"Nationalsozialismus in Hall in Tirol: NS-Widerstand, Verfolgung und Schicksale"
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The Prophecy of 720: Forgotten Resistance of Three Tyrolean Women Against Hitler
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The Prophecy of 720: Forgotten Resistance of Three Tyrolean Women Against Hitler

5/9/2026

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read more:

www.zeitpunkte.at/lebensgeschichte/carl-lampert.

(EN) Martyr Franz Reinisch

Silent Rebellion: Unconventional Resistance by Women in Absam

Blog (EN) Defiant Voices: The Women of Hall

Introduction

An obscure script from the 8th century, used as a weapon against the Nazi regime.
During the Second World War, three simple women from Absam in Tyrol dared to do what many hesitated to attempt. They spread an alleged prophecy from the year 720 AD that unambiguously exposed the Nazi Regime as the work of the Antichrist. What sounds like a pious legend turns out to be a cleverly encoded act of resistance – with severe consequences.

The Content of the Prophecy: A Dark Oracle with a Clear Message

The script, which Julie Huber received in 1941 from the deceased Kordula Geiger, contained the following remarkably precise predictions:
"A time will come when Germania will be called the warlike people. From its bosom, a warrior will emerge who will unleash a world war. The people will call him the Antichrist. [...] The war he unleashes will be the most terrible that mankind has ever seen."
The prophecy divided the course of the war into three phases:
First Phase – Bloody Victories: "Around the middle of the sixth month of the war's second year, the conqueror will have reached the peak of his triumph. The first period, the period of bloody victories, is over. He believes he can dictate his terms."
Second Phase – Diminutions: "The second period will be equal in length to the first. It can be called the period of diminutions. It will be rich in surprises. Around its midpoint, the peoples subjugated by the conqueror will cry out for peace, but it will not come. A great battle will take place in the city of cities. During this time, many of his own will want to stone him. Many things will happen in the Orient."
Third Phase – Invasion and Decline: "The third period will be short. It is the period of invasion. From all sides, peoples will invade the land of the conqueror. His army will be struck by a great evil. Everyone will say, here is the finger of God. The scepter will pass into another hand, and everyone will rejoice.

From Church Visit to Prison Cell: The Dissemination of the Seditious Document

The distribution of the prophecy followed a simple but dangerous pattern: On their way home from church, Julie Huber handed the script to her acquaintance Elisabeth Hafner. Elisabeth made a copy and passed her version to Rosa Brindlmayer – with a request for further reproduction.
The decisive turning point came in November or December 1942. Theology student and Wehrmacht soldier Peter Klingler visited Rosa Brindlmayer while on leave. During a conversation about the duration of the war, Klingler read so-called "Savior's words" from the prophecy and asked for a typewritten copy – to show his comrades at the front.

The Arrest: A Denunciation Trap in Serbia

Peter Klingler fell into a fatal denunciation trap in Serbia when he shared the document among his comrades. Subsequently, the Gestapo arrested Julie Huber, Elisabeth Hafner, and Rosa Brindlmayer. The three women immediately admitted to distributing the prophecy.

The Verdict: Multi-Year Prison Sentences for Subversion of Military Morale

On May 20, 1943, the three women from Absam were sentenced to several years in prison for "subversion of military morale" (Wehrkraftzersetzung) and distributing seditious documents. Their transgressions were branding the Nazi Regime as the work of the Antichrist and condemning the war unleashed by Germany as the most terrible of all time.

Between Deep Faith and Nazi Persecution: The Religious Context of Resistance

To understand the courage of Julie Huber, Elisabeth Hafner, and Rosa Brindlmayer, one must recognize a crucial factor: their deep-rooted Catholic faith. In a small, traditional village like Absam, belief was not merely a Sunday ritual but the very lens through which they interpreted world events. For them, Adolf Hitler was not just a political adversary; using the language of the Prophecy of 720, they identified him as a pseudo-messianic figure of destruction – the Antichrist foretold in Scripture . This religious Weltanschauung (worldview) turned their passive piety into active political protest. By spreading the prophecy, they were not committing treason in the political sense; they believed they were warning their community against a genuine theological evil.

This confrontation between Catholic conscience and Nazi ideology was particularly explosive in Tyrol and Vorarlberg due to the actions of the regional leader, Gauleiter Franz Hofer. Among all Nazi functionaries, Hofer stood out for his radical hostility toward the Catholic Church . His goal was not merely to restrict the Church's influence but to systematically dismantle its structure in his territory .

Under Hofer's orders, the regime brutally suppressed clerical opposition. The "show trials" against priests became a hallmark of the Tyrolean Nazi regime. The most prominent examples are Otto Neururer and Dr. Karl Lampert, whose fates illustrate the mortal danger faced by devout Catholics who resisted.

