The German Occupation in Cuneo - The Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph and Viale Angeli

The German Occupation started on Sunday 12th September 1943, at 2.00 in the afternoon, when the SS reached Piazza Vittorio, the central square which is now known as Piazza Galimberti. Under Joachim Peiper, they had crossed Viadotto Soleri, the viaduct leading into downtown, driving four armoured fighting vehicles. The very next day the Nazis declared the beginning of the occupation regime and ensuing implementation of the German military law, enforcing unbreakable rules such as a curfew after 8.00 pm, which meant that commercial premises had to close at 7.50 pm. The German Commander soon introduced further restrictions affecting daily life and those who failed to abide by them were severely punished, even executed on the spot. Gatherings of more than five people were banned and any exchange of communication through the mail or telegraph was forbidden until 15th September. Then from August 1944, all citizens were obliged to show a specific written authorization if they wanted to move around Cuneo - in this way they were all kept under strict control. The German troops were mainly concentrated in the area around the building of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph - Suore Giuseppine -, which was confiscated by the Germans from 3rd October 1943 to 28th April 1945. The German Command occupied the boarding school run by the Congregation besides seizing some luxury apartment buildings opposite it, in Viale Angeli. However the Sisters cleverly managed to keep part of the building for themselves by declaring that a wing was closed to the public as it hosted some nuns who had fallen ill with tuberculosis. The Germans also took over the residential areas between Viale Angeli and Corso Solaro, and between Piazza Torino and Via Leutrum. The building at 6, Via Leutrum was also used as a prison for the local Jews, who would later be taken to German extermination camps. On 25th April 1945 the National Liberation Committee – CNL - called for an insurrection which was to start in Cuneo two days later. On the night of 28th and early hours of 29th April the retreating Nazi-Fascist army blew up two arches of Viadotto Soleri as they fled the town. On 6th May a Victory Parade was held with partisans marching into Cuneo. The armed resistance to the German occupation was finally over.