go back:familie-eitner-hall-in-tirol The history of the Eitner family connects Hall in Tirol with the broader history of twentieth-century European emigration and academic life in the United States. Hall in Tirol in 1946 – Between a New Beginning and Political ChangeWhen Lorenz Eitner and Gertrud von Kathrein were married in Hall in Tirol in October 1946, Austria was still in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. The reconstruction of towns and communities went hand in hand with the country's political reorganization. In Hall in Tirol, local government was initially assumed by individuals associated with the Austrian resistance or committed to the country's democratic and anti-fascist renewal. At the same time, however, developments in Hall reflected a broader pattern that characterized post-war Austria as a whole. Although the process of denazification was initially pursued rigorously after the end of the war, from 1946–47 onwards former members of the National Socialist regime were gradually reintegrated into public, social, and political life. This development affected all major political parties and, in many communities, led to tensions between former resistance fighters and those who advocated rapid reintegration for pragmatic reasons. Hall in Tirol was no exception. The marriage of Lorenz Eitner and Gertrud von Kathrein therefore took place during a period in which hopes for a democratic future, the legacy of the Austrian resistance, and the difficult confrontation with the National Socialist past were closely intertwined. Further information on the political situation in Tyrol after 1945 and the controversies surrounding denazification can be found in the article on Dr. Gottfried Uffenheimer. Lesen Sie mehr:Uffenheimer-- Dr. -Gottfried -Blog (EN) Dr. Gottfried Uffenheimer (EN) part 2 The Eitner family in Hall in Tyrol Photograph: Wedding of Lorenz Eitner, a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and member of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), and Gertrud Maria von Kathrein on 26 October 1946 at St. Nicholas Parish Church in Hall in Tyrol, Austria. Source: Christy Neidig Private Archive, United States. The Wedding in Hall in Tirol (1946) A significant milestone in the family history was the wedding of Gertrud Maria von Kathrein and Lorenz Eitner on 26 October 1946 at St. Nicholas Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Nikolaus) in Hall in Tyrol. The surviving wedding photograph documents not only the beginning of a family but also possesses considerable historical significance. It was taken only a few months after the Nuremberg Trials had begun and uniquely brings together two worlds: the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) officer and later art historian Lorenz Eitner, and a Tyrolean family whose members had been closely connected to the Austrian resistance during the period of National Socialism. The photograph therefore represents both a new beginning after the Second World War and the enduring connection between Hall in Tyirol and a family whose history would later extend to Stanford University. More information about Lorenz Eitner’s involvement in the Nuremberg Trials, his work with the OSS, and the history of the von Kathrein family can be found in the related article: “Lorenz Eitner – From the Nuremberg Trials to Stanford University.” Gertrud Maria Eitner, née von Kathrein (1917–2019) Gertrud Maria von Kathrein was born on 19 June 1917 in Hall in Tirol. She came from a long-established Haller family. Her parents and her sister Marie-Louise (“Mimi”) von Kathrein lived at Krippgasse 9, which remained the family’s centre for many decades. The apartment remained in the family’s possession until the death of Marie-Louise von Kathrein in 2000. Gertrud von Kathrein married the art historian Lorenz Eitner. Although the couple later lived in the United States, Hall in Tirol remained an important place for both of them throughout their lives. Together with their children, they regularly returned to their hometown. The family particularly remembers visits to the former Café Meissl, which became one of the familiar landmarks of their stays in Hall. Gertrud Maria Eitner died on 30 May 2019 in Stanford, California, at the age of 101. Lorenz Eitner (1919–2009) Lorenz Eitner was born on 27 August 1919 in Brno (formerly Brünn, Czechoslovakia). After emigrating with his parents to the United States in 1935, he briefly attended high school and graduated from Duke University in 1940. He had started his graduate studies in art history at Princeton University when he was drafted by the U.S. Army in 1943. During the Second World War, Eitner served in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the American intelligence agency and predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In this capacity, he maintained contacts with European resistance groups. He later described these experiences in a detailed oral history interview recorded in 1997 for the USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive, which remains an important source for research on emigration, resistance, and the experiences of Europeans during the Second World War. Professionally, he became one of the most respected historians of his generation. After teaching at the University of Minnesota, he came to Stanford University in 1963 as Chairman of the Department of Art and Director of the Stanford Museum of Art. He remained at Stanford, retiring in 1989. Lorenz Eitner died on 11 March 2009 in Stanford, California, at the age of 89. read more:exhibits.stanford.edu/stanford-pubs/catalog?per_page=96&sort=pub_year_isi+desc%2C+title_sort+asc&exhibit_id=stanford-pubs&f%5Bcollection_with_title%5D%5B%5D=kn921xd1424-%7C-The+Stanford+Quad&search_field=search&q=%22History.