Karl Wolfgang Franz Count Motesiczky (born 25 May 1904, in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

; d. 25 June 1943, in

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

) was an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

psychoanalyst PsychoanalysisFrom Greek language, Greek: + . is a set of Theory, theories and Therapy, therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a bo ...

and an active opponent of

National Socialism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...

Posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ...

ly, he was honoured as a

Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( he, חֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, ; "righteous (plural) of the world's nations") is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to sav ...

Life

Karl Motesiczky is descended from a wealthy

Viennese Viennese may refer to: * Vienna, the capital of Austria * Viennese people, List of people from Vienna * Viennese German, the German dialect spoken in Vienna * Music of Vienna, musical styles in the city * Viennese Waltz, genre of ballroom dance * V ...

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word's ...

family. The family had a huge manor in

Hinterbrühl Hinterbrühl () is a town in the district of Mödling in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is home to the Seegrotte, a system of caves including Europe's largest underground lake. During World War II, a satellite camp of Mauthausen concentra ...

at the Kröpfelsteig. His father died in 1909. His mother, Baroness Henriette von Motesiczky, born von Lieben, raised him, teaching him a democratic point of view. Motesiczky studied in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, first

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

, then

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

. In 1925 he became friends with the author Heimito von Doderer. He organised readings in Vienna and later in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

for him. In 1928 he went to Heidelberg, in 1930 to

Marburg Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximate ...

, where he studied

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. Due to his commitment to the socialist student movement, he also came in contact with Communism. In 1931 he moved to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, where he met the Viennese

Wilhelm Reich Wilhelm Reich ( , ; 24 March 1897 – 3 November 1957) was an Austrian Doctor of Medicine, doctor of medicine and a psychoanalysis, psychoanalyst, along with being a member of the second generation of analysts after Sigmund Freud. The author ...

. He became his

patient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health c ...

student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementar ...

, and colleague. 1933 they emigrated together from

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

. In Oslo Reich continued his work. Motesiczky was his colleague, and the financial backer of Reich's '' Zeitschrift für Politische Psychologie und Sexualökonomie'' (Magazine for Political Psychology and Sexual Economy) Between 1934 and 1938 Motesiczky published several political articles for this magazine under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Karl Teschitz, and a book, ''Religion, Kirche, Religionsstreit in Deutschland.'' (Religion, Church, and Religious Disputes in Germany) In Oslo he studied

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

and treated patients by psychoanalysis under Reich's supervision. He returned to Austria in the winter of 1937/38. Though of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

descent, he stayed in Austria after the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

took over in March 1938. His mother and sister Marie-Louise escaped to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and then to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

The Resistance

His

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

in Hinterbrühl became a meeting point for Jewish families and non-Jewish opponents of National Socialism, for example the pianists Erna Gál and Isa Strasser, as well as Ernst Wildgans, the Przibrams and Dr. Ella and Kurt Lingens. If someone was in danger of getting captured by Gestapo, he would harbour them and he helped a lot of them to emigrate. In the autumn of 1939 he founded a resistance group with some friends, (including Ella and Kurt Lingens and Robert Lammer) He continued the study of medicine, but due to his Jewish origins he was forbidden to become a

psychotherapist Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...

. In July 1942 two couples fleeing from occupied Kracow came to Vienna, in order to get to

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

with his help. Denounced by an intermediary, Motesiczky was arrested together with Ella Lingens by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

; after four months in the Gestapo prison in Vienna, he was deported to

, where he died of typhus on 25 June 1943.

Heritage

In 1980 Karl Motesiczky was awarded the honour medal Righteous Among the Nations by

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. His memory was honoured in August 2019 by the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, who designated the Motesiczkys’ former property at

, as one of the ‘Houses of Life’ to acknowledge the sacrifice that Karl Motesiczky and his companions made in sheltering those fleeing from or resisting Nazism.https://www.sos-kinderdorf.at/aktuelles/sos-kinderdorf-hinterbruhl-wird-erstes-haus-des-le The property was restituted to his mother and sister after the War and sold by them in the mid-fifties to the international charity, SOS Kinderdorf, which runs a chain of ‘villages’ worldwide for humanitarian work with children. His Mother and his sister also arranged for a memorial to be built there for Karl in 1961. Motesiczky's memorial was destroyed in summer of 2000 and defaced with swastikas. In 2007 a Stolperstein was placed in front of the main building of the SOS-Children's Villages.

Publications

* ''Religion, Kirche, Religionsstreit in Deutschland.'' Kopenhagen: Sexpol-Verlag 1935 (Politisch-Psychologische Schriftenreihe der Sexpol Nr. 3) * ''Religiöse Ekstase als Ersatz der sexuellen Auslösung: Beobachtungen in einer religiösen Sekte.'' Kopenhagen: Sexpol-Verlag 1937 (Populäre Schriftenreihe der Sexpol Nr. 2)
online
* Publication is the Zeitschrift für Politische Psychologie und Sexualökonomie (ZPPS) Reprinted in Hans-Peter Gente (Hg.): ''Marxismus, Psychoanalyse, Sexpol. Band 1.'' Frankfurt/M: Fischer-TB 1970 ** ''Zur Kritik der kommunistischen Politik in Deutschland'' (ZPPS 3/4, 1934, S. 256–258), S. 203–219 ** ''Aus der internationalen Sexpol-Diskussion'' (ZPPS 1/2, 1936, S. 43–49), S. 221–228
online
** ''Rezension: Erich Fromm: Autorität und Familie. Sozialpsychologischer Teil'' (ZPPS 3/4, 1936, S. 176–178), S. 307–309

References

* Christiane Rothländer: ''Karl Motesiczky (1904–1943)''. Dissertation am Institut für Zeitgeschichte der Universität Wien, Wien 2005
Christiane Rothländer, ''Karl Motesiczky.'' (Kurzfassung)
* Christiane Rothländer: ''Karl Motesiczky. Eine biographische Rekonstruktion.'' Wien: Turia & Kant ept.2009 (Überarbeitete Dissertation) * Ausstellungskatalog: ''Die Liebens. 150 Jahre Geschichte einer Wiener Familie'', Böhlau-Verlag, Wien 2004 (Ausstellung im Wiener Jüdischen Museum vom 11.November 2004 bis 3.April 2005)

External links

Dokumentation about the Austrian Righteous

– his activity to save Jews' lives during the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

, at

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Motesiczky, Karl Psychoanalysts from Vienna Austrian resistance members 1904 births 1943 deaths Austrian Righteous Among the Nations People from Vienna Austrian people who died in Auschwitz concentration camp The Holocaust in Austria Resistance members who died in Nazi concentration camps Austrian civilians killed in World War II Counts of Austria Nobility from Vienna Austrian people of Hungarian descent 20th-century Austrian physicians Deaths from typhus Infectious disease deaths in Poland