Count Julius von Zech-Burkersroda

Who was Count Julius von Zech-Burkersroda?

Julius von Zech-Burkersroda was the German ambassador to the Hague at the start of World War II.

Zech-Burkersroda studied law at universities in Germany, and was commissioned as an officer in the cavalry. After twenty years' service in the diplomatic corps, he was appointed minister to the Hague in 1928 during the Weimar Republic. He remained at the Hague for the next decade, during which Adolf Hitler gained power in Germany.

In May 1940, Zech-Burkersroda was given the responsibility of passing the German declaration of war against the Netherlands to Dutch foreign minister Eelco van Kleffens. According to van Kleffens, Zech-Burkersroda was stunned speechless by the actions of the Nazis. On 7 June 1940, he retired, after the defeat of the Dutch. After the defeat of Nazi Germany five years later, he was arrested by the Soviet occupation forces, and died shortly thereafter in Bautzen.