| |
From: Stephen Lauf
To: design-l@lists.psu.edu
Subject: Re: "...your film will be confiscated."
Date: 2004.04.20 16:29
In 1950, after returning from the U.S.S.R. (now Ukraine) and finding herself again living in Bavaria, my mother stopped by the Baron's villa, but alas the house was occupied by U.S. military. Franziska's eldest son recently confirmed this by stating, "The U.S. military were quite long in the house." These days, the villa is rented out, although owned by Franziska's eldest daughter, who lives on the old family farm in Württemberg. (The oldest ancestor of mine on my mother's side, that I know of, was, in the early 1700s, mayor of a town in Württemberg.)
The Baron's family and household staff (i.e., my mother the cook and Magdalene the upstairs maid) spent Christmas Eve 1942 in the Chinese Room. My mother played checkers on the floor with the children, but the Baron always made sure the children won. Born actress that she is, my mother simply feigned surprise and laughed aloud at her 'defeats'. The Chinese Room has since moved, and is today at Schloss Piesing.
To hear my mother tell it, Baroness Franziska von Ow was somewhat of a tragic figure. She told my mother a lot of personal things, but I won't go into that here.
|