Berta Hickersberger

This is the story of Berta Hickersberger, a typist in the Landhaus. She was one of the few who resisted during the Nazi era.

Berta Hickersberger was born in Meran in 1900. At the age of 18 she found work in the Landhaus. She was a Catholic and was active in the Trade Union of Christian Employees. From 1933 to 1938 she was a member of the Fatherland Front.

During the Nazi period, the Gau Personnel Office opposed her pending promotion: She was “opposed to the party and its institutions”.

A year later, when the caretaker came to check that the ban on heating was being observed, she complained about the low temperature in the office: “I’m sure the Gauleiter is warm enough with all his fat,” she said to the caretaker, who reported the incident.

The Gauleiter’s office investigated the report and questioned possible witnesses. There were employees who badmouthed Berta Hickersberger, even though they had nothing to do with her. One colleague defended her friend. She said she had not heard any disparaging remarks against the Gauleiter.

On the basis of the investigations, Berta Hickersberger was reprimanded and transferred to another government agency in Innsbruck. Relieved, she wrote a letter of thanks to Hofer. “My Gauleiter!” she wrote, “I would like to express my sincere thanks to you and assure you of my most loyal support.”

In the Second Republic she continued to work as a typist and became a member of a denazification commission.