Dr. jur. Wilhelm Komarek (1877 – 1955)

Photo Dr. jur. Wilhelm Komarek. In:  Wopfner, Helmut (Hrsg.): Unsere Sternkorona Hall in Tirol. Mitgliederverzeichnis 1888 – 1998. Thaur 1998, p.28.

Wilhelm Komarek: A Life Between the Robe of a Lawyer and Political Resistance

The life of Dr. Wilhelm Komarek reads like a novel – marked by personal fate, political struggles, and the unwavering power of networks in dark times. Born on August 2, 1877, in Olomouc, Moravia, he lost his father early and found a new home in Tyrol, more precisely in Fiecht near Schwaz.
He received his education at the traditional Franciscan Gymnasium in Hall, where he graduated in 1895. The door to his future was open, and Komarek decided to study law in Innsbruck. After earning his doctorate in 1910, he set up practice as a lawyer in the Tyrolean town of Reutte.
There, he was not only professionally active but also politically engaged with the Tyrolean People's Party, even rising to the position of deputy mayor. A promising career seemed preordained. However, fate was not always kind to him. A mistake by an employee led to a legal liability, which his political opponents ruthlessly used against him. His professional future in Reutte was blocked.

A New Beginning and Staunch Resistance

Komarek left Reutte and started a new in Melk. But there, he would encounter a far greater threat than local political intrigues: the rising tide of National Socialism. Komarek proved to be a vehement and courageous opponent of the regime, which quickly brought him political pressure and professional difficulties. Building a secure existence for his family under these circumstances proved to be extremely arduous.
After the "Anschluss" of Austria to the German Reich in 1938, the regime-critical lawyer became a target. The Nazis took him into so-called "protective custody" for an entire year. In this seemingly hopeless situation, the power of camaraderie proved itself: His "Cartellbrüder" – members of his student fraternity – in Vienna helped him establish a new livelihood after his release from custody.

Return to his Homeland

The post-war period marked the well-deserved closing chapter of an eventful life for Komarek. In 1951, now 74 years old, he resigned his license to practice law and returned to his Tyrolean homeland. His family was already living in Hall, the town where his educational journey had once begun. He passed away there in 1955.
The biography of Wilhelm Komarek is more than just a sequence of dates. It is a testament to resilience, civil courage, and the importance of bonds that can endure even the darkest of hours.