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Edda Purwin * 1940

Langenhorner Chaussee 560 (Hamburg-Nord, Langenhorn)

ERMORDET IN DER
"KINDERFACHABTEILUNG"
DER HEIL- UND PFLEGEANSTALT
LANGENHORN

EDDA PURWIN
GEB. 1.7.1940
ERMORDET 18.1.1942

further stumbling stones in Langenhorner Chaussee 560:
Gerda Behrmann, Uwe Diekwisch, Peter Evers, Elke Gosch, Claus Grimm, Werner Hammerich, Marianne Harms, Hillene Hellmers, Helga Heuer, Waltraud Imbach, Inge Kersebaum, Hella Körper, Dieter Kullak, Helga Liebschner, Theo Lorenzen, Jutta Müller, Ingrid Neuhaus, Traudel Passburg, Angela Quast, Erwin Sänger, Hermann Scheel, Gottfried Simon, Monika Ziemer

Edda Purwin, born on 1.7.1940 in Lüneburg, killed on 18.1.1942 in the "children's ward of the Langenhorn sanatorium and nursing home” (Kinderfachabteilung)

Asklepios Clinic North Ochsenzoll, Henny-Schütz-Allee, memorial house 25, entrance
Langenhorner Chaussee 560

Edda Purwin was born in Lüneburg on July 1, 1940. She was the daughter of Anneliese Auguste Hermine Sophie Dora Purwin, a single housemaid, and Albert Gerstenberg. Her mother had previously worked in agriculture in Luhdorf, Boltersen, Barföde, Bleckede and Peine. The difficult birth lasted over four days, Edda was born apparently dead. She was then examined for four weeks.

She was admitted to the Lüneburg Children's Hospital. In the meantime, her mother had entered into a new relationship with non-commissioned officer Johann Seebeck (born 1914) and was expecting her second child.

On her first birthday, Edda was reported by Dr. Hans Rohlfing, head of the Lüneburg health department, to the "Reich Committee for the Scientific Registration of Serious Hereditary and Congenital Diseases”. From there, on September 18, 1941, came the instruction to transfer Edda to the "Children's Specialist Department” in Langenhorn. Although the Lüneburg "Children's Specialist Department” had been newly established on October 9/10, 1941, Edda was transferred from the children's hospital in Barckhausenstraße at the age of five months by a welfare nurse from Lüneburg on December 8, 1941 with a certificate from the Lüneburg Health Welfare Office and a diagnosis of "idiocy” into the "Langenhorn Sanatorium and Nursing Home”.

The doctor in charge, Dr. Knigge, stated: "Don't talk, gradually spastic”. Edda only lived there for another six weeks. On January 10, 1942, Knigge recorded: "Has developed a very smelly eczema on the back of her head. Di-smear [diphtheria]: negative”. Eight days later, the last day of her short life was recorded: "18.I.42. Exitus [death]. Di-smear in throat: + [positive]. Diagnosis: "cerebral palsy with microcephaly [small head, reduced brain growth]. Idiocy. Dr. Knigge”

Edda died on January 18, 1942 at 11:30 a.m. in House M 10. In the death certificate, Dr. Knigge gave "idiocy, microcephaly, diphtheria” as the cause of death.

Edda was presumably killed by Knigge with Luminal injections (a sleeping pill) in the "children's ward of the Langenhorn sanatorium and nursing home”. He often listed "bronchopneumonia” (pneumonia) as the cause of death, which is missing here. Whether the diagnosis of diphtheria served as a cover-up cannot be proven, but it can be assumed.

Edda was 1 year, 6 months and 17 days old.

Nine days later, she was buried by the Bork funeral home on January 27, 1942 at 9:00 a.m. in the Ohlsdorf cemetery, grave location Bh 58, row 34, no. 7. Her grave site is no longer preserved.

Edda's brother Hans Peter was born out of wedlock on February 21, 1942 in Lüneburg. His father Johann Seebeck was killed in action on March 30, 1942 as a soldier at the Eastern Front on March 30, 1942. His mother married the factory worker and lance corporal Joseph Pfeiffer (born 1911) in July 1942, but he was also killed in the war, in Latvia in August 1944. After a second marriage in May 1951, Anneliese Purwin lived with the cook Heinrich Ludwig in Artlenburger Straße, Lüneburg-St. Lorenz Nord.


After the war, Knigge commented on the accusations of murder and euthanasia in the "children's ward” of the Langenhorn hospital. In a letter dated June 13, 1945 to the criminal investigation department via Prof. Rudolf Degkwitz, head official of the Hamburg health authorities, he only admitted to euthanasia of ten to eleven "mentally ill and deformed” children, which he considered justified by the order of the Reich Committee. He concealed the name of Edda Purwin.

Translation: Beate Meyer
Stand: November 2024
© Margot Löhr

Quellen: StaH, 332-5 Standesämter, Sterbefallsammelakten, 64217 u. 51/1942 Edda Purwin; StaH, 332-5 Standesämter, Sterberegister, 9933 u. 51/1942 Edda Purwin; StaH, 352-5 Standesämter, Todesbescheinigungen, 1942 Sta 1b Nr. 51 Edda Purwin; StaH, 352-8/7 Staatskrankenanstalt Langenhorn, Abl. 2000/01 Nr. 32 Akte 29253; Standesamt Lüneburg, Geburtsregister, Nr. 473/1940 Edda Purwin; Archiv Friedhof Ohlsdorf, Beerdigungsregister 1942 Nr. 3857; Auskünfte Dr. Carola Rudnick vom 8.7.2021 aus der Akte Edda Purwin, Landesarchiv Niedersachsen, NLA Hannover Hann. 138 Lüneburg Acc. 102/88 Nr. 3027.