Max Opitz

Max Ernst Opitz (September 11, 1890 – January 7, 1982) was a German politician and Holocaust survivor.

Max Opitz
Max Opitz, 1951
Member of the Volkskammer
In office 1950–1963
Mayor of Leipzig
In office 1949–1951
Preceded by	Erich Zeigner
Succeeded by	Erich Uhlich
Member of the Riechstag
In office 1933–1933
Member of the Landtag of Prussia
In office 1932–1933
Member of the Landtag 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 / branch	Imperial German Army
Battles / wars	First World War (WIA)

Life

Opitz was born on September 11, 1890, in Bernsdorf, 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 the Uhlan Regiment No. 21.^[2] He was wounded several times in the First World War. In 1915 he married for the first time. During the German Revolution, he was elected to his regiment's soldiers' council. After his discharge from the army, he became a founding member of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) in 1919.^[3] In 1920 he moved to Chemnitz.

From 1923, Opitz held a succession of regional leadership roles in the KPD. From 1926 to 1930 he was a member of the Landtag of the Free State of Saxony. In 1932, Opitz was elected to the Landtag of Prussia, where he would remain until the Nazi Party seized power in 1933.^[4]

On February 7, 1933, Opitz took part in an illegal meeting of the Central Committee of the KPD in the Sporthaus Ziegenhals in Berlin. On March 5, 1933, he was elected to the Reichstag, but like all KPD representatives he was unable to exercise his mandate due to the Nazi ban on the KPD. Opitz then took part in anti-Nazi resistance activities in Dortmund and Stuttgart. 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 high treason". 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 for manslaughter, 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 the Ludwigsburg Prison. After serving his prison sentence, he was transferred to Sachsenhausen concentration camp by the Gestapo in October 1941. On May 1, 1945, he was liberated by the Red Army near Flecken Zechlin.^[4]

After the conclusion of the Second World War, Opitz returned to Saxony. From July 1945 to April 1949 he was police chief in Dresden. In 1946, he joined the Socialist Unity Party (SED). After the death of Erich Zeigner, Opitz became mayor of Leipzig from May 18, 1949, to June 5, 1951.^[5][6] In 1950 he was elected to the Volkskammer, where he would remain until 1963.^[7] After his retirement he worked in the leadership of the Committee of Antifascist Resistance Fighters.^[8]

Awards

• 1975 Patriotic Order of Merit, honour clasp
• 1970 & 1965 Patriotic Order of Merit, in gold
• 1960 Order of Karl Marx
• 1959 & 1954 Patriotic Order of Merit, in silver
• 1958 Medal for Fighters Against Fascism
• 1955 Medal of Honor of the Volkspolizei

References

1. Kühnel, Klaus (2006). „Ich war glücklich“. Max Opitz (11. September 1890 / 7. Januar 1982) (in German). Berlin: Trafo Verlag. ISBN 978-3-89626-282-0.
2. Amos, Heike (1999). Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German). Vol. 19. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot. p. 554. ISBN 978-3-428-00288-7.
3. "Genosse Max Opitz Nachruf des Zentralkomitees der SED" [Comrade Max Opitz: Obituary of the Central Committee of the SED]. Neues Deutschland (in German). 1982-01-09. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
4. Müller-Enbergs, Helmut; Herbst, Andreas (2010). Wer war wer in der DDR? [Who was who in the GDR?] (in German). Vol. 2 (5th ed.). Berlin: Ch. Links Verlag. ISBN 978-3-86153-561-4.
5. "Leipzig grüßt Berlin" [Leipzig greets Berlin]. Neues Deutschland (in German). 1950-05-27. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
6. "Oberbürgermeister als Ehrengäste". Neues Deutschland (in German). 1950-05-23. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
7. Die Volkskammer der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik, 4. Wahlperiode (in German). Berlin: Staatsverlag der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik. 1964. p. 158.
8. "ZK der SED gratuliert Genossen Max Opitz" [Central Committee of the SED congratulates Comrade Max Opitz]. Neues Deutschland (in German). 1975-09-11. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-10-23.