Alfred Grünmandl (1883-1959)

Foto: Alfred Grünmandl. In: Hohenems Genealogie. Online unter:  https://www.hohenemsgenealogie.at/gen/showmedia.php?mediaID=2974&medialinkID=3853 (Stand: 10.8. 2024) 

Alfred Grünmandl was born in 1883 in Uhersky Brod, Czechia, the son of Leopold Grünmandl (1883-1914) and Betti née Fuchs (1857-1903). He moved to Vienna at the beginning of 1907 and worked as a commercial assistant. He was unmarried and of Jewish faith, registered for one month at Frömmlgasse/Floridsdorf in Vienna. In 1907, he moved to Hall in Tirol at the age of 24, together with his brother Otto (1891–1915), to open a textile shop. He served in the First World War with the 4th Tyrolean Infantry Regiment.
On October 10, 1914, Alfred Grünmandl and his future wife, Christine Katzengruber (born July 7, 1882, in Petzenkirchen, Lower Austria), converted to the Protestant faith. The two were married on October 26, 1914, in the Protestant church in Innsbruck. (Marriage Register (1), No. 34)
In 1919, Alfred Grünmandl applied for admission to the right of domicile in the municipality of Hall. He argued that although he was born in Ungarisch Brod (Uhersky Brod), he had chosen the German-speaking community of Hall since 1907. Alfred Grünmandl stated that the 10-year residency requirement for the municipality had already been exceeded and applied for the right of domicile in Hall in Tirol for himself and his family members. These included his wife Christine née Katzengruber (1892–1973) and his children Ludwig (1917–1980), Betty (1918–2012), Otto (1924–2000), and Herta (1929–2015), who were born in Hall. In October 1919, the municipal council confirmed the admission of the Grünmandl family into the body of domicile holders of the municipality of Hall in Tirol.
Alfred Grünmandl described himself as a merchant because he specialized in selling goods, particularly fabrics. Christine Grünmandl née Katzengruber came from a Roman Catholic farming family in Lower Austria.

Grafik (2 und 3): 
Achrainer, Martin/Albrich, Thomas/Hofinger, Niko (Hrsg.):  Lebensgeschichten statt Opferlisten. Die biografische Datenbank zur jüdischen Bevölkerung in Tirol und Vorarlberg im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert – Forschungsbericht. Wien 1997, S. 288.

The Grünmandl Family after the Nazi Seizure of Power

Following the annexation of Austria in 1938, Alfred Grünmandl was classified as a "full Jew" through the Nazi "Aryan certificate" process. Nazi ideology made no distinction between Catholic, Protestant, or Mosaic faiths – the racist definition was all that mattered.
The persecution hit the family economically immediately: Alfred Grünmandl's company was forcibly "Aryanized" in March 1938. The losses included the long-established store in Salvatorgasse and private assets like the house at Oberer Stadtplatz No. 5. Additionally, he was forced to pay the discriminatory "Jewish Capital Levy" of 15,000 Reichsmarks.
How cynically the dispossession was marketed as a supposed new beginning is shown by an advertisement from the new owner in the Haller Kreis-Anzeiger (22 October 1938): "Grünmandl Department Store … has been de-Jewed."
[The stated financial losses are documented in the Tyrol Regional Archive, Victim Welfare File 00358, within the application for restitution.]

Photo of Alfred Grünmandl's shop in Hall in Tirol. In the private archive of K. Walder, Hall in Tirol. ​

📜 Historical Context of the Grünmandl Shop

The photo is of the textile shop owned by Alfred Grünmandl, a Jewish migrant who founded the business in Hall in Tirol. In March 1938, shortly after the Nazi annexation of Austria, the shop was forcibly "Aryanized" — seized from the family and transferred to a new owner. The family's private property, including a house, was also confiscated.
After the war, the Grünmandl family successfully fought for restitution and regained ownership of their business in 1947.

Systematic Expropriation: "Aryanization" in Tyrol

The distribution of confiscated Jewish assets followed a strict hierarchy. The various branches of the NSDAP were always given priority. Properties not claimed by party members were transferred to the State of Tyrol. The state authorities either used these buildings and plots themselves or sold them on for profit.
The forced transfer of commercial and trade enterprises—the so-called "Aryanization"—in Tyrol was managed by the "Aryanization Office Innsbruck" (Arisierungsstelle Innsbruck). Headed by the Gau Economic Advisor Duxneuner, this office organized the systematic expropriation: it terminated the rental contracts of Jewish tenants and installed "provisional administrators" (kommissarische Leiter) to take over Jewish businesses. These administrators were often later interested in purchasing the operations themselves.
Between May and October 1938 alone, the "Aryanization" of at least eighteen Innsbruck businesses was publicly announced. An example from the Innsbrucker Nachrichten shows the cynical and triumphant tone of these reports:
"Cafe Schindler was transferred on Wednesday, with the approval of the Property Transaction Office in the Ministry of Trade and Commerce, into the possession of a proven illegal party comrade and old fighter."
This announcement makes clear how the expropriation was propagated as a deserved reward for loyal National Socialists.

