Bijela ruža, na njemačkom „die Weiße Rose“, bila je nenasilna skupina intelektualaca, koju je predvodila skupina studenata i profesora sa Sveučilišta u Münchenu, koja je pružala otpor u Trećem Reichu. Simboli njemačkog pokreta otpora protiv totalitarnog nacističkog režima bili su Hans i Sophie Scholl, koji su često nazivani "Geschwister Scholl" ili brat i sestra Scholl. Odupirali su se nacističkom režimu dijeleći anonimne letke i vodeći kampanju koja je uključivala grafite.

Njihove aktivnosti započele su u Münchenu 27. lipnja 1942., a završile su uhićenjem ključnih članova skupine od strane Gestapoa 18. veljače 1943. Riječ Gestapo je njemačka kratica za "Geheime Staatspolizei" i označava tajnu policiju, koja je bila isključivo i posebno stvorena da nadzire ljude i reagira na ''izdaju'', prema nacističkom shvaćanju te riječi. Nažalost, nacistički režim nije pokazao nikakvu milost prema bilo kojem obliku otpora, pa su se mnogi članovi suočili sa suđenjima pred nacističkim tzv. ''Narodnim sudom, na njemačkom "Volksgerichtshof", a mnogi od njih bili su osuđeni na smrt ili dugotrajni zatvor.

Skupina je pisala, tiskala i dijelila svoje letke u široj regiji Münchena. Kasnije su tajni prijevoznici prenosili kopije i u druge gradove, uglavnom u južnim dijelovima Njemačke. Bijela ruža je ukupno izradila šest letaka, koji su umnoženi i razdijeljeni, u oko 15.000 primjeraka. Njihov posljednji letak nosio je naziv "Manifest studenata Münchena" i  saveznički zrakoplovi su ispustili kopije ovih letaka po Njemačkoj u srpnju 1943. godine. U letcima su članovi Bijele ruže osuđivali zločine i represiju nacističkog režima i pozivali na otpor. U svom drugom letku, članovi Bijele ruže su otvoreno osudili progon i masovna ubojstva Židova. U vrijeme njihovog uhićenja, članovi Bijele ruže su pokušavali uspostaviti kontakte s drugim njemačkim pokretima otpora poput Kreisau Circlea ili skupine Schulze-Boysen/Harnack.

Iako je nacistički režim brutalno sprječavao planove Bijele ruže i drugih skupina otpora, osobito Bijela ruža ostaje simbol intelektualnog otpora sve do danas. Bijela ruža je još danas poznata u Njemačkoj i svijetu i sjećanje na nju se čuva  kroz filmsku i televizijsku produkciju kao i kroz glazbu, o čemu svjedoči mnogo primjera.

Jedan od primjera je film o Sophie Scholl i njezinoj ulozi u Bijeloj ruži pod imenom "Sophie Scholl - Završni dani". Iz samog naslova filma je vidljivo kako film govori o posljednjim danima života 21-godišnje članice studentske antinacističke nenasilne grupa otpora, Sophie Scholl. Film je prvi put predstavljen na 65. Berlinskom međunarodnom filmskom festivalu u veljači 2005. godine, a osvojio je nagrade Srebrni medvjed za najboljeg redatelja i najbolju glumicu. Redatelj filma je Marc Rothemund, a scenario je napisao Fred Breinersdorfer. Osim priznanja u Njemačkoj, film je privukao i međunarodnu pažnju, jer je nominiran za najbolji strani film na 78. dodjeli Oscara.

Također, Udo Zimmerman komponirao je poznatu operu "Weiße Rose" u sjećanje na intelektualnu skupinu otpora. Opera govori o Hansu i Sophie Scholl u ranim njihovim dvadesetim godinama života. Opera je premijerno prikazana na Konzervatoriju u Dresdenu 17. lipnja 1967. godine. Tekst na njemačkim je napisao Ing Zimmermann, brat kompozitora i poznati novinar i pisacau Njemačkoj. Opera je iznimno dobro primljena od strane publike. Zimmermann je ovu Operu preradio sljedeće godine za profesionalno izvođenje u Schwerinu.

U Hamburgu je 27. veljače 1986. premijerno izvedena potpuno nova i manje konvencionalna pripovjedna opera s istim naslovom i tekstom Wolfganga Willascheka, i bila je uspješna i kod publike i kod kritičara. Opera je postigla međunarodni uspjeh i izvođena je na pozornicama mnogih vodećih svjetskih opernih kuća kao što su Bečka državna opera, Komische Oper Berlin, Opera u Zürichu, Salzburški festival, Izraelska filharmonija i mnoge drugi.

