Martha Meisl

Born:	09-30-1920
Faculty:	Philosophical School
Category:	Expelled student

Martha MEISL, born on September 30th, 1920 in Vienna/Austria, daughter of Hugo Meisl (1881-1937, sports journalist and soccer trainer) and Maria Meisl née Bican (household, 1891-1980), lived together with her parents, her sister Helga (b. 1923 in Vienna) and her brother Herbert (1925-1993) since 1929 in the newly built "Karl-Marx-Hof" (a social apartment building, which was a center of resistance against the "Austro fascists" in 1934) in Vienna's 19^th district, Heiligenstaedter Strasse 82/13/2. After she had graduated from high school ("Realgymnasium") in Vienna's 19^th district, she was enrolled in fall term 1938/39 at the Philosophical School in the 1^st year of her studies and took courses in German language and literature Studies and History. She was discriminated as a so called "Mischling 1. Grades" but was allowed to continue her studies at first – valid until revoked.
From 1940 on, students who were categorized as "Mischlinge" had to apply at the Reichserziehungsministerium Berlin to study at the university. Therefore, Martha Meisl wrote an application to continue her studies. On May 9^th, 1940 the 'Reichserziehungsmininsterium Berlin' revoked the permission and she had to quit her studies. After the war she succeeded in continuing and finishing her German language and literature studies with her final thesis (Dissertation): "Der Wandel des Naturgefuehls in der Dichtung des oesterreichischen Spaetbarocks" (doctoral advisors: Rupprich, Kralik) and graduated on May 20^th, 1947. She became a school teacher of German language and history at the high school ("humanistisches Gymnasium") in Vienna 3^rd district, Kundmanngasse in 1951. Her former pupil Mag.pharm. Ingrid Kaan remembers:
"Diese Schule galt, wie ich auch erst später erfuhr, als "braun", was mich im Zusammenhang von Dr. Meisl`s Vorgeschichte, die uns allen damals absolut nicht bekannt war, doch wundert, daß sie dort lehrte. Sie hatte einen angenehm lockeren Stil zu unterrichten und hat uns zu einer Zeit, da die Jahre 1920 bis 1950 im Geschichtsunterricht eigentlich ausgeblendet waren, über Judenverfolgung, Holocaust, KZ erzählt. Und ich erinnere mich heute noch an den von den Alliierten (Amerikanern) abgedrehten Film aus dem KZ Mauthausen, den wir von unserer Meisl initiiert in der Albertina gesehen haben, da wir alle, wie alle später, total brüskiert waren, erschüttert, beeindruckt, Unfaßbares nicht fassen konnten." (Mag.pharm. Ingrid Kaan, 2014)
About 1970 she moved to the high school in Vienna 2nd district, Vereinsgasse, and later to the high school for girls ('Bundesrealgymnasium') in Vienna 2nd district, Kleine Sperlgasse 2c, where she was retired in 1982. In 2010 Meisl moved out of her apartment in the Karl-Marx-Hof because of her age. Some furniture and memorabilia were given to the soccer museum auf the 'Austria Vienna', where a Hugo-Meisl-Memorial was opened up on occasion of the 130th birthday of her father in 2011.
She was also working as an artist, her works (paintings, graphic arts and sculptures) are kept by the archives of the district museum Doebling in the Villa Wertheimstein in Vienna 19th district, Doeblinger Hauptstrasse 96. In February 2013 some of her works were shown in an exhibition there.

Martha Meisl died on January 16th, 2014 at the age of 93 years and was buried with her mother Maria and her brother Herbert at the Sievering cemetery (group 18, row 1, No. 17) in Vienna 19th district.

Lit.: information from her former pupils Mag.pharm. Ingrid Kaan (Kundmanngasse), Petra Nowak, Helga Maier and Martina Endelweber (Kleine Sperlgasse), Vienna, 2014; Petra Nowak2016; Vienna University Archive; Friedhoefe Wien/Search for deceased people; Vienna City archive/Historical Central Registration of Viennese inhabitants, May 2nd, 2014; SPOE Wiener Bildung: exhibition Martha Meisl, February 14th, 2013; invitation for the exhibition Martha Meisl, February 2013 (pdf); Oesterreichisches Pressebuero: Hugo-Meisl-Wohnung, April 5th, 2011; KNIEFACZ/POSCH 2016.

Katharina Kniefacz