Full Breakdown
Hermann Höllenreiner, Sinti Auschwitz survivor, dies at 92
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Core Event: Death of a Holocaust witness
According to Munich’s Hanser Verlag publisher and the International Auschwitz Committee, Hermann Höllenreiner died on October 16 in Mettenheim, Bavaria, surrounded by his family. The 92-year-old survivor had been a prominent witness to the atrocities committed at Auschwitz, Ravensbrück and Sachsenhausen concentration camps.
Background & Context: From child inmate to public testimony
Born in Bavaria, Höllenreiner was deported as a child to Auschwitz-Birkenau, later transferred to Ravensbrück and Sachsenhausen, and forced to endure a death march as Allied forces approached. He escaped the march after being rescued by liberated French prisoners and was taken to their home. In 1946 he was reunited with surviving relatives in Germany. For decades he remained silent about his experiences; it was only later in life that he began to recount his memories publicly. He accompanied German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the president’s wife on a visit to Auschwitz, underscoring his role as a living link to the Holocaust. Author Anja Tuckermann chronicled his story in a biography titled *Mano. The boy who didn’t know where he was.*
Official Statements & Responses
Christioph Heubner, executive vice president of the International Auschwitz Committee, praised Höllenreiner’s “courage and humanity” in finally sharing his testimony.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Mano Höllenreiner's biography and tales of suffering were enough for more than one life. What he saw with his own eyes as a child in Auschwitz and what was done to him — for many decades he didn't know how to speak out about it,” — Christioph Heubner, executive vice president of the International Auschwitz Committee — Christioph Heubner, executive vice president of the International Auschwitz Committee.