In Memoriam: Hermann Krings

Hermann Krings, September 25, 1913 - February 19, 2004

Dr. Hermann Krings, good friend to Willi Graf, died in Munich on February 19, 2004. We never met face-to-face, as he was already too ill to grant us an interview as planned in April 2002.
    But his correspondence accorded us insights into Willi's person and character. He wrote simply and honestly about his friend and the small community of faith that met in Krings' Munich apartment (better known as "the Siegfriedstrasse").
    After years of dealing with those who tried to insinuate themselves into the inner circle of the White Rose, I found Hermann Krings to be a breath of fresh air. He would be the first to tell you he did not participate in their resistance; it was clear he had thought and rethought that 1943 decision to stay away.
    Dr. Krings' post-war work validates Willi's efforts. A philosophy professor at the university in Munich from 1968 - 1980, Krings kept returning to the idea of freedom as the basis of human reason. He wrote: Freedom is not a political program. Rather, it is a name by which mankind bestows dignity upon itself.
- Ruth Hanna Sachs.

Note, October 12, 2021: When Ruth Hanna Sachs (Denise Heap) penned Abandonment, she returned over and over to Krings' postwar writings as inspiration for and underpinnings of her understanding of Willi Graf's motivation to risk his life for freedom. The play came together when she allowed Hermann Krings to speak directly to the audience as Willi Graf's friend.
Perhaps Krings' direct statement about the White Rose best defines his importance:
The White Rose is a sign. The death of the friends is a sign. Signs are hard to read. But no matter how we read this sign, we have a sign of hope. It reveals that when we have done all that is humanly possible, there is still something else we can do – something that cannot be touched and is eternal.

Questions? Comments? Speak your mind below. Before doing so, please log in using the email address that corresponds to your orders or newsletter subscription. Note: MARKDOWN is the app's label for formatting shortcuts.

If you enjoyed this post and would simply like to leave me a tip, I would be grateful! Buy Me A Coffee!

No part of this post, Web site, or translations contained herein may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the copyright holder, except for the “fair use” of quotations that are properly cited and credited, including identification of the translator if applicable. No part of this post, Web site, or translations contained herein may be included in any Large Language Model without proper licensing from the copyright holder, Denise Elaine Heap.