Michael (1923 - 2002) und Peter (1925 - 2012) Zwetkoff: Resistance Against the Nazi Regime in Solbad Hall/Hall in Tyrol

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Young catholics resistance in Hall in Tyrol

Johanna Wagner

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Michael und Peter Zwetkoff (German)

​Abstract:

Defying Tyranny: The Zwetkoff Brothers’ Resistance in Solbad Hall/Hall in Tyrol

Born in Tolbuchin, Bulgaria, and raised in Solbad Hall, Michael and Peter Zwetkoff became key figures in Austria’s Catholic resistance against the Nazis. As teenage members of Dr. Walter Krajnc’s underground group, they met secretly in the sacristy of St. Nicholas Church—until the Gestapo turned their lives into a relentless cycle of arrests, torture, and defiance.
In 1940, Peter was arrested after smuggling anti-Nazi leaflets on a train to Vienna, his home raided and his education sabotaged for refusing to write a pro-regime essay. By 1944, both brothers endured brutal interrogations at Innsbruck’s Gestapo prison and the Reichenau concentration camp. Forced into hiding, they joined Hubert Saurwein’s Ötztal resistance, their ties to Schumacher and Haller’s circle severed by constant surveillance.
After the war, Michael returned to become a village doctor in Tulfes, while Peter pursued music at Germany’s SWR radio—a quiet epilogue to their fearless youth.
(This post expands on earlier blogs about Johanna Wagner and the Haller resistance.)

Photograf Peter Zwetkoff. In Brenner Archive Innsbruck.

Introduction

The story of Michael and Peter Zwetkoff is the story of two young men who opposed the Nazi regime—out of conviction, out of faith, and out of a deep sense of justice. In a time when conformity was expected and deviation was punished, they made a conscious decision to resist. Their actions demonstrate that even under conditions of surveillance, violence, and repression, personal courage was possible.

Childhood and Background

Michael and Peter Zwetkoff were born in Tolbukhin, Bulgaria. Their life paths led them, together with their mother—who was originally from Tulfes—to Solbad Hall, where their father ran a nursery. The family lived at Unterer Stadtplatz 7—a place that would soon become not only their home but also the starting point of their courageous resistance.
​Both brothers were members of the first Catholic resistance group led by Dr. Walter Krajnc. The group's initial meetings took place in the upper sacristy of St. Nicholas Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Nikolaus) in Solbad Hall/Hall in Tyrol. Their early activities were already mentioned in an article about young Catholic resisters.

Photograph Upper sacristy of St. Nicholas Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Nikolaus) in Hall in Tyrol. Held in private archive Walder Hall in Tyrol.

Resistance and Engagement (1939–1940)

At a young age, Michael and Peter decided to oppose the injustices of the Nazi regime. They joined the first Catholic resistance group led by Dr. Walter Krajnc. In secret, in the upper sacristy of St. Nicholas Parish Church, like-minded individuals met—sustained by their faith and their firm determination not to submit.
When the war began in 1939 and the older members were conscripted into the Wehrmacht, responsibility suddenly fell on the shoulders of the younger ones. Michael and Peter did not hesitate. Despite the growing danger, they continued the resistance.
In 1940, Peter Zwetkoff was arrested by the Gestapo on the sports field in Solbad Hall/Hall in Tyrol. This arrest had been preceded by a search of his parents' home. As a student, he had secretly smuggled anti-Nazi leaflets on a train to Vienna—an act of quiet but determined resistance.

Defiance and Persecution (1943)

In January 1943, Peter Zwetkoff once again openly defied the Nazi regime. As part of his Matura (final school examination) work, he was required to write an essay on the theme "Our Struggle in the East"—a propagandistic topic that demanded loyalty to the regime.
Zwetkoff initially refused. Following a summons by an SD man and under massive pressure, he outwardly gave in and wrote the required essay. In terms of content, however, he remained true to his convictions: instead of Nazi propaganda, he formulated a portrayal in which he praised the achievements of the Russian army.
This courageous stance did not remain without consequences. He was forbidden from taking the Matura anywhere in the entire German Reich. The then high school principal, Dr. Albert Koller, later admitted himself that he had forwarded the essay to the Gestapo, as he had been obliged to report so-called "anti-state" content.
Shortly thereafter, a police officer appeared at his parents' apartment and brought Peter Zwetkoff to Innsbruck. There, he was interrogated by the Gestapo and subsequently arrested.

