Learning About the White Rose Memorial in Munich, Germany

When I visited Munich, Germany for a few days in 2008, the lot of us went on a bike tour around the city and one of our stops along the way was the White Rose Memorial.

The White Rose movement in Germany was a nonviolent, intellectual resistance opposing the Nazi party during World War II. The group was started and led by a professor from the University of Munich, Kurt Huber, and his students, siblings Hans Scholl and Sophie Scholl, Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf, and Christoph Probst.

They began an anonymous leaflet and graffiti campaign on June 27th, 1942. Altogether about 15,000 pamphlets were distributed in Munich and other cities in southern Germany. The movement continued until the founders of the group were arrested on February 18, 1943. The core members of the group faced “show trials” in the Nazi “People’s Court” and many were sentenced to death or they were given prison sentences.

There are many dedications to core members of White Rose around Munich and especially around the University of Munich where it all began. The memorial above is located in the Hofgarten in Munich.

You can read more about White Rose here.