Martin Bader (1901-1940)

Martin Bader with his wife Maria and their son Helmut, 1934
© Helmut Bader

As a young man, the shoemaker and family father from Giengen (Baden-Württemberg) suffered from Parkinson's disease after a bout of Spanish Flu. He was not able to work full time and often had to go to sanatoriums for treatment. After being readmitted to the Schussenried sanatorium in 1938, Martin Bader fell victim to Operation T4 and was murdered in the Grafeneck death camp.

His diary, letters, and personal belongings evoke a vigorous man who held out hope until the bitter end that he would be able to return to his family and workshop.