Rudolf Wolters . He was an architect and official in Nazi Germany , known for associating him with architect and Third Reich official Albert Speer .
Summary
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- 1 Biographical summary
- 2 Career
- 3 Muerte
- 4 Sources
biographical synthesis
Born into a middle-class, Catholic family in the northern German town of Coesfeld , he earned his degree and doctorate in architecture from the Technical University of Berlin , forging a close friendship with Albert Speer , while a student. After receiving his doctorate, he had difficulty finding employment before the Nazis came to power. From 1933 to 1937 he worked for the Reichsbahn.
Carrera
In 1937 Speer hired him as department head, and Wolters assumed primary responsibility with Hitler ‘s plan for the large-scale reconstruction of Berlin . When Speer became Minister of Armaments and War Production in 1942Wolters moved into his apartment, remaining his close associate. After Speer’s indictment and imprisonment for war crimes, Wolters was by his side. In addition to receiving and organizing clandestine notes from Speer in Spandau, which later served as the basis for his best-selling memoir, Wolters quietly raised money for Speer. These funds were used to support Speer’s family and for other purposes, according to instructions Wolters received from his former superior.
Following Speer’s release in 1966 , their friendship gradually deteriorated, until the two men became so bitter that Wolters allowed documents showing Speer’s knowledge to publicize the 1980 persecution of the Jews . Wolters became involved in the post- World War II reconstruction of West Germany , the reconstruction of his hometown of Coesfeld, among many other projects. Wolters wrote several books on architecture during the war, as well as a biography of Speer.
Death
He died in his hometown Coesfeld on January 7 , 1983 .
