| Born: | 11-19-1905 |
| Faculty: | Roman Catholic Theological School |
| Category: | Expelled student |
Peter August BLANDENIER, born on November 19th, 1905 in Gelsenkirchen, Westphalia/Germany (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Westfalen/Germany, citizenship 1938: German Reich), son of August Blandenier (old-age pensioner), lived in Vienna's 8th district, Alser Strasse 17.
After graduating from high school in 1934, he went from Germany to Austria, where he joined the Minorite Order. He began his novitiate on October 19th, 1937 in the Asparn an der Zaya convent in Lower Austria and took simple religious vows exactly one year later. From thefall term of 1938/39 (November 9th, 1938), he was enrolled at the School of Catholic Theology of the University of Vienna.
Together with a confrere in the convent in Alser Strasse, Frater Beda Land and Frater Franz Hierzer (1897-1945), but also theological student Josef Pinzenoehler (1909-1991) and medical student Karl Portele (1912-1993), he joined the legitimist resistance group "Hebra", which met in the convent to discuss and to prepare leaflet campaigns. An undercover informer exposed the group. Its founder Wilhelm von Hebra was arrested by the Gestapo at the end of March 1939 and Peter Blandenier was arrested soon afterwards on April 19th. He was accused of "endangering the existence and security of the people and the state" through his behavior and was "strongly suspected" of preparing high treason.
In July, the responsible ministry in Vienna informed the rectorate of the arrest and requested that a disciplinary investigation be initiated against Blandnier at the university and that he should be banned from any further enrollment, examinations, certificates and also from entering the buildings, which was done.
The court proceedings were discontinued on December 17th, 1939 due to a lack of evidence, but "in view of his decidedly anti-state attitude, he was taken into custody by the state police", as the university was informed, which therefor upheld the study ban.
After August Blandenier was arrested again on March 4th, 1940, he was deported to the Dachau concentration camp on May 4th, where he died on April 20th, 1941.
After the end of National Socialism, Prof. Richard Meister, representing the new rector Prof. Ludwig Adamovich, informed the dean's office and bursar's office on May 18, 1945 that "there are no longer any objections to August Blandenier continuing his studies," in apparent ignorance of his murder in 1941.
In the parish church Alser Vorstadt in Alser Strasse 17, opposite the entrance to the campus of the University of Vienna, a memorial plaque in the cloister commemorates Father August Blandenier.
Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") KATH 1938-1940, RA GZ 1121 ex 1938/39; Archive of the Minorite Monastery Vienna/student identification, evidence and enrollment form, letters; Karlsson/Kerry/Walzer 2008, 24-27; Exhibition "Bedrohte Intelligenz – Von der Polarisierung und Einschüchterung zur Vertreibung und Vernichtung im NS-Regime", Vienna 2015; KNIEFACZ/POSCH 2017a
Herbert Posch
