Alwine Clara Louise Hallbau'r

Alwine Clara Louise Hallbau'r was born in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, the married daughter of the Catholic Friedrich Wilhelm Hallbau'r and the Jewish Klara Liefschütz. She was brought up without denomination until the age of 14 and then joined the Protestant church. In 1914, she trained as a qualified nurse and then worked in Magdeburg in Germany. At the age of 28, she converted to the Catholic faith and moved to Austria in 1925.

In 1935, she became a nurse for the 'Verein der Hauskrankenpflege - Zentralverein für unentgeltliche häusliche Pflege armer Kranker für Österreich, a charity organization founded by Stephanie Gräfin Wenkheim, where she took on the position of local group leader in Reichenau.

As local group leader, Alwine Hallbau'r experienced the occupation of Austria by Hitler's Germany on March 12, 1938. With the occupation of Austria, German legislation was adopted and with it the 'Nuremberg Race Laws', according to which Alwine Hallbau'r was considered a 'Half-Jew' or 'Mischling I.

The Vereins der Hauskrankenpflege - Zentralverein für unentgeltliche häusliche Pflege armer Kranker für Österreich was forcibly dissolved by the National Socialists and Alwine Hallbau'r was dismissed on November 11, 1938. Due to the National Socialist persecution of 'non-Aryan' people, she was initially unable to find a new job and had to support herself from her savings and donations from friends. During this time, she lived in the parish of St. Peter am Ottersbach. In January 1939, she moved to Hamburg in the hope of finding work there. This hope was also dashed and Alwine Hallbau'r moved to Graz in mid-November 1939.

She finally found employment with Karl Steinlechner, a doctor from Bad Gleichenberg, who ran the Sanatorium Triestina there. For Alwine Hallbau'r, this marks the beginning of a martyrdom, especially as Karl Steinlechner harasses and humiliates her because of her 'non-Aryan descent'. He also deliberately starves her.

In 1943, Alwine Hallbau'r finally received permission from the health and employment office to resign from her position, which was no longer bearable. Karl Steinlechner then locked her in her room in the sanatorium and only released her just before a train left the town. He also refuses to pay her outstanding wages.

Alwine Hallbau'r's health is severely affected - in addition to mental illnesses, she falls ill with double-sided pulmonary tuberculosis. She would never recover from these illnesses and subsequently remained unable to work.

In May 1945, Alwine Hallbau'r witnessed the liberation and reestablishment of Austria. She joins the ÖVP comradeship of the politically persecuted and confessors for Austria