Roland Karl Nitsche (früher: Freund)

Born:	11-25-1906
Faculty:	Law School
Category:	Deprivation of academic degree

Roland Karl NITSCHE (nee FREUND) (born on November 25th, 1906 in Vienna) was the son of Lore Nitsche. He studied law, political sciences and philosophy at the University of Vienna and graduated at the Law School of the University of Vienna  on December 22nd, 1930 with the academic degree 'Dr. iur.'.
After his studies Nitsche initially worked as a lawyer, until he became editor and contributor of several Austrian and Swiss newspapers in 1933.

In times of Nazism he emigrated to Zurich/Switzerlandin January 1939. He refused to register for the German military service and was expatriated by the German "Reich".
He was deprived of his academic degree on August 5th, 1943 with the racist argument, that he as a Jew was not considered dignified an academic degree of a German university ('eines akademischen Grades einer deutschen Hochschule unwuerdig').  

Roland Nitsche returned to Vienna after the end of World War II in 1945 and married Katharina (Kaethe) Nitsche Romberg (1915-2007) in 1946. He worked as a journalist, wrote for diverse Austrian and Swiss papers, later became correspondent of the Viennese newspaper "Die Presse" in Zurich. Besides, he worked as a research assistant for the Austrian Industrialists' Association ("Oesterreichische Industriellenvereinigung") and authored several books on economic policy.He also translated many Latin and Greek classics and historical works.
It took 12 years since the deprivation – and a very long time since the end of Nazism – until the regranting of the doctorate took finally place on May 15th, 1955.

Roland Nitsche died on May 21st, 1981 in Vienna and was buried at Vienna Central cemetery in a honorary grave.


Lit.: estate at the Oesterreichisches Literaturarchiv (H 29/1989, H 38/1995); photos of the grave; RÖDER 1983.

Katharina Kniefacz