Economic Destruction: Boycott and Forced Sale

The boycott of Jewish businesses organized by the National Socialists quickly took effect, leading to a massive drop in sales. A particularly spectacular case was that of the Bauer & Schwarz department store on Innsbruck's Maria-Theresien-Straße. It was the largest department store in Tyrol and still had fixed and operating assets worth over one million schillings at the end of 1937. Nevertheless, the pressure from the boycott had already driven it practically into bankruptcy by May 1938. Despite fierce protests from local interested parties, the company was eventually sold at a price far below its value to a buyer from the German Reich and henceforth operated as the Kaufhaus Kraus.

Statistics of Displacement

The persecution affected entire sectors that were commonly considered "Jewish." Out of a total of 17,418 commercial businesses in Tyrol, only 54 were Jewish-owned. Yet, 24 of these businesses—primarily food and textile shops—were permanently closed and thus eliminated from economic life by 1938.

Bureaucracy of Expropriation: The 1939 Audit of Accounts

The "Aryanization" was a bureaucratically managed process. On August 1, 1939, the Donauländische Treuhand- und Organisationsgesellschaft M.B.H. conducted an audit of the financial dealings of the Aryanization Office Innsbruck. The list of all payments made to this office, created during the audit, once again reveals the fate of the Grünmandl family: The Aryanized textile shop of Alfred Grünmandl in Hall is recorded with a payment made of 1,105 Reichsmarks. These files document the systematic and profit-driven plundering.
*Source: Köfler, Gretl: Der Verfolgung der Juden. Einziehung von Vermögenswerten – Ausschaltung aus dem Berufsleben. In: Dokumentationsarchiv des österreichischen Widerstands (ed.): Widerstand in Tirol 1934 - 1945. Wien/München 1984, p. 430-440.*

Systematic Registration and Disenfranchisement

Immediately after the Nazi seizure of power, the Gestapo in Innsbruck began systematically registering and listing all Jewish people in Tyrol. At the same time, reprisals intensified: The district administrative authorities (Bezirkshauptmannschaften) received instructions to no longer issue passports to Jews. Passports already issued had to be confiscated. (1)
These measures were implemented swiftly and in cooperation with local NSDAP offices, as evidenced by a letter from the Solbad Hall police station in May 1938. It stated that they had "in agreement with the NSDAP local group leadership" confiscated the travel documents from all Jewish or allegedly Jewish persons residing in Hall. (2)
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Footnotes:
[1] TLA, Geheime Staatspolizei, Schreiben Staatspolizeidienststelle Wien, an BH Ibk., am 22.3.1938, in: BH Innsbruck Abt. II. Fasz. 542.
[2] TLA, Schreiben Gendarmerieposten Kommando Hall in Tirol an die BH Ibk., am 2.4.1938, in BH Innsbruck Abt. II, Fasz. 542.

The Grünmandl Family: Disenfranchisement and Emigration

Foto: Mutter Christine geb. Katzengruber (1892–1973) In: Hohenems Genealogie. Online unter:{https://www.hohenemsgenealogie.at/gen/getperson.php?personID=I2640&tree=Hohenems (Stand: 11.8. 2024) 
Foto: Sohn Ludwig Grünmandl (1917 - 1980) In: Hohenems Genealogie. Online unter: https://www.hohenemsgenealogie.at/gen/getperson.php?personID=I2640&tree=Hohenems  (Stand: 11.8. 2024)

Photograph Betty Grünmandl (1918-2012). In: Hohenems Genealogie online : https://www.hohenemsgenealogie.at/gen/getperson.php?personID=I2641&tree=Hohenems (Stand: 10. 12. 2025) Herta Grünmandl (1929-2015). In: Hohenems Genealogie online unter: https://www.hohenemsgenealogie.at/gen/getperson.php?personID=I2641&tree=Hohenems (Stand: 10. 8. 2024)

The Grünmandl family was also affected by this confiscation. The passports of Alfred Grünmandl as well as his children Ludwig and Betty were seized and sent to the Innsbruck District Administration. Alfred Grünmandl stated that his father had been Jewish, but that he himself had been baptized Protestant. His wife, who was considered "Aryan," was allowed to keep her passport.
The following period was marked by great fear. During the Pogrom Night of November 9, 1938, the family feared whether violent riots would also occur in Hall. Although the town was spared—in contrast to Innsbruck—the threat was ever-present. A glimmer of hope came in 1939: Betty Grünmandl successfully emigrated to Great Britain, thereby reaching safety. (3)

Footnote:
​[3] TLA, Zahl: II 2864/13, Schreiben, Betreff Auswanderung von Juden aus Tirol, an die Gestapo, Staatspolizeistelle Innsbruck, Innsbruck am 7.7. 1939, in: BH Ibk. 1951, Abt. II/Reg. 98, Zl 1385 (mit Zl 1804 aus 1950), Fasz. 775.

