Gleichschaltung of the Belgard Institutions
The Belgard institutions of the Inner Mission were divided into three work areas: The Dr.-Klar-Foundation, the Johannis-House and the Ernst-Flos-Estate. In 1930, Ernst Klopp took over the agricultural part of the Ernst-Flos-Estate. For its operation, Ernst made use of orphans and young delinquents, agricultural apprentices of the town of Belgard, and asocial people, who were being drafted during harvest times. With this workforce at his disposal, Ernst was able to secure the food requirements for all the people under his care. In the home of the Dr.-Klar-Foundation these were mostly senior citizens and special needs persons and in the Johannis-House alcoholics and the incurable sick. For the delinquent youth and orphans there was mandatory school attendance.
Erika Klopp (my mother) in the role of a domestic administrator was in charge of the personell from the ‘Alcoholic Rescue Home’, the Johannis-House, who had beed assigned to the Ernst-Flos-Estate. After 1933, female members of the NS Work Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst) and the operators of a pig farm for the NS Food Supply Service (Ernährungshilfswerk) were added to the growing enterprise.
Direktor Pascheke had been serving the Dr.-Klar-Foundation as House Father (Hausvater) since 1925. In 1933 or 1934, he was dismissed on account of alleged financial irregularities, an often used method by the Nazis to replace ‘undesirable’ individuals with more party-friendly people in their take-over of independently run institutions.
The Peter and Gertrud Klopp Family 
Peter, you have quite the heritage. What I have noticed in the account, is the shadow of the Nazis over the lives of the German people.
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That is definitely the right way of putting it.
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It sounds like your father had a lot of responsiblity on his shoulders, as did your mother. How many years were they living in this place and with these positions?
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About six or seven years. With the nvasion of Poland by Nazi Germany backed by a secret treaty with the Soviet Union, and the incorporation of a former eastern province into the Reich, things began to change rapidly for the Ernst Klopp family.
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Peter, your parents have contributed so many deeds to the society and were put in danger of that. That is really remarkable for this time in history.
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Thank you, Cornelia, for your understanding!
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During those years they certainly did a lot of good!
I had no idea that the Inner Mission was so strong there, I always thought that was a Scandinavian thing. They are very strict here, and sometimes that lets them forget the concepts of mercy and “love thy next”.
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As you know, most of Northern Germany is protestant. So it not surprising to see similar institutions like Mission in Pomerania.
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What we call Inner Mission in Scandinavia could be called puritans. But then they were all welcome in the German Kaiserreich under Friedrich dem Grossen.
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I had not heard of the inner mission, but am impressed with your mother’s work! You come from a very strong family, I think.
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The Inner Mission was a protestant institution, also quite common in the Skandinavian countries. Thank you, Ann. I believe you assessed our family well.
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