Whether Hanno Benz honors merits of the former mayor and President of the Landtag
On the 80th anniversary of the death of the former Mayor of Darmstadt and President of the Landtag Heinrich Delp on May 14, the city of Darmstadt reminded of an important social democrat and decisive opponent of National Socialism. Delp died in 1945 from the consequences of his detention in the Dachau concentration camp.
Mayor Hanno Benz emphasized: "Heinrich Delp has made great commitment to the common good in Darmstadt and Hesse. As a democrat and social politician, he was a steadfast fighter for freedom, social justice and the rule of law - also under personal threat."
Heinrich Delp was born on January 31, 1878 in Eberstadt. After training as a bricklayer, he was involved in the SPD and in the German Construction Workers' Association from 1901. From 1909 to 1919, Delp was a member of the Darmstadt city council. In the November Revolution 1918/19 and the Weimar Republic, he was a formative figure of local and regional social democracy.
From 1926 to 1933, Delp was the mayor and social director of the city of Darmstadt. At the same time, he was a long -time member of the Hessian state parliament, from 1928 to 1931 even the state parliament president. After taking power by the National Socialists, he was released and persecuted from all offices. On August 22, 1944, Delp, together with other Darmstadt Social Democrats, was deported to the Dachau concentration camp, where he was badly abused. Shortly after the camp was released by US troops, Delp died of detention on May 14, 1945.
Heinrich Delp found his final resting place in the cemetery. Heinrich-Delp-Straße in Darmstadt-Eberstadt has been reminiscent of its work since 1953. His grandson Rolf Böhme, former mayor of Freiburg and member of the Bundestag, visited the honor grave of his grandfather in 2005 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of death.
(Darmstadt - Red/PSD/Fre/DK)
Photo: Heinrich Delp. Source: Darmstadt City Archives
