Sigmund Freud: The dramatic exodus from Vienna and his heirs

Sigmund Freud: The dramatic exodus from Vienna and his heirs

Amid the turbulent history of the 20th century, it is hard to ignore a figure as strongly associated with psychoanalysis as Sigmund Freud. The dark times that shaped the life and work of the founder of psychoanalysis are currently being illuminated in the exhibition "The Freud Case. Documents of Injustice" in the Sigmund Freud Museum. This show runs through November 9, 2026 and sheds light on the harrowing circumstances that accompanied Freud's escape from Vienna in 1938.

On March 12, 1938, the Wehrmacht invaded Austria, and the developments in Germany, which had already been observed since the handover of power to Hitler in January 1933, increased in intensity. Freud himself had to flee his hometown with his family on June 4, 1938. In a moving act of escape, he left Vienna with his wife Martha, daughter Anna, 20 suitcases and their beloved dog Lün. They took two taxis to West Station, where the Orient Express left at 3:14 p.m. and arrived in London at Victoria Station on June 6, 1938. By the spring of 1939, a total of 38 threatened psychoanalysts had left the city, indicating the rapid organization of this escape from London. Anna Freud informed her father and helped expedite the escape of most of her colleagues.

The trauma of escape

The exhibition comprehensively shows how Freud and his family dealt with the loss and uncertainty of their time. Particularly significant are the historical documents provided by the E. Bäuml shipping company, which was involved in documenting the Freuds' serene furniture. Freud himself said in a letter to his brother Alexander that he could only feel “Nazi-free” once his furniture had arrived in London. These were finally delivered on August 8, 1939 and formed the foundation of their new life in Maresfield Gardens, which they affectionately called “Berggasse”, after their Vienna home.

However, the painful story does not end with Freud's escape. The exhibition also addresses the fate of his four sisters who were unable to escape. They were deported to Theresienstadt in 1942, where Adolfine Freud died, while Rosa Graf, Pauline Winternitz and Maria Freud were murdered in Treblinka. Sigmund's brother Alexander ended up in Toronto, where he died in 1943. It becomes clear that the persecution of the psychoanalysts was based primarily on their Jewish origins - not on their writings or scientific work.

The threatened oblivion of psychoanalysis

The anti-Semitism that prevailed during the years of National Socialism cost many psychoanalysts their lives. As can be seen in a recent study of Adolf Josef Storfer, whose fate led from Vienna to Shanghai and finally into exile in Australia, the scene of psychoanalysis was decimated by persecution and murder. The anti-Semitic resentments did not end with the escape, but ran through the entire history of psychoanalysis and constantly required the courage to fight against injustice. These aspects are crucial to understanding the history of psychoanalysis and its protagonists.

The exhibition “The Freud Case” at the Sigmund Freud Museum not only offers an insight into the life of one of psychology's greatest thinkers, but also highlights the human tragedies and unimaginable consequences of anti-Semitism. It's worth a visit to engage with this dark but important history and keep the legacy of psychoanalysis alive. In a country where Freud once worked, his portrait is now being shown after he was forcibly expelled. There is a lot to discover and reflect on.