Max Opitz

Opitz was born on September 11, 1890, in Bernsdorf, Zwickau, the son of a miner. After attending elementary school, he completed an apprenticeship as a carpenter from 1905 to 1908.{{Cite book |last=Kühnel |first=Klaus |title=„Ich war glücklich“. Max Opitz (11. September 1890 / 7. Januar 1982) |publisher=Trafo Verlag |year=2006 |isbn=978-3-89626-282-0 |location=Berlin |language=de}} In 1911 he was drafted into military service, served seven years in the Uhlan Regiment No. 21.{{Cite book |last=Amos |first=Heike |title=Neue Deutsche Biographie |publisher=Duncker & Humblot |year=1999 |isbn=978-3-428-00288-7 |volume=19 |location=Berlin |pages=554 |language=de}} He was wounded several times in the First World War. In 1915 he married for the first time. During the German Revolution, he was elected to his regiment's soldiers' council. After his discharge from the army, he became a founding member of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) in 1919.{{Cite news |date=1982-01-09 |title=Genosse Max Opitz Nachruf des Zentralkomitees der SED |trans-title=Comrade Max Opitz: Obituary of the Central Committee of the SED |url=https://www.nd-archiv.de/artikel/366622.genosse-max-opitz-nachruf-des-zentralkomitees-der-sed.html?sstr=Opitz |access-date=2024-10-23 |work=Neues Deutschland |pages=2 |language=de}} In 1920 he moved to Chemnitz.

From 1923, Opitz held a succession of regional leadership roles in the KPD. From 1926 to 1930 he was a member of the Landtag of the Free State of Saxony. In 1932, Opitz was elected to the Landtag of Prussia, where he would remain until the Nazi Party seized power in 1933.{{Cite book |last=Müller-Enbergs |first=Helmut |title=Wer war wer in der DDR? |last2=Herbst |first2=Andreas |publisher=Ch. Links Verlag |year=2010 |isbn=978-3-86153-561-4 |edition=5th |volume=2 |location=Berlin |language=de |trans-title=Who was who in the GDR?}}

On February 7, 1933, Opitz took part in an illegal meeting of the Central Committee of the KPD in the Sporthaus Ziegenhals in Berlin. On March 5, 1933, he was elected to the Reichstag, but like all KPD representatives he was unable to exercise his mandate due to the Nazi ban on the KPD. Opitz then took part in anti-Nazi resistance activities in Dortmund and Stuttgart. On November 2, 1933, he was arrested in Stuttgart and sentenced to three years and one month in prison in 1934 for "preparing to commit high treason". In November 1937, he was put on trial for alleged involvement in the shooting of a police officer. He was initially sentenced to four years in prison for manslaughter, but his conviction was overturned on appeal. In 1938, Opitz was again put on trial for treason, and subsequently sentenced to four years in prison. He served both of his sentences in the Ludwigsburg Prison. After serving his prison sentence, he was transferred to Sachsenhausen concentration camp by the Gestapo in October 1941. On May 1, 1945, he was liberated by the Red Army near Flecken Zechlin.

After the conclusion of the Second World War, Opitz returned to Saxony. From July 1945 to April 1949 he was police chief in Dresden. In 1946, he joined the Socialist Unity Party (SED). After the death of Erich Zeigner, Opitz became mayor of Leipzig from May 18, 1949, to June 5, 1951.{{Cite news |date=1950-05-27 |title=Leipzig grüßt Berlin |trans-title=Leipzig greets Berlin |url=https://www.nd-archiv.de/artikel/186383.leipzig-gruesst-berlin.html?sstr=Max|Opitz |access-date=2024-10-23 |work=Neues Deutschland |pages=1 |language=de}}{{Cite news |date=1950-05-23 |title=Oberbürgermeister als Ehrengäste |url=https://www.nd-archiv.de/artikel/179042.oberbuergermeister-als-ehrengaeste.html?sstr=Max|Opitz |access-date=2024-10-23 |work=Neues Deutschland |pages=6 |language=de}} In 1950 he was elected to the Volkskammer, where he would remain until 1963.{{Cite book |title=Die Volkskammer der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik, 4. Wahlperiode |publisher=Staatsverlag der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik |year=1964 |location=Berlin |pages=158 |language=de}} After his retirement he worked in the leadership of the Committee of Antifascist Resistance Fighters.{{Cite news |date=1975-09-11 |title=ZK der SED gratuliert Genossen Max Opitz |trans-title=Central Committee of the SED congratulates Comrade Max Opitz |url=https://www.nd-archiv.de/artikel/1471580.zk-der-sed-gratuliert-genossen-max-opitz.html?sstr=Opitz |access-date=2024-10-23 |work=Neues Deutschland |pages=2 |language=de}}

• 1975 Patriotic Order of Merit, honour clasp
• 1970 & 1965 Patriotic Order of Merit, in gold
• 1960 Order of Karl Marx
• 1959 & 1954 Patriotic Order of Merit, in silver
• 1958 Medal for Fighters Against Fascism
• 1955 Medal of Honor of the Volkspolizei

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Category:1890 births

Category:1982 deaths

Category:Sachsenhausen concentration camp prisoners

Category:Sachsenhausen concentration camp survivors

Category:Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit (honor clasp)

Category:Recipients of the Order of Karl Marx

Category:Members of the Volkskammer

Category:Socialist Unity Party of Germany members

Category:Socialist Unity Party of Germany politicians

Category:Communist Party of Germany members

Category:Communist Party of Germany politicians

Category:Members of the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic

Category:Members of the Landtag of Prussia

Category:Mayors of Leipzig