Penzberg
Encyclopedia
Penzberg is a town
in the Weilheim-Schongau
district, in Bavaria
, Germany
. It is located near Munich
, and had a population of 16,126 in 2005. A historic coal mining
town, Penzberg today is known for its pharmaceutical industries
.
. Surface coal mining had already started in the 16th century, though it was ended by the Thirty Years' War
and the industrial exploitation of coal did not begin until 1800. In 1919 Penzberg received town privileges
. An Allied air raid
on November 16, 1944 did severely damage the town and the parish church, but did not affect the mine. Nevertheless the colliery was closed in 1966 for economic reasons, the adjacent power plant was shut down in 1971.
On April 28, 1945 Hans Rummer, the social democratic
mayor of Penzberg until the Nazi takeover
in 1933, deposed the Nazi mayor. In the evening of the same day, by order of the Gauleiter
Paul Giesler
, a Werwolf
group stormed the town hall, arrested and shot Rummer and seven fellows. During the night a further eight suspected resistance
fighters were hanged
by a "drumhead court-martial
" under SA
brigade leader Hans Zöberlein. Among the victims were two women, one of them pregnant. The massacre is known as the Penzberger Mordnacht (Penzberg Murder Night).
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the Weilheim-Schongau
Weilheim-Schongau
Weilheim-Schongau is a Kreis in the south of Bavaria, Germany. Neighboring districts are Landsberg, Starnberg, Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Ostallgäu.-Geography:...
district, in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is located near Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, and had a population of 16,126 in 2005. A historic coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
town, Penzberg today is known for its pharmaceutical industries
Pharmaceutical company
The pharmaceutical industry develops, produces, and markets drugs licensed for use as medications. Pharmaceutical companies are allowed to deal in generic and/or brand medications and medical devices...
.
History
The settlement was first mentioned as Poennesperch in a 1275 contract, when it was sold to the Benediktbeuern AbbeyBenediktbeuern Abbey
Benediktbeuern Abbey is a monastery of the Salesians of Don Bosco, originally a monastery of the Benedictine Order, in Benediktbeuern in Bavaria, near the Kochelsee, 64 km south-south-west of Munich...
. Surface coal mining had already started in the 16th century, though it was ended by the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
and the industrial exploitation of coal did not begin until 1800. In 1919 Penzberg received town privileges
Town privileges
Town privileges or city rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium.Judicially, a town was distinguished from the surrounding land by means of a charter from the ruling monarch that defined its privileges and laws. Common privileges were related to trading...
. An Allied air raid
Strategic bombing during World War II
Strategic bombing during World War II is a term which refers to all aerial bombardment of a strategic nature between 1939 and 1945 involving any nations engaged in World War II...
on November 16, 1944 did severely damage the town and the parish church, but did not affect the mine. Nevertheless the colliery was closed in 1966 for economic reasons, the adjacent power plant was shut down in 1971.
On April 28, 1945 Hans Rummer, the social democratic
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
mayor of Penzberg until the Nazi takeover
Machtergreifung
Machtergreifung is a German word meaning "seizure of power". It is normally used specifically to refer to the Nazi takeover of power in the democratic Weimar Republic on 30 January 1933, the day Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, turning it into the Nazi German dictatorship.-Term:The...
in 1933, deposed the Nazi mayor. In the evening of the same day, by order of the Gauleiter
Gauleiter
A Gauleiter was the party leader of a regional branch of the NSDAP or the head of a Gau or of a Reichsgau.-Creation and Early Usage:...
Paul Giesler
Paul Giesler
Paul Giesler was a member of the NSDAP, from 1941 NSDAP Gauleiter of Westphalia-South and as of 1942 also acting Gauleiter of the Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria...
, a Werwolf
Werwolf
Werwolf was the name given to a Nazi plan, which began development in 1944, to create a commando force which would operate behind enemy lines as the Allies advanced through Germany itself. Werwolf remained entirely ineffectual as a combat force, however, and in practical terms, its value as...
group stormed the town hall, arrested and shot Rummer and seven fellows. During the night a further eight suspected resistance
German Resistance
The German resistance was the opposition by individuals and groups in Germany to Adolf Hitler or the National Socialist regime between 1933 and 1945. Some of these engaged in active plans to remove Adolf Hitler from power and overthrow his regime...
fighters were hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
by a "drumhead court-martial
Drumhead court-martial
A drumhead court-martial is a court-martial held in the field to hear urgent charges of offences committed in action. The term is said to originate from the use of a drumhead as an improvised writing table, altar for religious services, and a traditional gathering point for a regiment for orders...
" under SA
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
brigade leader Hans Zöberlein. Among the victims were two women, one of them pregnant. The massacre is known as the Penzberger Mordnacht (Penzberg Murder Night).
Important buildings
- Post office by Robert VorhoelzerRobert Vorhoelzer'Robert Vorhoelzer was a German architect.Bavarian architect Robert Vorhoelzer belongs to the classical modernist school of architecture that is otherwise rather underrepresented in Bavaria. Most of his works were built when Vorhoelzer was Oberbaurat of the Bavarian postal administration...
in the then dominant "Heimatstil", 1922-1923