Stiftung Nordhav
The Stiftung Nordhav (Nordhav-Stiftung or Nordhav Foundation) was a front organization of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) founded in 1939 by Reinhard Heydrich to obtain and manage real estate for the SS. Founding and purpose The name Nordhav came from an old Germanic term for the North Sea. Heydrich established the Stiftung Nordhav on 30 July 1939. The State Secretary Wilhelm Stuckart recognized the foundation 3 August 1939. The foundation's official purpose was to obtain real estate to be used as rest and recreation centers for members of the SS, Reich Security Police, and their families. Besides this official function, Heydrich intended to make use of the organization to acquire real property for himself. Heydrich named five directors: Karl Wilhelm Albert, Herbert Mehlhorn, Werner Best, Kurt Pomme, and Walter Schellenberg. The initial foundation endowment was 150,000 reichsmarks. First acquisition The first foundation acquisition was the Katharinenhof, a farm on Fehmarn, a Baltic Sea island and vacation spot. Heydrich intended to use this property as a vacation home, in addition to the Fehmarn summer home he already owned. The 11-hectare Katharinenhof had its own beachfront, archaeologically significant Stone Age graves, a beach house with a thatched roof, and stables. Schellenberg handled the entire