Nathalie Marie Olga Heffenisch (also referred to as Maria and Marie Carmes-Heffenisch; 14 October 1902 – 9 January 1985) was a

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

human rights activist A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing campai ...

. She was arrested and sent to a women's prison camp for using a hotel as an underground hub for illegal newspapers and escapees during the

Nazi Regime Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

Career

Heffenisch was born on 14 October 1902 in

Colmar-Berg Colmar-Berg (, ) is a Communes of Luxembourg, commune and town in central Luxembourg, in the Mersch (canton), canton of Mersch. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Attert River, Attert and Alzette. Colmar-Berg is the site of the Grand D ...

. She moved to

Dudelange Dudelange (; ; ) is a commune with town status in southern Luxembourg. It is the fourth-most populous commune, with 22,043 inhabitants. Dudelange is situated close to the border with France. The commune also includes the smaller town of Bude ...

in 1932 and took over Hôtel Hengesch, which was later used as a transshipment point for the Luxembourg Freedom Federation (LFB). She swiftly made the hotel an underground hub for illegal newspapers and escapees. She was caught on 17 June 1944 and deported to Ravensbrück concentration camp. Upon her liberation, on 24 April 1945, she was awarded the " Médaille de l'Ordre de la Resistance." Heffenisch died on 9 January 1985.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heffenisch, Marie French Resistance members 1902 births 1985 deaths