Dr. Franz Virnich

Franz Virnich is the son of Zerrtrum Reichstag deputy Dr Karl Virnich, co-founder of the student fraternity Austria Innsbruck. Franz was born in Bonn, first attended grammar school in Bonn, then transferred to the Jesuit boarding school "Stella Matutina" in Feldkirch until 1899. After graduating from agricultural school in Lüdinghausen (Westphalia) in 1902, he worked for a time on his estates in Bonn, Jülich and in the M. Gladbach area [today: Mönchengladbach].

In 1907, he began studying law in Bonn as an extraordinary student without a school-leaving certificate. He then attended the grammar school in Saarlouis in 1908, where he graduated in 1909. He then went to Munich to study law, where he joined the student fraternity Rheno-Franconia in 1909. In 1911, he transferred to the Faculty of Law at the University of Bonn, where he joined the student fraternity Staufia and the Ascania student fraternity. In 1913, he completed his studies and, after passing his legal clerkship exam, completed his legal clerkship at the AG Dülken [today: district of Viersen] and LG M. Gladbach.

A close friendship existed between the student fraternities Rheno-Franconia and Austria Innsbruck at this time, and mutual visits were the order of the day. It was therefore only natural that Austria Innsbruck should also make the son of its founder, who had rendered outstanding services to this friendly relationship, a member of this fraternity on the occasion of its 50th foundation anniversary in 1914. In 1927, he was one of the co-founders of the student fraternity Borusso-Westfalia.

From 1915-1918, Franz Virnich was called up for military service and served as a private on the Western Front, where he was wounded during the last offensive on the Marne. Because of his Catholic faith, he was not accepted for a career as a reserve officer. After the war, he completed his traineeship and worked for the municipal administration of the town of Wesseling near Cologne from 1923 to 1925. He then retired to his estates and undertook private studies in art history.

Franz Virnich clearly recognized - like few of his compatriots - the danger of political developments in Germany and was an avowed opponent of the National Socialists from the outset. Despite the Reich student leader's demand in 1933 that the "Reich German" old men leave their Austrian fraternities, he remained loyal to his Austria Innsbruck. At his request, he was accepted as an original member in 1935.

The Gestapo became aware of this. Franz Virnich was informed in good time of an impending house search at his summer house in Königswinter near Bonn and was able to save himself from arrest by making an adventurous escape via Luxembourg to the Netherlands. He initially stayed with the Jesuits in Valkenburg, then in 1935 he was employed as a teacher of Greek, German and history at the Franciscan Minorite grammar school at Wynandsrade Castle. He lived here under the name Frans Haan. His lively correspondence with friends in Germany (including his sister Dr. Maria Rafaela Virnich), Austria (with Friedrich Funder) and Switzerland did not go unnoticed by the Gestapo. The Gestapo is able to report to Bonn that the "emigrant Virnich" is staying in Wynandsrade. Shortly after the occupation of the Netherlands, Haan is arrested on May 21, 1940 after a house search and taken to the Gestapo prison in Bonn. Although the arrest warrant was issued on June 4, 1940, the indictment of the Chief Reich Prosecutor was not served on the VGH until January 3, 1942. On February 12, 1941, he is transferred to the Berlin-Moabit remand prison. The charges against him include "treason against the people" in accordance with § 90 f RStGB because he had fled from Germany to the Netherlands, as well as "defamation of the people" because "as a German abroad he had caused a serious danger to the reputation of the German people through untrue allegations of a factual nature". Among other things, his "strict Catholic church ties" and his relationships with "members of a Catholic student fraternity at the time" were also mentioned.

On 25 February 1942, he was sentenced to ten years in prison by the 1st Senate of the VGH, chaired by Dr. Otto Georg Thierack (1889-1946) [Reich Minister of Justice 1942-1945], with only one year of imprisonment being credited. He was transferred to Brandenburg-Görden prison to serve his sentence on March 12, 1942.

Here he died on May 5, 1943, allegedly of pneumonia [the official cause of death] - he was murdered. On April 7, he was given a "Christian burial" in a soldered zinc coffin at the Old Town Cemetery in Brandenburg a. d. Havel. Chaplain Stanislaus Szydzik (1915-2001) from the parish church of St. Trinity in Brandenburg said the last prayers. He later became a student and academic chaplain, most recently in Bonn. Franz Virnich's sister Maria Rafaela had intended to have her brother buried in the family grave in the Melaten cemetery in Cologne, but political circumstances prevented this.

After the fall of communism, Franz Virnich's grave was found again thanks to the tireless efforts of former judge Franz Hubert Schorn. Since 1995, a memorial stone has commemorated Franz Virnich, which his fraternity brothers from Staufia Bonn and Austria Innsbruck had placed here. The inscription reads:

"Franz G. Virnich - Victim of Nazi Justice. Your federal brothers AIn, R-F, St, Ase, B-W in the CV"