Anna Bertha Königsegg

Anna Bertha Königsegg (May 9, 1883 - December 12, 1948) was a German Catholic nun, nurse, and resistance fighter during the Nazi era. She is known for her courageous opposition to the Nazi euthanasia program.

Early life Born Anna Bertha Gräfin zu Königsegg-Aulendorf in Königseggwald, Württemberg, Königsegg came from an aristocratic family. She received a comprehensive education and was fluent in English, French, and Italian. At 18, she joined the Sisters of Mercy of Saint Vincent de Paul (Vincentian Sisters) in Paris.

In August 1940, when the Schernberg Castle care facility run by her order was notified that patients would be transferred, Königsegg understood this meant they would be killed under the Nazi euthanasia program. She wrote protest letters to Gauleiter Friedrich Rainer and instructed her sisters not to assist in the deportation of patients.

Legacy Her stance against the Nazi regime has been recognized in various ways: A special school for severely disabled children in Salzburg bears her name. A street in the Gnigl district of Salzburg is named after her. In 2018, a Stolperstein (stumbling stone) memorial was placed in Salzburg to honor her memory.