Former home and doctor's practice of the Ziegler family

The Ziegler family

Heinrich Ziegler, born in 1884, was an important Jewish doctor. He worked at the maternity clinic and as a school doctor. However, after the National Socialists came to power in 1933, he lost these public positions because of his Jewish origins, even though he had served in the First World War. This dismissal was part of the systematic discrimination and exclusion of Jewish citizens by the Nazi regime. From then on, Ziegler was only able to treat private patients, which severely limited his professional opportunities.

In 1938, Ziegler emigrated with his family to British India to escape persecution. He settled in Karachi and opened a medical practice. Despite the difficulties of exile, he managed to establish himself in his new environment and run a successful practice. He spent over two decades in Karachi before returning to Germany in 1960.

In Germany, Heinrich Ziegler settled in Munich. His return was a significant step, as he was returning to the country that had once expelled him due to his Jewish origins. Ziegler lived in Munich until his death in 1971.

The life story of Heinrich Ziegler is an impressive example of the fates of many Jewish citizens who were driven out of their profession and social environment by National Socialist persecution. His path from a respected doctor in Germany to exile in India to his return shows both the tragedy and the resilience that characterized many of those persecuted at the time.

Ruth Ziegler

Ruth Ziegler, Heinrich Ziegler's daughter, filed an application in 1990 for restitution of the family home in Velten, which was confiscated in 1938 during Aryanization. The house, which had been taken from her family for 100 Reichsmarks, was returned to her for the same symbolic price of 100 DM after a Solomonic judgment. Despite the poor condition and financial outlay, Ruth Ziegler invested in the renovation of the listed house. She kept personal mementos such as a key ring and a door handle as symbols of the return of the family heritage.