%22Lorenz+Eitner en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenz_Eitner The Family Gertrud and Lorenz Eitner had three daughters. The family lived successively in Princeton, New Jersey, St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, and eventually in Stanford, California. Despite establishing their lives in the United States, the connection to Hall in Tirol remained alive across generations. Regular visits to relatives in Krippgasse and the family’s close ties to the town preserved the memory of their Tyrolean roots. read more:Blog (EN) Dr. jur. Paul Kathrein Blog (EN) Count _Bernhard_ Stolberg-Stolberg Verdross -Dr. Ernst -Biografie - Blog (EN) Book -Presentation -Concentration Camp Dachau 🇬🇧 (EN) Dr. med. Viktor Schumacher Haller _Anton _Resistance _group Krippgasse 9 – Home of the Kathrein FamilyThe building at Krippgasse 9 was one of the most distinguished public and residential buildings in Hall in Tirol during the early twentieth century. The first floor housed the official residence of Dr. Paul Kathrein, Mayor of Hall in Tirol, where he lived with his family. His daughter Gertrud Kathrein, later Gertrud Eitner, spent her childhood and youth in this house. Originally constructed as the Hall Post Office, the building was completed and opened in 1911. It was designed by the renowned Munich architect Theodor Fischer (1862–1938), one of the leading architects of his era and a co-founder of the German Werkbund. Fischer combined traditional architectural forms with modern design principles, creating a building that blends harmoniously into Hall's medieval townscape. Today, the listed building is regarded as one of Tyrol's finest examples of early twentieth-century public architecture.  Photograph building Hall Post Office Krippgasse 9/12 in Hall in Tyrol (2026). Held in private archive K. Walder Hall in Tyrol. read more:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_Fischer Hall in Tirol as a Place of Remembrance The Eitner family represents, in a broader sense, those life stories shaped by National Socialism, emigration, and the Second World War, while maintaining a lasting connection to their homeland. The combination of Lorenz Eitner’s work for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the family’s roots in Hall in Tirol, and his later international scholarly career makes their history a remarkable chapter in the town’s twentieth-century history. The family’s memories and the preserved eyewitness accounts provide valuable contributions to the study of emigration history, resistance to National Socialism, and the international connections that originated from Hall in Tirol. read more:Hall- in- Tyrol-History-National-Socialism -and-ResistanceEchoes -of-History -(1938-1945) - Blog (EN) Awards and Honors-Lorenz Eitner
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Who was Gertrud Maria Eitner (née von Kathrein)? Gertrud Maria Eitner (1917–2019), née Freiin von Kathrein, was born in Hall in Tyrol. She was the daughter of former Hall mayor and Austrian resistance supporter Dr. Paul Freiherr von Kathrein. In 1946, she married the art historian and former O.S.S. officer Lorenz Eitner. Although she spent most of her life in the United States, she maintained a close connection with her hometown of Hall in Tyrol. Who was Lorenz Eitner? Lorenz Eitner (1919–2009) was an Austrian-born American art historian, O.S.S. intelligence officer during the Second World War, and later Professor of Art History at Stanford University. He contributed to the research conducted for the Subsequent Nuremberg Trials before becoming one of the world's leading scholars of nineteenth-century European art. Where did the Eitner family live? After emigrating to the United States, the family lived successively in Princeton (New Jersey), St. Paul and Minneapolis (Minnesota), and finally in Stanford, California, where Lorenz Eitner was the Chairman of the Department of Art and Director of the Stanford Museum of Art, 1963-1989. Why is Hall in Tyrol important to the Eitner family? Hall in Tyrol was the birthplace of Gertrud Maria von Kathrein and the historic home of the Kathrein family. Even after settling in the United States, Lorenz and Gertrud Eitner regularly returned to Hall with their three daughters to visit relatives and maintain their family ties. These visits preserved the family's close connection with their Tyrolean heritage. What is the significance of the wedding photograph from 1946? The wedding photograph documents the marriage of Lorenz Eitner and Gertrud von Kathrein in Hall in Tyrol on 26 October 1946. Beyond its value as a family keepsake, it is an important historical document symbolizing the meeting of an American O.S.S. officer involved in the post-war prosecution of Nazi crimes and the daughter of a Tyrolean family connected to the Austrian resistance. How many children did Lorenz and Gertrud Eitner have? Lorenz and Gertrud Eitner had three daughters. Through them, the family's connection with Hall in Tyrol has continued across generations. How did the Eitner family preserve their connection to Hall in Tyrol? Despite living in the United States, the family regularly returned to Hall in Tyrol. The apartment in Krippgasse remained the center of family gatherings until 2000, and memories of visits to Hall—including the former Café Meissl—have been preserved by later generations. Why is the Eitner family historically significant? The history of the Eitner family reflects several major themes of twentieth-century history: emigration, the Second World War, Austrian resistance to National Socialism, post-war justice, and international academic exchange. Their story illustrates how local history in Hall in Tyrol became connected with broader European and American historical developments. read more:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenz_Eitner en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Molden grokipedia.com/page/Fritz_Molden
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