Macht auf Zeit

Munich played a special role in the establishment of the Gestapo. After the seizure of power in 1933, the Bavarian Political Police became the model for the formation of the Secret State Police Office in Berlin and thus for the nationwide Gestapo offices. Munich Gestapo members took on leadership positions throughout Germany and led operational commands in the occupied eastern territories during World War II. In 1933, Reinhard Heydrich chose the Wittelsbacher Palais on Brienner Strasse in Munich as the representative seat of the Political Police. Here, a modern control center was established, which also served as a place of cruel torture. At the same time, the Munich Gestapo was deeply embedded in the city's society; many of its employees took on roles as block leaders or in public welfare. People knew who worked for the Gestapo. Erich Kasberger provides insights into the various departments of this police special authority in his comprehensive study. About 400 short biographies with source and literature references document the personnel of the Secret State Police in Munich. Numerous, partly unpublished photos give a face to the perpetrators.