Adolf Reinhardt

Adolf Reinhardt was born on August 6, 1941 to the former musician Rudolf Reinhardt and his wife Anna. At this point in time, the Nazis had already deprived his parents of any means to make a livelihood because they were “gypsies.” Adolf had five elder siblings: Siegfried, Herbrecht Josef, Martin, Margarete, and Rigo. A family friend has told of the great musical talent of all family members and their harmonious life together. The last place of residence of the Reinhart family was Perlacher Straße 100 (today Sintpertstraße 9-15), in a garden allotment settlement. The family was split up before Adolf had even turned one. The Munich criminal police had deported his father to Flossenbürg concentration camp in July 1942; the SS murdered him just a few months later. His siblings Herbrecht, Martin, and Margarete were forcibly committed to reformatory homes the same year. On March 8, 1943 the Munich criminal police detained Adolf’s mother Anna Reinhardt, himself, and his brother Rigo and sent them to the police prison in Ettstraße. Five days later they were deported “to the East” with other Sinti and Roma from Munich and surrounding areas: four livestock wagons crammed with “gypsies” were added to a German army transport. Of the 141 Sinti and Roma deported from Munich in spring 1943, around a quarter were under ten years of age. The deportees were taken to the “gypsy compound” at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp. From the more than 22,000 Sinti and Roma deported there, 19,000 died. The SS either murdering them or leaving them to die from starvation, illness, and mistreatment. Adolf Reinhardt died in 1943 as a result of the horrific conditions. Two dates of death are to be found in the official documents: May 23 and November 3. Adolf’s mother and his siblings also perished during the genocide against Sinti and Roma. (text Sarah Grandke, editor C. Fritsche, translation P. Bowman)