  • Blessed Otto Neururer, the pastor of Götzens, was arrested in December 1938 . His crime: he advised a young woman against marrying a divorced Nazi official. While imprisoned in the Buchenwald concentration camp, he was tortured and finally hanged upside down naked for secretly providing religious instruction to a fellow inmate. He died a slow, agonizing death after 34 hours, making him one of the first priests murdered in the concentration camps .
  • Dr. Karl Lampert, the Provicar (highest-ranking church official in Tyrol) and superior of Neururer, became a direct target of Gauleiter Hofer . After publishing a courageous obituary for Neururer, Lampert was arrested and deported. Despite being released and banished from Tyrol, he continued his pastoral work. However, after being denounced by a Gestapo informant, the Reich Military Court sentenced him to death for "subversion of the war effort" . He was beheaded in Halle an der Saale on November 13, 1944 .
The fate of Neururer and Lampert hung over the region like a dark omen. Therefore, the act of Julie Huber, Elisabeth Hafner, and Rosa Brindlmayer was anything but a naive rumor. It was a deliberate echo of this unyielding faith-based resistance. At a time when priests were being murdered for their beliefs, these laywomen risked the same fate by using an 8th-century prophecy as a weapon against the 20th-century Führer-state.

Historical Source and Significance

This documentation is based on Document No. 8779 from the Documentation Archive of the Austrian Resistance (DÖW). The Prophecy of 720 is a striking example of how religious language was used as an encoded protest against an inhumane regime – and what price brave people had to pay for it.

Conclusion: A Forgotten Chapter of Tyrolean Resistance

The story of Julie Huber, Elisabeth Hafner, and Rosa Brindlmayer shows that resistance against the Nazi Regime did not only come from major political organizations. It also came from simple women who recognized a weapon against the National Socialist dictatorship in a seemingly pious prophecy – women who were willing to risk their freedom for it.
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Die Prophezeiung von 720: Vergessener Widerstand von drei Tiroler Frauen gegen Hitler

5/8/2026

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Eine mysteriöse Schrift aus dem 8. Jahrhundert als Waffe gegen das NS-Regime

Während des Zweiten Weltkriegs wagten drei einfache Frauen aus Absam in Tirol etwas, wovor viele zögerten: Sie verbreiteten eine angebliche Prophezeiung aus dem Jahr 720 n. Chr., die das NS-Regime unmissverständlich als das Werk des Antichristen entlarvte. Was wie eine fromme Legende klingt, entpuppt sich als clever verschlüsselter Widerstandsakt – mit schwerwiegenden Folgen.

Der Inhalt der Prophezeiung: Ein düsteres Orakel mit klarer Botschaft

Die Schrift, die Julie Huber 1941 von der bereits verstorbenen Kordula Geiger erhalten hatte, enthielt folgende bemerkenswert präzise Vorhersagen:
„Es kommt die Zeit, da Germanien das kriegerische Volk genannt wird. Aus seinem Schoß wird ein Krieger hervorgehen, der einen Weltkrieg entfesselt. Die Völker werden ihn Antichrist nennen. [...] Der Krieg, den er entfesselt, wird der schrecklichste sein, den die Menschen je gesehen haben.“
Die Prophezeiung gliederte den Kriegsverlauf in drei Phasen:
Erste Phase – Blutige Siege: „Gegen Mitte des 6. Monats des zweiten Kriegsjahres wird der Eroberer den Höhepunkt seines Triumphes erreicht haben. Die erste Periode, die Periode der blutigen Siege, ist vorbei. Er glaubt, seine Bedingungen diktieren zu können.“
Zweite Phase – Verkleinerungen: „Die zweite Periode gleicht an Dauer der ersten. Sie kann die Periode der Verkleinerungen genannt werden. Sie wird reich sein an Überraschungen. Gegen die Mitte werden die dem Eroberer unterworfenen Völker nach Frieden rufen, er kommt aber nicht. Ein großer Kampf findet statt in der Stadt der Städte. In dieser Zeit werden viele der Seinigen ihn steinigen wollen. Es werden viele Dinge im Orient geschehen.“
Dritte Phase – Invasion und Niedergang: „Die dritte Periode wird von kurzer Dauer sein. Es ist die Periode der Invasion. Von allen Seiten werden die Völker in das Land des Eroberers eindringen. Sein Heer wird von einem großen Übel heimgesucht werden. Alle werden sagen, hier ist der Finger Gottes. Das Szepter wird in eine andere Hand übergehen, und alle werden sich freuen.

Vom Kirchgang ins Gefängnis: Die Verbreitung der Hetzschrift

Die Weitergabe der Prophezeiung folgte einem einfachen, aber gefährlichen Muster: Auf dem Heimweg vom Kirchgang übergab Julie Huber ihrer Bekannten Elisabeth Hafner die Schrift. Elisabeth fertigte eine Abschrift an und gab ihre Kopie an Rosa Brindlmayer weiter – mit der Bitte um Vervielfältigung.
Die entscheidende Wende kam im November oder Dezember 1942. Der Theologiestudent und Wehrmachtssoldat Peter Klingler traf während eines Urlaubsbesuchs Rosa Brindlmayer. Bei einem Gespräch über die Dauer des Krieges las Klingler aus der Prophezeiung sogenannte „Heilandsworte“ vor und bat um eine maschinengeschriebene Abschrift – um sie seinen Kameraden an der Front zu zeigen.

