August Lang

August Lang is born in Bad Kreuznach in the Diocese of Trier. After completing his theological studies, he receives the priesthood in 1897. He reports in 1904 for the priestly diocese Leitmeritz [Litomefice] and acts as a Kaplan in Wiese [Ves Okres Liberec/Czech Republic], Friedland [Frylant] and Liebeschitz [Libesice]. In 1917 he received the parish in Schwabitz [Svebofice], later in Wiese and Dittersbach near Friedland [Detfichov u Frydlantu] in the Jizera Mountains/Böhmen. He will be awarded the titles Dechant, Consistorialrat and Bishöfliche Notar. Because of his age, he strives for a smaller parish which has already been promised to him.

The National Socialists, however, wanthated paps“who is an excellent preacher, did not let go, he has repeatedly criticized government measures such as e.g. that the church press has refused the paper allocation that the children would be held by Sunday worship, among others.

Father August Lang prepares his move. On the way home from the “Hillebrand” inn, where he met with the honorary circle, he listened to the parish house in the night of Thursday, 29th. May, on Friday 30th. May 1941, the prisoners (fanatic National Socialists) behind the rectory and beat him with a blunt object, probably a rubber club. He's taking the wallet out of his chest pocket. In order to provide a drowning for alcohol consumption, they place their glasses on the banks of the Erlenbach [Oleska], which flows past the parish hall. His body invites them to a Karre and throw them into the brook for about one kilometre between Dittersbach and Christiansau. However, they ignored the fact that a weir is installed on the track, so that the body could not have floated to the site. At that time, however, the brook should have led so little water that even a child could not have drowned in it, let alone an adult. Because the pastor did not appear at the early fair, Mesner Franz Neumann is looking for him and finds the body.

A subsequent superficial judicial investigation does not result until the end of the war, and after the expulsion of the German inhabitants of Dittersbach, a still ongoing silence spreads over this death. The funeral in Dittersbach takes place with a large proportion of the population. The violent death of Father August Lang remains unexplained.