Winifred Wagner

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Winifred Wagner's life is a remarkable tale of transformation and influence. Born Winifred Williams in 1897, she was an English orphan adopted by relatives in a utopian settlement near Berlin. In 1915, she married Siegfried Wagner, securing the Wagner legacy and taking charge of the Bayreuth festival after Cosima, the composer's widow. Winifred had four children with Siegfried, who was thirty years her senior and a confirmed bachelor before their marriage. Her connection to Adolf Hitler began in 1923, when he visited Wagner's grave in Bayreuth, leading to a lifelong friendship between Winifred and the Führer. She became a founding member of the Nazi party, and during festival time, Bayreuth became a focal point of German political life. Winifred enjoyed a glamorous lifestyle and significant favor during the Nazi regime, but faced hardships during the war, including bombing and deprivation. After the war, she was tried for her support of Nazi war crimes. Despite these challenges, her loyalty to Hitler remained unwavering, earning her the title of "the last Nazi in Germany." Winifred continued to honor the memory of Hitler until her death in 1980.