Anna Rosmus, also known as Anja Rosmus-Wenninger, is a German author and researcher born in 1960 in Passau, Bavaria.
Anna Rosmus, also known as Anja Rosmus-Wenninger, is a German author and researcher born in 1960 in Passau, Bavaria.
As a 16-year-old, Rosmus started developing an interest in contemporary history, especially that of the Third Reich, a subject that was barely mentioned at school. Encouraged by her father, a principal, she participated in a national essay contest that addressed the history of her city during the pre-war years. Some prominent residents claimed that the community remained untouched by the war and others praised themselves for their alleged political resistance against the dictatorship. Rosmus uncovered newspaper clippings and other archival material showing that local leaders and members of the town's prominent families were active members of the Nazi Party long before the war, and had helped to round up the town's roughly 400 Jews to send to concentration camps. Her essay, "My Hometown During the Third Reich", won a prize. [1]
Rosmus' efforts were not welcomed by many inhabitants but at the age of 20, she continued with her research. Upon further questioning of some of Passau's elders, Rosmus found a conspiracy of silence and refusal to provide information. After three years of perseverance and litigation, she was finally granted access to the city administration's archives. She found that several concentration-, forced labor- and prisoner-of-war camps had been built in and around the city.
Rosmus wrote her first book, Resistance and Persecution - The Case of Passau 1933–1939 which was published in 1983. Undeterred by threats, she wrote Exodus - In the Shadow of Mercy a book focusing on the plight of Passau's Jews during the twentieth century. Her work continued to cause unprecedented uproar as well as international praise.[ citation needed ]
 | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(September 2019) |
| This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(September 2019) |
In August 1994, after constant harassment and death threats from the local community, Rosmus and her daughters moved to the United States. They settled in the Washington, D.C., area. Since her youngest daughter's graduation from high school, Rosmus has lived near Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.
Her research resulted in numerous presentations, including:
In 1994, Rosmus began to plan programs for a first tour with survivors and US Veterans of WWII in Germany and Austria. Since then, she has organized several reunions of veterans, survivors and locals in Europe.
Since 2009, Rosmus has been a member of the International Council of the Austrian Service Abroad.
| This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(September 2019) |
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