Eduard Benedek Brunschweiler
Encyclopedia
Eduard Benedek Brunschweiler (1910-1987) was a Swiss national who was appointed by the International Committee of the Red Cross
to manage the Benedictine Archabbey of Pannonhalma
on their behalf, during the final months of the German occupation
, towards the end of the Second World War.
In early 1944, Archabbot Kelemen Krizosztom wrote to the Committee with a proposal that the Archabbey, situated in North-Western Hungary
, be placed at the disposal of the ICRC. Friedrich Born
, the ICRC delegate in Budapest
, took this opportunity both to help protect the 800-year old historical buildings and at the same time make use of them to provide shelter for refugees from the conflict. Born obtained agreements from the Hungarian government and the German military that the premises of the abbey were to be regarded as militarily neutral, despite the fact that they were directly on the line of defence between the Soviet Red Army and the German forces
.
In October 1944, Born appointed Brunschweiler, a Swiss national who had been living in Budapest, to take charge of the operation, on behalf of the ICRC. Brunschweiler managed to arrange a meeting with the German Reich plenipotentiary for Hungary, Edmund Veesenmayer, concerning arrangements for the shelter of the refugees there. According to Arieh Ben-Tov's research, Veesemeyer accepted that Jewish children would be sheltered in the archabbey but insisted that the percentage of Jewish refugees should not exceed those of half-Jewish refugees (Arieh Ben-Tov, p333)http://books.google.com/books?id=AMpXMcNsFHIC&pg=PA333&lpg=PA333&dq=%22benedikt+brunschweiler%22&source=web&ots=P2dL7X5XTT&sig=8hGTmr1bb9en6ukI0lI9ElNMnEg#PPA333,M1.
At the time, those Hungarian Jews
who had not been sent on train transports
to extermination camps were being force-marched West ahead of the Soviet advances and many died on these journeys. Born's instructions to Brunschweiler were that children who had lost their parents or otherwise needed protection could be given shelter but 'political figures', men and boys over the age of 14 were not to be accepted. In fact, the monks in Pannonhalma turned a blind eye to many of these restrictionshttp://www.wm.edu/so/monitor/issues/2007/2007-spring-refuge%20at%20pannonhalma.pdf.
As the Red Army approached Pannonhalma, the refugee population grew to about 3000 people. Following the defeat of the defensive forces around the abbey in April 1945, the Red Army took control of the area and Brunschweiler and the ICRC were expelled from the Abbey.
In 2001, a Hungarian director, Szilveszter Siklósi, made a documentary about this episode entitled "My castle, my shelter"http://www.szemle.film.hu/object.3a75dc48-4fc5-4596-bb71-e3447fb2a05a.ivy ("Menedéket adó váram" in Hungarian). On October 17 2006 a memorial plaque to Brunschweiler was unveiled at the Archabbeyhttp://www.okm.gov.hu/main.php?folderID=1438&articleID=227970&ctag=articlelist&iid=1. On March 31 2009 the Israeli ambassador to Hungary presented a award to the present arch-abbot of the Abbey, posthumously recognizing Brunschweiler as Righteous among the Nations
for his actions in sheltering the refugeeshttp://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/news-release/hungary-news-310309.htm.
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
to manage the Benedictine Archabbey of Pannonhalma
Pannonhalma Archabbey
The Benedictine Pannonhalma Archabbey is the most notable landmark in Pannonhalma and one of the oldest historical monuments in Hungary, founded in the year 996. It is located near the town, on top of a hill...
on their behalf, during the final months of the German occupation
Operation Margarethe
During World War II, the Germans planned two discrete operations using the codename Margarethe.Operation Margarethe I was the occupation of Hungary by German forces on 19 March 1944. The Hungarian government was an ally of Nazi Germany, but had been discussing an armistice with the Allies...
, towards the end of the Second World War.
In early 1944, Archabbot Kelemen Krizosztom wrote to the Committee with a proposal that the Archabbey, situated in North-Western Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, be placed at the disposal of the ICRC. Friedrich Born
Friedrich Born
Friedrich Born was a Swiss delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Budapest between May 1944 and January 1945, when he had to leave Hungary following orders of the occupying Red Army.He already lived in the Hungarian Capital city before his appointment by the ICRC, working as...
, the ICRC delegate in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, took this opportunity both to help protect the 800-year old historical buildings and at the same time make use of them to provide shelter for refugees from the conflict. Born obtained agreements from the Hungarian government and the German military that the premises of the abbey were to be regarded as militarily neutral, despite the fact that they were directly on the line of defence between the Soviet Red Army and the German forces
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
.
In October 1944, Born appointed Brunschweiler, a Swiss national who had been living in Budapest, to take charge of the operation, on behalf of the ICRC. Brunschweiler managed to arrange a meeting with the German Reich plenipotentiary for Hungary, Edmund Veesenmayer, concerning arrangements for the shelter of the refugees there. According to Arieh Ben-Tov's research, Veesemeyer accepted that Jewish children would be sheltered in the archabbey but insisted that the percentage of Jewish refugees should not exceed those of half-Jewish refugees (Arieh Ben-Tov, p333)http://books.google.com/books?id=AMpXMcNsFHIC&pg=PA333&lpg=PA333&dq=%22benedikt+brunschweiler%22&source=web&ots=P2dL7X5XTT&sig=8hGTmr1bb9en6ukI0lI9ElNMnEg#PPA333,M1.
At the time, those Hungarian Jews
History of the Jews in Hungary
Hungarian Jews have existed since at least the 11th century. After struggling against discrimination throughout the Middle Ages, by the early 20th century the community grew to be 5% of Hungary's population , and were prominent in science, the arts and business...
who had not been sent on train transports
Holocaust trains
The Holocaust trains were railway transports run by German Nazis and their collaborators to forcibly deport interned Jews and other victims of the Holocaust to the German Nazi concentration and extermination camps....
to extermination camps were being force-marched West ahead of the Soviet advances and many died on these journeys. Born's instructions to Brunschweiler were that children who had lost their parents or otherwise needed protection could be given shelter but 'political figures', men and boys over the age of 14 were not to be accepted. In fact, the monks in Pannonhalma turned a blind eye to many of these restrictionshttp://www.wm.edu/so/monitor/issues/2007/2007-spring-refuge%20at%20pannonhalma.pdf.
As the Red Army approached Pannonhalma, the refugee population grew to about 3000 people. Following the defeat of the defensive forces around the abbey in April 1945, the Red Army took control of the area and Brunschweiler and the ICRC were expelled from the Abbey.
In 2001, a Hungarian director, Szilveszter Siklósi, made a documentary about this episode entitled "My castle, my shelter"http://www.szemle.film.hu/object.3a75dc48-4fc5-4596-bb71-e3447fb2a05a.ivy ("Menedéket adó váram" in Hungarian). On October 17 2006 a memorial plaque to Brunschweiler was unveiled at the Archabbeyhttp://www.okm.gov.hu/main.php?folderID=1438&articleID=227970&ctag=articlelist&iid=1. On March 31 2009 the Israeli ambassador to Hungary presented a award to the present arch-abbot of the Abbey, posthumously recognizing Brunschweiler as Righteous among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous among the Nations of the world's nations"), also translated as Righteous Gentiles is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis....
for his actions in sheltering the refugeeshttp://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/news-release/hungary-news-310309.htm.