Mixed Marriages in the Focus of Nazi Persecution

Alfred Grünmandl was classified by the Nazi authorities as a "Jew in a mixed marriage" (Jude in Mischehe). The fate of the Jewish partners living in such marriages was controversial within the Nazi regime. At several so-called "Final Solution conferences" between January 1942 and October 1943, it was discussed whether and how they should be persecuted.
While radical Nazi organizations wanted to deport this group as well, the Ministry of Justice and the Propaganda Ministry refrained from doing so. They feared negative reactions from the "Aryan" population, whose spouses would have been affected, and considered special treatment politically inopportune. (4)
​Footnote:
[4] Hilberg, Vernichtung, S. 436- 447.

A Wave of Arrests in 1943: The Gestapo's "Independent Action"

Easter 1943 marked a dangerous escalation. Gauleiter Franz Hofer ordered the imprisonment of all Jews still living in the Gau of Tyrol—a move that was considered an "independent action" by the Innsbruck Gestapo, even within the Nazi system. Suddenly, the previous, precarious protection afforded by an "Aryan" spouse was nullified.
Despite attempts at secrecy, remarkable resistance formed from the population. Through courageous petitions from friends and family members, it was possible to secure the release of a large portion of those detained.

Alfred Grünmandl's Path of Suffering: Imprisonment and Forced Labor

Alfred Grünmandl was also affected by this wave of arrests. In April 1943, he was imprisoned for four weeks in the Gestapo camp Reichenau. His arrest was preceded by forced labor for the master mason Fröschl—a physically overwhelming form of harassment for the approximately 55 to 60-year-old merchant.
The deprivation and harsh conditions in the Reichenau camp severely drained his strength. After his release, he was sent back on foot to Solbad Hall. Further humiliations followed: he was forbidden from using the streetcar and from receiving treatment at the hospital.
His survival until May 1945 was ultimately owed to the help of friends and acquaintances who supported him while he lived in his house at Krippgasse 12 in Solbad Hall.

The House at Krippgasse 12: A Contemporary Historical Witness

During the war, the family of Anton and Josefine Walder and their daughter Ingeborg were registered in the ground floor apartment of the same house at Krippgasse 12. The following photo from 2020 shows the two windows of their apartment at that time, which were later adorned with poster slogans by Otto Grünmandl.

Behind these windows was the living space of the young Walder family during the Second World War. (More on this in the blog posts Anton Walder I and II).

Otto Grünmandl (1924 – 2000)

Photo: Left, Otto Grünmandl as a boy. Hohenems Genealogie. Online at: {https://www.hohenemsgenealogie.at/gen/getperson.php?personID=I2640&tree=Hohenems (As of: Aug. 10, 2024). Right: Otto Grünmandl in the 1980s in Hall in Tirol. From: Private Archive K. Walder, with Otto Grünmandl's handwritten signature.

The Grünmandl Brothers: Two Different Fates

Nazi persecution also affected the sons of Alfred Grünmandl, Otto and Ludwig, but in very different ways. Their life paths reflect the contradictory and cruel realities of the Nazi era.

Otto Grünmandl: Resistance and Imprisonment

Otto Grünmandl (1924–2000) joined the resistance group around Michael and Peter Zwetkoff during his school days at the former Franciscan Gymnasium (the secondary school for boys and girls). Due to constant surveillance by the Gestapo, he was often not informed about specific actions for security reasons.
His involvement had severe consequences: From October 16, 1944, until May 19, 1945, he was interned in the Rositz forced labor camp in Thuringia. (Learn more about the resistance circle in the blog entry: Michael and Peter Zwetkoff).
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Otto Grünmandl later became a renowned Austrian Kabarettist (satirical comedian), writer, and actor, known for his sharp wit and critical observations on society and politics in post-war Austria.

Ludwig Grünmandl: Military Service and Change of Residence

His brother Ludwig Grünmandl had a different fate. He served as a soldier in the Wehrmacht from 1939 to 1940 and was stationed in France. His registered addresses reflect the turbulence of those years: Until 1939 he lived with the family in Hall, Krippgasse 12. After his military service, he was registered in Innsbruck, Burggraben 13, from 1940 to 1943, before returning to his parents' house at Krippgasse 12 in Hall until the end of the war.