Otto Eisler (1 June 1893 – 27 July 1968) was a Czech architect, noted for his contributions to

International style The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...

in architecture. He was Jewish and is a survivor of the Auschwitz death camp.

Biography

Eisler was educated at the Deutsche Technische Hochschule Brünn over the course of ten years, with a likely interruption for military service during World War I. During his studies, he worked at studios in Vienna. Upon graduation, he worked in the architectural practices of Heinrich Tessenow and

Walter Gropius Walter Adolph Georg Gropius (; 18 May 1883 – 5 July 1969) was a German-born American architect and founder of the Bauhaus, Bauhaus School, who is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modernist architecture. He was a founder of ...

before founding his own firm. He also took part in managing his family's business, including his brothers' (Artur, Hugo, Leo, and Moriz) construction company. He was subject to Nazi persecution during the

German occupation of Czechoslovakia German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

because he was both Jewish and a suspected homosexual. In April 1939, he was arrested by the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, 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 F ...

and imprisoned in the prison at Špilberk, where he was apparently tortured. When furloughed, he fled to Norway, where he arrived on 21 February 1940. After Norway was invaded by Germany, he tried to flee to Sweden but was shot and wounded only a few yards from the border, and then deported to Auschwitz on the SS ''Donau''. There he was reunited with his brother Mořic (Moriz), with whom he survived the death march to Buchenwald. He was liberated from Buchenwald and returned to Brno to resume his architectural career; he also took over the woodcutting business his deceased brother left to his heirs. He married his cousin Gertruda Kenderová, née Hermannová, in 1946. The family company was nationalized in 1948, and Eisler found work first in his own business, and subsequently at the Botanical Gardens of Masaryk University. He acted as the chairman of Brno Zoo from 1950 to 1953. In addition to his professional interests in architecture, Eisler was also an avid painter, gardener, book collector, and horticulturist. Several works of art that were stolen by the Nazis were restored to his estate in the 2000s. He is buried in the Jewish cemetery in Brno.

Notable works

* House for two brothers, Neumannova 10, Brno, 1930–1931 (built for himself and Mořic Eisler). * Synagogue in 13 Skořepka street, Brno, 1934 (the only remaining synagogue in Brno). * Synagogue, Uherský Brod, 1946. * Brno Zoo, 1949–1966.

Gallery

Adidas Masarykova 19-21 Brno - fasáda 2.jpg, Dům Wittreich a Deutsch, Masarykova 19-21 Adidas Masarykova 19-21 Brno 1.jpg, Dům Wittreich a Deutsch, Masarykova 19-21 Brno, Údolní 72.JPG, Údolní 72 Brno, Botanická 6.jpg, Botanická 6 Nájemní dům Kamenomlýnská 14 Brno 1.jpg, Kamenomlýnská 14 SZPI building in Brno.jpg, Běhounská 10 Eislerova vila - brána.jpg, Neumannova 10, Villa of Otto Eisler

References

Literature

* KAMENÍK, Jan. Vzpomínka na architekta Eislera, jednoho ze zakladatelů ZOO Brno. ZOOreport. Září 2008, roč. X., čís. 3, s. 8. * KLENOVSKÝ, Jaroslav. Brno židovské, historie a památky osídlení města Brna. Brno: ERA, 2002. * PELČÁK, Petr; ŠKRABAL, Jindřich; WAHLA, Ivan. Otto Eisler. Brno: Obecní dům Brno, 1998. {{DEFAULTSORT:Eisler, Otto 1893 births 1968 deaths People from Bystřice nad Pernštejnem People from the Margraviate of Moravia Czech Jews Czech architects 20th-century Czech architects Jewish architects Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Norway Auschwitz concentration camp survivors Buchenwald concentration camp survivors