Waldniel-Hostert / Kent School
In 1909 the brothers of the Franciscan Order "vom Heiligen Kreuz" came to Nordrhein Westfalen and built St. Jozefsheim. The site had a church, offices, school and two other buildings and were completed 1913. About 600 mentally and physically disabled people were living in the monastery. But under fascist rule financial help
from the government was denied and the government fasley accused the monks in the order of sexually abusing the children it was meant to look after and they had to leave the complex they had all left by 23 May 1937 .
In 1939 a new law stated that every disabled new born should be reported to the government, they were then to be placed in institutes. This was part of the purification programme of the third Reich, which included the compulsory sterilisation of those classified as idiots and imbeciles, gypsies, the destitute and those with chronic drug and alcohol problems; this was to lead to the “final solution”.
The government turned this former Fransiscan order into a special childrens dept called a Waldniel-Hostert, there were many of these set up through out the country and the official line was that they were to look after all the newly registered disabled children in Germany. In reality it became a housing centre for those that would not be welcomed into the Arian race. As soon as Hitler had overall power of Germany (in a decree dated 1 October 1939) the disability centre turned into a “euthanasia centre”. This was first headed by Dr Georg Renno, but he was to return to the Hartheim Institute in 1942 which was responsible for 28,000 deaths, he was replaced by Hermann Wesse. Overall around 30 children were killed here mostly due to an overdose on Luminal which is a Phenobarbital. More than a 180 children were sent to other “children’s departments”
There are now memorials on site to those who suffered and died at the site.
In 1952 after the war the buildings were given back to the Franciscan order. But only several years later, in 1955 it was sold again, now to the English who used the buildings for almost 40 years, first as a hospital and
then as a school! They connected two older buildings with some new ones and a military hospital was born. The monastery became a modern hospital with two operation rooms, out patient departments and even a psychiatric department.
From 10 September 1963 the site is used again as a school called Kent School. The English built a new gym and a canteen. In the Kent School 1400 kids were taught. 270 kids stayed there on the boarding school. The other pupils were transported to the school by bus; everyday 50 busses drove to the Kent School . Even a special bus station was added to the site. In 1992 the school closed it has changed hands several times, the last time in 2006, but as yet no work has started.