Ladewig and succeeded in gaining both their trust. As a cover, Alfons Pannek operated a lending library with books that had been confiscated during raids on political opponents. Since Elisabeth Rosenkranz had an extensive library, they often came together and agreed to exchange books for lard. Rudolf Ladewig was also frequently present. Once Elisabeth Rosenkranz presented Alfons Pannek with a manuscript to read, which criticized the leaders of the NSDAP. It was to be published after the war. He immediately passed it on to his superior, the Gestapo officer Henry Helms.

Rudolf Ladewig and Elisabeth Rosenkranz were arrested on 22 Mar. 1945. The Gestapo searched the apartment of the two Ladewig siblings, tore off the wallpaper, cut open furniture, found nothing, and arrested them nevertheless. All four were taken to Fuhlsbüttel Gestapo prison. Their names were on the so-called liquidation list, on which 71 people were marked for extermination.

They were transferred to the Neuengamme concentration camp together with other prisoners of the KdF Group on 20 Apr. 1945 based on a prison evacuation plan in the event of Allied forces approaching. Among the 13 women were Hanne Mertens (see Stolpersteine in Hamburg-Winterhude and www.stolpersteine-hamburg.de) and Erika Etter (see Stolpersteine in Hamburg-Winterhude and www.stolpersteine-hamburg.de). Since there was no court order, the women thought that they would be released and were pleased. They showed family photos to each other and tidied up their clothes. Annemarie Ladewig was able to write a letter to her fiancé that day. In it, she mentioned that her father had fallen for a snitch. "... If only I knew where we are headed tomorrow. ... I say ‘See you!’ and kiss you warmly and affectionately – always yours, Annemarie. I am fine!”

In the corridor of the prisoner’s bunker was a long beam below the ceiling, which served as a gallows. On the night of 21–22 Apr. 1945, the women were led there. They had to strip naked; climb onto a chair; the sling was put around the neck; and the chair was pulled away. After 30 minutes, the next woman was hanged, after having been forced to witness the fate of her predecessor.

The 58 men, among them father and son Ladewig, were murdered between 21 and 24 Apr. 1945. Some of them had been placed in the same bunker as the women. They knew what was in store for them, barricaded the bunker doors, and defended themselves when the doors were forcibly opened by the SS. Some of the men died when the SS threw hand grenades through the bunker windows, the others were shot. The men in the other bunkers were also shot during the night of 23–24 Apr. 1945.

Whether Annemarie and her brother Rudolf Karl were actually members of the KdF Group has not been clarified. Since the group’s first commandment was not to get family members involved, they may not have had any knowledge of their father’s and Elisabeth Rosenkranz’ activities. However, Annemarie often visited a bookstore on Dammtorpassage, which may have been the "Fundgrube für Bücherfreunde am Dammtor” ("treasure trove for book lovers on Dammtor”). The owner, Berthold Neidhard, belonged to the KdF Group.

The family of Elisabeth Rosenkranz in Kassel learned of her death in July 1945 only by chance, as her former husband had heard about it during a visit to Hamburg.

The murder of 71 people in the Neuengamme concentration camp triggered several trials after the war. Henry Helms was sentenced to nine years in prison. He spent two years in internment. This was calculated against his sentence, and he spent only six years in prison overall. Alfons Pannek was sentenced to twelve years in a penitentiary and also released prematurely. The commandant of the Neuengamme concentration camp was sentenced to death; the employees of the Fuhlsbüttel Gestapo prison, Lotte Hinze and SS- und Polizeiführer Nord Count von Bassewitz-Behr, the SS and Police Chief of the Northern District who signed the execution list, were acquitted; Bassewitz-Behr was extradited to the Soviet Union for other crimes. He died there in a penal camp in 1951.

In 1987, Annemarie-Ladewig-Kehre, a cul-de-sac with a turning area, was officially dedicated in Bergedorf.


Translator: Erwin Fink
Kindly supported by the Hermann Reemtsma Stiftung, Hamburg.

Stand: December 2019
© Maike Bruchmann

Quellen: StaH 351-11 AfW 050619; 190222; 300493; 230583; Ursel Hochmuth/Gertrud Meyer, Streiflichter aus dem Hamburger Widerstand 1933–1945. Berichte und Dokumente, Frankfurt/Main, 1980, S. 379, 449–464; Herbert Diercks, Gedenkbuch "Kola-Fu". Für die Opfer aus dem Konzentrationslager, Gestapogefängnis und KZ-Außenlager Fuhlsbüttel, KZ-Gedenkstätte Neuengamme, Hamburg, 1987, S. 46, 52–53; Rita Bake, Wer steckt dahinter?, Hamburgs Straßennamen, die nach Frauen benannt sind, Hamburg, 2000; www.reichenbach-vogtland.de (eingesehen am 19.08.2007); Gertrud Meyer, Nacht über Hamburg, Berichte und Dokumente 1933–1945, Frankfurt/Main, 1971, S. 84–116; Maike Bruhns, Kunst in der Krise, Bd. 2, Künstlerlexikon Hamburg 1933–1945, Hamburg, 2001, S. 255–257; Kay Rump (Hrsg.), Der neue Rump, Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler Hamburgs, Altonas und der näheren Umgebung, Neumünster, 2005, S. 251; Maike Bruhns, Annemarie Ladewig 1919–1945. Erinnerung an eine Vergessene, Ausst.-katalog, Ausstellung 2007 in Hamburg-Blankenese; Beate Meyer, Eine unheilige Personalunion: Gestapobeamter und Parteigenosse – Henry Helms, in: dies., "Goldfasane" und "Nazissen". Die NSDAP im ehemals "roten" Stadtteil Hamburg-Eimsbüttel, Hamburg, 2002, S. 105ff.; Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Geschichte der Klinik online unter: http://kurzurl.net/cjFi0 (letzter Zugriff 23.8.2015); GET, Akte "Hanne Mertens".