Dr. Dominik Willner

Born in Moravia, Dominik Willner graduated with distinction from the archbishop's grammar school in Kremsier and then went to Vienna to study theology. Here he joined the student fraternity Nordgau Wien in 1905. After his doctorate and ordination as a priest, he worked as senior chaplain and deputy mayor in Sternberg in North Moravia in 1929. In 1936, he was awarded the honorary title of Papal Secret Chamberlain.

On August 26, 1943, Dominik Willner, who had meanwhile been appointed archpriest (dean), was arrested by the Gestapo for alleged defeatist remarks. He was initially sent to Troppau prison and was transferred to Dachau concentration camp on December 4, 1943. He gained his freedom on the evacuation march from Dachau on April 26, 1945.