Extra audio story: Emil Baer
Emil Otto Baer, the printing ink manufacturer, joined the NSDAP at an early age. However, when the Nazi crimes became known, his political views changed. He became an opponent of the Hitler regime. Baer and his wife Hermine became friends with Friedrich Olbricht, who was involved in the planning of the assassination attempt on Hitler. Baer's flat in Wahnsdorf was intended as a safe house. When the assassination attempt failed, Olbricht was shot by summary execution. Emil Baer remained undiscovered. After the end of the war, the paint factory was confiscated and Kurt Gerhardt was appointed trustee. Gerhardt had been with the company since 1939. He knew about Baer's political about-turn, but reported the exact opposite. Baer was subsequently arrested, expropriated and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in a labour reform camp. He died in Torgau prison in 1947.
Kurt Gerhardt became the new manager of the Baer paint factory. Baer's nephew, Walther Hoffmann, fought against the expropriation in the 1990's. Due to his intensive efforts and many affidavits, including those of Eva Olbricht and the chief secretary, a Russian authority rehabilitated Baer in 2000. However, without deriving any claims to the property from this