Die Vinzentinerinnen im Breslauer Annakrankenhaus während des Dritten Reiches und in der Nachkriegszeit (1933–1947)

Abstract

There is yet no research on the charitable engagement of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul in Silesia in 19^th and 20^th century. They only were a minor community among the wide range of German catholic communities and orders in Silesia, but despite this they had a great impact on hospital charity in the region. This article deals with the importance of their work during the time of the Third Reich and Second World War in the Saint Anne’s Hospital in Breslau. The information has been derived from new sources found in the archives of the motherhouse of the Daughters in Cologne. The text traces their history from the beginning of the order’s engagement in Saint Anne’s Hospital at the end of the 19^th century, discusses the structure and organization of their work until 1933, and their further development until the outbreak of the Second World War. The sisters’ charitable work during the War up to the end of the German period in Silesia concludes the paper. Attention is given to how the Daughters took care of the sick and the weak, and describes their service at the time of hostilities and their final evacuation from Silesia.