Aachen, North Rhine-Wetphalia, Germany — Central Europe
GESTAPO
| — | Wege gegen das Vergessen 1933-1945 Aachen | — |
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, October 22, 2023
1. GESTAPO Marker
In this building the “Secret State Police”, the GESTAPO, had its offices from 1933 onwards. People persecuted by the Nazis were held here, interrogated and mistreated before being transferred to prison camps.
Erected by Wege gegen das Vergessen. (Marker Number 25.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Law Enforcement • War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1933.
Location. 50° 46.328′ N, 6° 5.239′ E. Marker is in Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Wetphalia). It is on Theaterplatz, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Theaterplatz 14, Aachen HE 52062, Germany. Touch for directions.
Regionally, it is in Europe, the European Union, Atlantic Europe, Central Europe, the Schengen Area, Western Europe, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire and specifically also the Holy Roman Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Kreuzigungsgruppe Henger Herrjotts Fott / Crucifixion Tableau “Behind the Lord’s Buttocks” (about 180 meters
this page online
Also see . . . GESTAPO (Wege gegen das Vergessen, in German). For each of their 40+ markers, Wege gegen das Vergessen (“Ways Against Forgetting”) presents a page on their website with extended information on each marker’s subject.
Excerpt (in translation): GESTAPO is the abbreviation for "Secret State Police" and is the common name for the political police in National Socialist Germany between 1933 and 1945. GESTAPO was a central executive body of National(Submitted on October 22, 2023.)Socialist rule and as such was responsible for organized terror in Germany during the Nazi era and in the countries occupied by Germany during the Second World War.Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, October 22, 20232. GESTAPO Marker - wide viewThe marker is visible here just to the right of the back of the bus.
In April 1933, at Göring's instigation, the Secret State Police was set up. In June 1936 it became a Reich authority. Although the GESTAPO initially justified its measures with the Reichstag Fire Ordinance and other regulations, it finally freed itself from all ties to law and order. It imposed “protective custody”, was able to force statements through torture (“severe interrogation”) and murdered prisoners (“special treatment”). The GESTAPO was responsible for systematically combating actual or perceived political opponents of the Nazi regime. In relation to the population, the number of GESTAPO members was small; in 1944 it was around 32,000 men. The effectiveness of the GESTAPO was based on an extensive surveillance system of informants and on politically, professionally or privately motivated informants. Here in Aachen, the GESTAPO not only had their offices but also their interrogation and torture rooms in the government building next to the theater.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 22, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 22, 2023, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 154 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 22, 2023, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
