Max Opitz | |
|---|---|
 Max Opitz, 1951 | |
| Member of theVolkskammer | |
| In office 1950–1963 | |
| Mayor ofLeipzig | |
| In office 1949–1951 | |
| Preceded by | Erich Zeigner |
| Succeeded by | Erich Uhlich |
| Member of theRiechstag | |
| In office 1933–1933 | |
| Member of theLandtag of Prussia | |
| In office 1932–1933 | |
| Member of theLandtag of the Free State of Saxony | |
| In office 1926–1930 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1890-09-11)September 11, 1890 Bernsdorf,Zwickau,German Empire |
| Died | January 7, 1982(1982-01-07) (aged 91) East Berlin,German Democratic Republic |
| Resting place | Friedrichsfelde Central Cemetery |
| Political party | Socialist Unity Party of Germany (1946–) Communist Party of Germany (1919–1946) |
| Spouse(s) | Ida Helene Fischer Erna Baldauf Ella Keller |
| Awards | Patriotic Order of Merit, honour clasp (1975) Patriotic Order of Merit, in gold (1970 & 1965) Order of Karl Marx (1960) Patriotic Order of Merit, in silver (1959 & 1954) Medal for Fighters Against Fascism (1958) Medal of Honor of the Volkspolizei (1955) |
| Military Service | |
| Allegiance |  German Empire |
| Service | Imperial German Army |
| Battles / wars | First World War (WIA) |
Max Ernst Opitz (September 11, 1890 – January 7, 1982) was a German politician andHolocaust survivor.
Opitz was born on September 11, 1890, inBernsdorf,Zwickau, the son of a miner. After attending elementary school, he completed an apprenticeship as a carpenter from 1905 to 1908.[1] In 1911 he was drafted into military service, served seven years in theUhlan Regiment No. 21.[2] He was wounded several times in theFirst World War. In 1915 he married for the first time. During theGerman Revolution, he was elected to his regiment'ssoldiers' council. After his discharge from the army, he became a founding member of theCommunist Party of Germany (KPD) in 1919.[3] In 1920 he moved toChemnitz.
From 1923, Opitz held a succession of regional leadership roles in the KPD. From 1926 to 1930 he was a member of theLandtag of the Free State of Saxony. In 1932, Opitz was elected to theLandtag of Prussia, where he would remain until theNazi Party seized power in 1933.[4]
On February 7, 1933, Opitz took part in an illegal meeting of theCentral Committee of the KPD in the Sporthaus Ziegenhals inBerlin. On March 5, 1933, he was elected to theReichstag, but like all KPD representatives he was unable to exercise his mandate due to the Nazi ban on the KPD. Opitz then took part inanti-Nazi resistance activities inDortmund andStuttgart. On November 2, 1933, he was arrested in Stuttgart and sentenced to three years and one month in prison in 1934 for "preparing to commit hightreason". In November 1937, he was put on trial for alleged involvement in the shooting of a police officer. He was initially sentenced to four years in prison formanslaughter, but his conviction was overturned on appeal. In 1938, Opitz was again put on trial for treason, and subsequently sentenced to four years in prison. He served both of his sentences in theLudwigsburg Prison. After serving his prison sentence, he was transferred toSachsenhausen concentration camp by theGestapo in October 1941. On May 1, 1945, he was liberated by theRed Army nearFlecken Zechlin.[4]
After the conclusion of theSecond World War, Opitz returned toSaxony. From July 1945 to April 1949 he was police chief inDresden. In 1946, he joined theSocialist Unity Party (SED). After the death ofErich Zeigner, Opitz became mayor ofLeipzig from May 18, 1949, to June 5, 1951.[5][6] In1950 he was elected to theVolkskammer, where he would remain until 1963.[7] After his retirement he worked in the leadership of theCommittee of Antifascist Resistance Fighters.[8]