Photo of the Gestapo cell in Innsbruck at Herrengasse 1. In Rudolf Mackowitz, Decisive Acts in the Fight for Tyrol, Innsbruck 1945.

From May 11, 1939, until May 1945, the headquarters of the Gestapo for the administrative region of Tyrol-Vorarlberg was located in the building at Herrengasse No. 1 . This building also housed the Security Service of the Reichsführer-SS (SD) .
The building was connected to a prison wing on Herzog-Otto-Straße, where detainees were held during breaks between interrogations . The Innsbruck Gestapo was considered particularly brutal; torture has been testified to by many survivors .
A memorial plaque at the site commemorates the victims of the Gestapo. Specifically, it honors the radio dealer Robert Moser, who was tortured to death here in April 1945. 

Eyewitness Account

"In January 1943, I refused to write an essay about 'Our Struggle in the East' as part of my Matura examinations. I was summoned by an SD man and instructed to write the essay regardless. I eventually wrote it, but in it I praised the achievements of the Russian army. As a result, I was forbidden from taking the Matura anywhere in the entire Reich.
High School Principal Dr. Koller later told me himself that he had handed my essay over to the Gestapo. A police officer came to my parents' apartment and took me to Innsbruck. There I was interrogated and subsequently arrested."
(Source: Statement by Peter Zwetkoff on November 19, 1947 / Regional Court Innsbruck, 10 Vr 1745/47; DÖW E 18662)

Renewed Arrest and Mistreatment (1944)

On November 4, 1944, Michael and Peter Zwetkoff were arrested once again. The arrest involved a Gestapo officer whose name is not known, as well as Hermann Mölk and Hans Moser (born in Bozen/Italy),  accompanied by local officials, including the Obergruppenleiter (senior group leader) of Solbad Hall/Hall in Tyrol, the interim mayor Ing. Walter Jud, and a representative of the Wehrmacht.
During the arrest, the brothers' mother was verbally abused. When Michael Zwetkoff intervened, he was deliberately struck on a previously injured area of his head, despite his earlier injury, until he collapsed. Both brothers were taken to Innsbruck.
Peter Zwetkoff was held in Gestapo headquarters until December 16, 1944, where he was repeatedly interrogated and mistreated. Subsequently, he was sent to the Reichenau camp/Innsbruck for several days.
The violence against the brothers escalated markedly in the final months of the war.

Photograph Plaque Concentration Camp Reichenau near Innsbruck. Held in private archive Walder Hall in Tyrol.

Peter Zwetkoff’s Testimony on His Arrests:

"[...] I was taken to the ‘Sonne’ [Gestapo prison] in March 1943. I was held there for five days before being released. [...]
On the night of November 4–5, 1944, I was arrested again by Gestapo officers Hermann Mölk and Moser, along with a third officer whose name I did not know. They were accompanied by the local Nazi group leader (Ortgruppenleiter) of Solbad Hall/Hall in Tyrol, the interim mayor of Solbad Hall/Hall in Tyrol, Walter Jud, and a Wehrmacht representative. I was taken by car to Herrengasse [Gestapo headquarters]. During the arrest, Gestapo officer Hermann Mölk verbally abused my mother, and when my brother Michael Zwetkoff (who lived at Unterer Stadtplatz 7, Solbad Hall, Hall in Tyrol) intervened, Mölk slapped him. I told Mölk to stop because my brother had previously suffered a skull fracture. When I pointed out the injury, Mölk struck my brother’s head with full force, knocking him to the ground. My brother was also taken to Innsbruck. [...]
On December 16, 1944, I was sent to Reichenau camp/Innsbruck, where I was imprisoned for about four days.
​
(Source: Statement by Peter Zwetkoff on November 19, 1947 / Regional Court Innsbruck, 10 Vr 1745/47; DÖW E 18662)

Final Months of the War and Liberation (1945)

Following their release, Michael and Peter Zwetkoff joined the Hubert Saurwein resistance group in the Ötztal Valley. Due to ongoing Gestapo surveillance, they were unable to rejoin the resistance circle led by Dr. Viktor Schumacher and Anton Haller in Solbad Hall/Hall in Tyrol.
By the end of the war, Peter Zwetkoff was in Fiecht near Schwaz, while Michael Zwetkoff participated in the resistance movement in Fieberbrunn. Michael eventually returned to  Solbad Hall/Hall in Tyrol on May 23, 1945.

