A Passport That Survived the Gestapo Esterwegen

Passport Gestapo Esterwegen
On November 7, 1934, Julius Hamburger was issued a standard German passport in the town of Hanau. At first glance, it appears to be a routine travel document. But closer inspection reveals an extraordinary artifact—one that encapsulates the experience of a German Jew during the rise of the Nazi regime. With the kind permission of Neil Kaplan from Ourpassports.com, we are able to revisit this poignant object and the harrowing story behind it. Passport Gestapo Esterwegen

Julius Hamburger was an ordinary German citizen, born and raised in Langenselbold. He attended elementary school there before completing a commercial apprenticeship in Aschaffenburg. Returning home, he joined his family’s factory and later served in the German military during World War I from 1917 to 1918. After the war, in the early 1920s, he established his own carpentry business in Langenselbold. This enterprise grew into a furniture manufacturing company by 1926. Passport Gestapo Esterwegen

Under different historical circumstances, Julius might have spent his entire life in Germany. But the rise of the Nazi Party in 1933 brought an increasingly hostile environment for German Jews. Facing rising antisemitism and economic exclusion, Julius and his family made the difficult decision to leave their homeland and immigrate to British-controlled Palestine. Passport Gestapo Esterwegen

The passport issued in November 1934 enabled his departure. After securing a visa from the British consulate in Frankfurt—along with paying a substantial deposit to guarantee his return—Julius traveled to Palestine, arriving there on November 22, 1934. However, for reasons unknown, he returned to Germany on June 12, 1935, traveling via Trieste and Salzburg.

Upon re-entering Germany, Julius fell victim to a chilling policy introduced by the Nazi regime. On January 28, 1935, the Gestapo decreed that “re-migrants”—Germans, often Jews or political dissidents, who had spent extended time abroad—were to be arrested and sent to concentration camps for “re-education.” Shortly after his return, Julius was detained and sent to the Esterwegen concentration camp. Passport Gestapo Esterwegen

There, a remarkable alteration was made to his original passport. The first page was replaced, re-dating the passport to 1935. This act was carried out by the political department of the camp—under the direction of Kriminalsekretär *Heinrich Kortenstädde, a likely Gestapo official. A new photo was affixed and stamped: “Konzentrationslager Esterwegen – Der Kommandant.” The passport had become a tool of both repression and bureaucratic control.

*Heinrich Kortenstädde, born in 1886 in Osnabrück, date of death unknown. In 1935, he was with the Gestapo in Osnabrück, then became head of the Political Department at the Esterwegen concentration camp. From 1936 to 1938, he served as head of the Political Department at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

In December 1935, Julius once again left Germany, this time for good. He traveled via Basel and Italy, returning to Palestine. Meanwhile, records show that his wife, Meta Hamburger, was also detained—sent to a camp in Kassel in July 1935 and released in November, presumably to join Julius in exile. Passport Gestapo Esterwegen

This passport, altered and reissued under the shadow of persecution, stands today as a rare and unsettling testament to the Nazi regime’s systemic oppression. One would expect such artifacts to be concealed—but instead, it survives as a stark symbol of how the machinery of tyranny left its mark even in the mundane folds of a passport. A unique document!

The Document Passport Gestapo Esterwegen

Further reading: SCHRIFTENREIHE DER GEDENKSTÄTTE ESTERWEGEN (Pdf, German)
Special thanks to Neil Kaplan of Ourpassports.com for permission to republish this compelling piece of German passport history.

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