- Eugenie Schwarzwald
Eugenie Schwarzwald, nee Nußbaum (
June 4 1872 inPolupanovka in formerAustria-Hungary , presentUkraine –August 7 1940 inZurich ) was Austrian philanthropist, writer and pedagogue developing and supporting Austrian girl education. She belonged to the most lettered women of her time.Eugenie Nußbaum left her country in 1895 when she started to study German and English literature,
philosophy andpedagogy at the university ofZurich . She received doctoral degree in 1900. Women were not allowed to study at Austrian high schools and universities and Eugenie was one of the first academically educated women inAustria-Hungary . In 1900 she married Dr. Hermann Schwarzwald (1871 až 1939). Since 1901 she was head of Girl Secondary School and since 1911 of the Girl College. Her wish and aim was to offer an adequate and motivating secondary education to girls, comparable to that which was accessible to boys. For reaching her goal she engaged many a contemporary, prominent artist and scientist; e.g.Oskar Kokoschka gave lessons of drawing, Arnold Schönberg taught music and composition orAdolf Loos lectured on architecture. This school became a prototype of so called Schwarzwald schools (Schwarzwaldschulen), modern schools for girls. She often spoke on female equality to men in Wiener Frauen Club. During theWorld War I she took care of ill and old people as well as of deprived children.She wrote newspaper articles, feuilletons and short essays."Genia" Schwarzwald was an important person of Viennese culture life and social events. As many of her contemporaries she organised a literary salon where she invited Kokoschka, Loos or Schönberg as well as novelists
Elias Canetti andRobert Musil whom she inspired with her brightness and liking in Ancient Greek fashion to a character of Ermelinda Tuzzi orDiotima in his novelThe Man Without Qualities . Eugenie was the most important but not the only model for Emelinda; another one was dancerIsadora Duncan .In 1938 Eugenie Schwarzwald was due to her Jewish ancestors forced to leave
Austria and emigrated toSwitzerland ; the Schwarzwald schools were closed.She died inZurich in 1940.
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