Post-War Lives

Michael Zwetkoff (1923–2002)

After World War II, Michael Zwetkoff resumed his medical studies and later worked as a general practitioner in Tulfes, near Hall in Tyrol .

Peter Zwetkoff (1925–2012)

Peter Zwetkoff pursued music studies and became a distinguished composer. He studied at the Musikhochschule Mozarteum in Salzburg (1947–1948), where he studied composition with Carl Orff .
From 1954 until his retirement, he worked as a house composer for SWR (Südwestrundfunk) in Baden-Baden, Germany. He composed music for over 400 radio plays and numerous stage and film scores .
Major Awards and Recognition:

• 1955: Karl-Sczuka-Preis for "Der Trojanische Krieg findet nicht statt"
• 1961: Karl-Sczuka-Preis for "Ungeduld des Herzens"
• 1964: Hörspielpreis der Kriegsblinden for "Der Bussard über uns"
• 1974: Karl-Sczuka-Preis for "Die schreckliche Verwirrung des Giuseppe Verdi"
• 1978: Hörspielpreis der Kriegsblinden for "Frühstücksgespräche in Miami"
• 1980: Hörspielpreis der Kriegsblinden for "Moin Vaddr läbt"
• 1981: Prix Italia for "Intensivstation"
• 2011: Goldenes Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich (Gold Medal of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria)
• 2011: Billy Wilder Award from the Film Academy, Vienna 

Peter Zwetkoff died on May 17, 2012, in Baden-Baden, Germany. His estate is housed at the Brenner Archive in Innsbruck .

Legacy

The story of Michael and Peter Zwetkoff represents the courage of young Catholics who defied the Nazi regime in Tyrol. From their secret meetings in the sacristy of St. Nicholas Church to their brutal interrogations by the Gestapo, they remained steadfast in their opposition to National Socialism. Their resistance was part of a larger movement in Solbad Hall/Hall in Tyrol that united Catholics, socialists, and communists against tyranny—a testament to the power of ordinary individuals to stand against extraordinary evil .

Contextualization

The story of the Zwetkoff brothers exemplifies how the Nazi regime brutally persecuted even youthful resistance. Their courageous stance—despite repeated arrests, mistreatment, and danger—is a testament to moral steadfastness.
At the same time, their post-war biographies demonstrate that people can build new lives even after experiencing extreme adversity.

Concluding Thought

Remembering Michael and Peter Zwetkoff is more than a look into the past. It is a reminder of courage, conscientiousness, and humanity.
Even in the darkest times, there were people who were not prepared to silently accept injustice.

Sources: Documentation Archive of the Austrian Resistance (DÖW), ed.: Widerstand und Verfolgung in Tirol 1934–1945. Eine Dokumentation (2). Vienna/Munich 1984, pp. 430, 449, 556, 625; Regional Court Innsbruck, 10 Vr 1745/47; DÖW E 18662; as well as Provincial Gendarmerie Command Innsbruck, DÖW 13240, pp. 554–560, here p. 556; and witness statement: Auguste Feldmeier from Innsbruck, Regional Court Innsbruck, 10 Vr 17.145/47, DÖW E 18509, in: DÖW (ed.): Widerstand und Verfolgung 1934–1945, pp. 546–548. Dr. Agnes Larcher (ed.): "Die Widerstandsgruppe um Peter und Michael Zwetkoff." In: Untersuchungen zur Haller Widerstandsbewegung zwischen 1938–1945. Collaborative work by students of the third year at the Federal Academy of Commerce, Hall in Tirol, as part of the initiative "Students Research Contemporary History," Hall in Tirol 1978, pp. 26–33. As well as City Archive Hall in Tirol (StAH), Carton Dr. Ernst Verdross: Report by Dr. Ernst Verdross from Hall on resistance activity in Hall 1938–1945. Undated (DÖW 1385).