Hugo Müller (1906 - 1985)

Born 8 Apr 1906 in Hadersdorf, Austria

Died 25 Oct 1985 at age 79 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Sasha Meyer [send private message]

Biography

Hugo Müller was an Austrian doctor who emigrated to Brazil in 1941. WW II changed the course of his life dramatically.

Hugo Müller was born in Haderdorf, Austria. He grew up in Vienna on Gregor Mendelstrasse 10, together with his two brothers Erich and Oskar. He studied medicine and became a medical doctor.

Hugo 's wife was Margarethe Marketa Landsberger, a girl from a Jewish family in Frydek in a region that underwent a lot of changes throughout history and is now known as the Czech Republic. ^[1] Marketa and her sister Magdalena Magda Landsberger were both successful textile artists, specialising in petit points embroideries. They called themselves Schwestern Landsberger and as such ran a studio in Vienna for many years. With the rise of Nazism life was being made increasingly difficult for them. So much so that around 1935 they were forced to close the studio. Hoping for a better life the girls and Hugo moved to Bruxelles, Belgium, but not feeling safe, in the late 1930's the three of them decided to flee Europe.

The way Hugo, Marketa and Magda left Europe is a story in itself. Their journey started in Paris in June 1939. France was not at war yet then, and they were hoping to get a visa for a new country. This turned out to be very complicated, not to mention costly. It wasn't until October 1940 that Hugo managed to get a visa for Brazil - a month before the girls'.

In Rio de Janeiro they started a business, producing petit point (needlework) seat covers and handbags. At the time these were very fashionable, and the business turned out quite successful. Hugo survived both Margarethe and Magda. When I first met him in 1981 he was living on Rua Sao Clemente 200, Botafogo, more or less together with three members of staff. I spent two months working in Rio at the time and got to know the household quite well. Lydia cleaned the house and Antonia the chef had learnt to cook Gulasch and other Austrian delicacies. There was also a gardener with an interest in antiques. He and Hugo used to repair furniture together in the shed at the back of the garden. Hugo was an ardent letter writer. He stayed in touch with friends and family who had stayed in Europe or emigrated elsewhere. Letters written by him between 1976 and 1985 are in my possession.^[2]

Hugo passed away on June 7, 1985. His grave is in the Cemitério de São João Batista^[3] in the Botafogo part of Rio de Janeiro. The stone is decorated with one simple sculpture of a rose. The accompanying text is Até un día. (We'll meet again, one day).

Sources

1. ↑ It's not clear when Marketa and Hugo got married. On their immigration cards for both Hugo and Marketa single is stated. Maybe they didn't get married until they were in Brazil??
2. ↑ Entered by Sasha Meyer.
3. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cemit%C3%A9rio_de_S%C3%A3o_Jo%C3%A3o_Batista

See also:

• Personal memories + letters that were written by Hugo between 1976 and 1985.
• Immigration details: "Brasil, Cartões de Imigração, 1900-1965," database with images, FamilySearch, Hugo Muller, Immigration; citing 1940, Arquivo Nacional, Rio de Janeiro (National Archives, Rio de Janeiro).

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Sasha Meyer for starting this profile. Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Sasha and others.