Osim prisutnosti u medijima, sjećanje na Bijelu ružu se obilježava i na druge načine. Jedan od najpoznatijih primjera je "Geschwister-Scholl-Platz" ili "Scholl Siblings Plaza". Riječ je o kratkom polukružnom trgu koji se nalazi ispred glavne zgrade sveučilišta Ludwig Maximilian u Münchenu, budući da su i Hans i Sophie Scholl, kao i ostatak članova jezgra ove organizacije pohađali studije na ovom sveučilištu. Na ovom se mjestu nalazi jedan od najvažnijih spomenika Bijeloj ruži, a izradio ga je umjetnik Robert Schmidt-Matt. Ovaj spomenik se nalazi točno ispred glavnog ulaza na Sveučilište i prikazuje letke izlivene od željeza koji polaze od poda.

 

The memory on the White Rose

When thinking about the general attitude of the German people during the reign of the totalitarian Nazi regime, most people will have pictures in their minds showing massive crowds of German people cheering and screaming out in support of Hitlers plans for Germany. Although there are lots of videos of the former Nazi propaganda machinery proofing this without a doubt, it is important to know, that there was resistance to.

 

The White Rose, in German: „die Weiße Rose” was a non-violent, intellectual resistance group in the Third Reich, led by a group of students and a professor at the University of Munich. Especially Hans and Sophie Scholl, often referred to as “Geschwister Scholl” or the Scholl siblings, are recognized as symbols of the German resistance movement against the totalitarian Nazi regime. They resisted the Nazi regime by conducting an anonymous leaflet and graffiti campaign and distributed pamphlets.

Their activities started in Munich on 27 June 1942, and ended with the arrest of the core group by the Gestapo on 18 February 1943. The word Gestapo is a German abbreviation for “Geheime Staatspolizei” and described a secret police unit, that was solely and especially formed to surveille people and react to ‘’betrayal’’, according to the Nazi imagination. Unfortunately, the Nazi regime did not show any mercy towards any form of resistance and so many members faced show-trials by the Nazi People's Court, in German “Volksgerichtshof”, and many of them were sentenced to death or long imprisonment.

The group wrote, printed and initially distributed their pamphlets in the greater Munich region. Later on, secret carriers brought copies to other cities, mostly in the southern parts of Germany. In total, the White Rose authored six leaflets, which were multiplied and spread, in a total of about 15,000 copies. Their final leaflet was titled "The Manifesto of the Students of Munich" and dropped by Allied planes over Germany in July 1943. They denounced the Nazi regime's crimes and oppression, and called for resistance. In their second leaflet, they openly denounced the persecution and mass murder of the Jews. By the time of their arrest, the members of the White Rose were just about to establish contacts with other German resistance groups like the Kreisau Circle or the Schulze-Boysen/Harnack group.

Although the plans of the White Rose as well as of other resistance groups were all brutally denied by the Nazi regime, especially the White Rose stays a Symbol for intellectual resistance until this very day. The White Rose still gains attention within Germany and worldwide and is being commemorated in Film television and music, and there are many examples of this.

One being a movie about the story of Sophie Scholl and her role in the White Rose. “Sophie Scholl – The Final Days” is the title of the movie and, as it can be expected by this title, is about the last days in the life of the 21-year-old member of the anti-Nazi non-violent student resistance group, Sophie Scholl. The film was first presented at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2005 and won Silver Bear awards for Best Director and Best Actress and was directed by Marc Rothemund and written by Fred Breinersdorfer. Besides the recognition within Germany, it also gained international attention, as it was nominated for best foreign language film on the 78th Academy Awards.

Besides that, Udo Zimmerman composed the acclaimed opera “Weiße Rose” in the name if the intellectual resistance group. The opera tells the story of Hans and Sophie Scholl in their early twenties. The opera premiered at the Dresden Conservatory on 17 June 1967 with a German text by the composer's brother, Ingo Zimmermann, a well-known journalist and writer in Germany. The opera was received astonishingly well. Zimmermann therefore revised it the following year for a professional production in Schwerin.

A completely new and less conventionally narrative opera with the same title and a text by Wolfgang Willaschek, was premiered at the Hamburg State Opera on 27 February 1986 and was a success with both audience and critics. The opera became an international success and has had performances at many of the world's leading opera houses such as the Vienna State Opera, the Komische Oper Berlin, Zurich Opera, the Salzburg Festival, and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and many others.

Besides its appearance in the general media, the White Rose is commemorated is other ways as well. One of the most famous examples is maybe the “Geschwister-Scholl-Platz” or Scholl Siblings Plaza. It is a short semi-circular plaza located in front of the main building of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, as both Hans and Sophie Scholl, as well as the core group off the organization went to this university. On this place is located one of the most important memorials of the White rose, and was made by the artist Robert Schmidt-Matt. It is right in front of the main entrance of the University shows the leaflets cast in iron of the floor.