Die Verhaftung: Eine Denunziationsfalle in Serbien

Peter Klingler geriet in Serbien in eine verhängnisvolle Denunziationsfalle, als er die Schrift unter seinen Kameraden verbreitete. Die Gestapo nahm daraufhin Julie Huber, Elisabeth Hafner und Rosa Brindlmayer fest. Die drei Frauen gaben die Verbreitung der Prophezeiung sofort zu.

Das Urteil: Mehrjährige Haftstrafen wegen Wehrkraftzersetzung

Am 20. Mai 1943 wurden die drei Absamer Frauen wegen Wehrkraftzersetzung und Verbreiten von Hetzschriften zu mehrjährigen Haftstrafen verurteilt. Ihr Vergehen: Sie hatten das NS-Regime als Werk des Antichristen gebrandmarkt und den von Deutschland entfesselten Krieg als den schrecklichsten aller Zeiten verurteilt.

Historische Quelle und Bedeutung

Diese Dokumentation beruht auf Dokument Nr. 8779 des Dokumentationsarchivs des österreichischen Widerstandes (DÖW). Die Prophezeiung von 720 ist ein eindrucksvolles Beispiel dafür, wie religiöse Sprache als verschlüsselter Protest gegen ein menschenverachtendes Regime genutzt wurde – und welchen Preis mutige Menschen dafür zu zahlen hatten.

Fazit: Ein vergessenes Kapitel des Tiroler Widerstands

Die Geschichte von Julie Huber, Elisabeth Hafner und Rosa Brindlmayer zeigt, dass Widerstand gegen das NS-Regime nicht nur von großen politischen Organisationen ausging, sondern auch von einfachen Frauen, die in einer scheinbar frommen Prophezeiung eine Waffe gegen die nationalsozialistische Diktatur erkannten – und bereit waren, dafür ihre Freiheit zu riskieren.
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    Autorin 
    Elisabeth Walder
    ​BA MA MA

    Historikerin-Ethnologin

    Archive
    Dokumentationsarchiv des österreichischen Widerstands (DÖW) (Hrsg.): Widerstand und Verfolgung in Tirol 1934-1945. Eine Dokumentation (1+2). Wien/München 1984.

    Primary Source Dokumentationsarchiv des österreichischen Widerstandes (DÖW): Dokument Nr. 8779. (This is the core archival source documenting the case of the three women from Absam, including the text of the Prophecy of 720 and the trial records.)

    Secondary Literature Scheuer, Manfred: Kraft zum Widerstand. Glaubenszeugen im Nationalsozialismus. Tyrolia Verlag, Innsbruck 2017. ISBN: 978-3-7022-3649-6.  Relevance: This volume contains biographies of Catholic resistance figures, including Otto Neururer and Carl Lampert, both of whom were murdered by the Nazi regime. It provides essential context on the religiously motivated resistance in Tyrol and Vorarlberg under Gauleiter Franz Hofer.

    Hormayr, Gisela: *„Die Zukunft wird unser Sterben einmal anders beleuchten“. Opfer des katholisch-konservativen Widerstands in Tirol 1938–1945*. StudienVerlag, Innsbruck-Wien-Bozen 2015.  Relevance: A comprehensive study on victims of Catholic-conservative resistance in Tyrol between 1938 and 1945, particularly relevant for understanding the specific context of Nazi persecution of the Church in Tyrol under Gauleiter Hofer and the fates of figures like Carl Lampert.

    ​Gohm, Richard: *Selig, die um meinetwillen verfolgt werden: Carl Lampert, ein Opfer der Nazi-Willkür 1894-1944*. Tyrolia Verlag, Innsbruck-Wien 2008.  Relevance: A detailed biography of Dr. Carl Lampert, the Provicar of Innsbruck-Feldkirch who was sentenced to death by the Nazi military court and beheaded in 1944. Essential reading for understanding the severe persecution of Catholic clergy in Tyrol-Vorarlberg. Online Resources / Further Documentation Dokumentationsarchiv des österreichischen Widerstandes (DÖW): www.doew.at Relevance: The DÖW archives contain extensive documentation on Austrian resistance against National Socialism, including the Gestapo and court records mentioned in this article. Document No. 8779 is directly cited as the source for the Prophecy of 720 case.
    Biografia – Biografische Datenbank des österreichischen Widerstands: biografia.sabiado.at Relevance: This database contains biographical entries on resistance figures, including women charged under the "Heimtückegesetz" (Treachery Act) and "Wehrkraftzersetzung" for similar acts of dissent. Examples include entries on Elisabeth Dengg  and Hermine Gerstner . erinnern:at – Zeitpunkte erinnern (Carl Lampert): www.zeitpunkte.at Relevance: This memorial project documents the fates of individuals murdered during the Nazi era. The page on Carl Lampert provides detailed biographical information and sources on his arrest, imprisonment, and execution.

    May 2026

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