Dr. Kuno Viktor Josef Grohmann
Personalia
Born:
Died:
Profession:
Curriculum Vitae
Kuno Grohmann was born in Würbenthal in Moravia [today: Vrbno pod Pradědem in the Czech Republic] as the legitimate son of the factory owner Emil Grohmann and his wife Marie, née Bosch. After elementary school, he attended grammar school in Olmütz [today: Olomouc in the Czech Republic], where he graduated in 1915 and volunteered for military service in the First World War in the same year.
After the defeat of Austria-Hungary, the break-up of the dual monarchy and the expulsion of the Habsburgs, Kuno Grohmann returns to Würbenthal and runs his parents' 'Leinenzwirnfabrik Grohmann & Co' (his father had already died in 1909), which is now owned by his mother. He has the company electrified, expands the hydroelectric power plants with modern turbines and thus also provides lighting for the surrounding villages. At around the same time, he receives his doctorate in political science from the University of Jena. As a shareholder, he also sought regular contact with the workers. He ate with them in the factory kitchen and also shared the factory baths he had set up. Kuno Grohmann is regarded as one of the "most modern-thinking textile industrialists in Czechoslovakia". He marries Eleonore (Lore) von Judřcenka and subsequently becomes the father of five children.
Kuno Grohmann has been a friend and enthusiastic supporter of Richard Count Coudenhove-Kalergi since the early 1920s, supports the Pan-European movement and is actively involved in the founding of the Czechoslovakian organization.
Through relatives, he meets the architect Josef Hoffmann in Vienna, who redesigns Grohmann's house in Pochmühl in 1920. Through this connection, Kuno Grohmann also came into contact with the Wiener Werkstätte, which was in financial difficulties. On October 1, 1927, he finally acquired 51 percent of the shares in Wiener Werkstätte. Until 1928, he focused the company on the export business and was initially able to bring about a certain degree of consolidation. However, the global economic crisis meant that all attempts to rescue the Wiener Werkstätte or pass it on to investors failed. Through his involvement, Kuno Grohmann loses not only considerable assets but also his share in the family business to his brother Fritz towards the end of 1930. In October 1932, the liquidation of Wiener Werkstätte is reported to the Vienna Commercial Court.
As a devout Catholic and patriotic Austrian, Kuno Grohmann joins the Vaterländische Front in 1934 and in the same year becomes director of the 'Österreichische Kunsthalle', an organization that is responsible for arranging heavily discounted or free theater tickets for members of the Vaterländische Front until the occupation of Austria in 1938. The president of the Österreichische Kunsthalle is the writer and journalist Hans Brecka-Stiftegger. He is also a leading functionary of the Patriotic Front organization 'Neues Leben'.
After the defeat of Austria-Hungary, the break-up of the dual monarchy and the expulsion of the Habsburgs, Kuno Grohmann returns to Würbenthal and runs his parents' 'Leinenzwirnfabrik Grohmann & Co' (his father had already died in 1909), which is now owned by his mother. He has the company electrified, expands the hydroelectric power plants with modern turbines and thus also provides lighting for the surrounding villages. At around the same time, he receives his doctorate in political science from the University of Jena. As a shareholder, he also sought regular contact with the workers. He ate with them in the factory kitchen and also shared the factory baths he had set up. Kuno Grohmann is regarded as one of the "most modern-thinking textile industrialists in Czechoslovakia". He marries Eleonore 'Lore' von Judřcenka and goes on to father five children.
Kuno Grohmann has been a friend and enthusiastic supporter of Richard Count Coudenhove-Kalergi since the early 1920s, is committed to the Pan-European movement and actively participates in the founding of the Czechoslovakian organization.
As a devout Catholic and patriotic Austrian, Kuno Grohmann joins the Vaterländische Front in 1934 and in the same year becomes director of the 'Österreichische Kunsthalle', an organization that is responsible for arranging heavily discounted or free theater tickets until the occupation of Austria in 1938. The president of the Österreichische Kunsthalle is the writer and journalist Hans Brecka-Stiftegger. He is also a leading functionary of the organization of the Vaterländische Front 'Neues Leben'.
As a long-time collaborator and friend of Dr. Kuno Grohmann, who died so tragically in 1940, I can confirm that he lost his position as head of the Austrian Art Office immediately after the upheaval in Austria and subsequently had to endure the most severe persecution due to his Austrian attitude.
The political persecution, especially by the Gestapo, led all the way to Berlin, where Dr. Grohmann was directly banned from further activity in any commercial field, causing him severe financial difficulties. In addition to the loss of his position and thus his income, Dr. Grohmann was in danger of being arrested by the Gestapo at any time due to his attitude.
Despite his suicide, in 1946 Theodor Cardinal Innitzer confirmed that Kuno Grohmann was a devout Catholic and convinced Austrian who was severely oppressed by the National Socialists.
Of Kuno Grohmann's five children, one son died in an aerial bombing. His wife Eleonore Grohmann and four children experienced the liberation of Austria and the re-establishment of the Republic in April and May 1945. After the liberation, Eleonore Grohmann joined the newly founded Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and the ÖVP comradeship of the politically persecuted and confessors for Austria.
Places
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Citations
Wiener Stadt- und Landesarchiv (WStLA)
Wikipedia unter www.de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuno_Grohmann
Pese, Claus: Ein Ruin für die Kunst. Kuno Grohmann (1897 - 1940) und die Wiener Werkstätte
