Is it a mere coincidence that a descendant of Moses Meier rests eternally in Vienna? This is the story of the Walter Meier Plaque a memorial to a man linked to a notable lineage.
The Walter Meier Plaque marks a life. It quietly commemorates Walter Meier who lived from 1940 to 1996. The plaque is located in Vienna. It is placed in a serene spot. Walter Meier’s final resting place is Evangelischer Friedhof Matzleinsdorf. This cemetery resides in Vienna.
Walter Meier shares a distant link with Ludwig Wittgenstein. Wittgenstein’s paternal great-great-grandfather was Moses Meier. Moses was an Ashkenazi Jewish land agent. He lived with his wife Brendel Simon in Bad Laasphe. Bad Laasphe was in the Principality of Wittgenstein Westphalia.
In 1808 Napoleon decreed surnames for everyone. Meier’s son also named Moses adopted the name Wittgenstein. He took the name from his employers the Sayn-Wittgensteins. Thus he became Moses Meier Wittgenstein. Walter Meier is a descendant of this lineage.
Walter Meier’s life is distinct from that of Ludwig Wittgenstein. Wittgenstein was a philosopher. Walter Meier’s profession remains unstated. Yet their family history intertwines. Wittgenstein was born into one of Europe’s richest families. Karl Otto Clemens Wittgenstein was Ludwig’s father. By the late 1880s Karl became an industrial tycoon. He held a steel cartel monopoly in Austria. The Wittgensteins became the second wealthiest family in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Only the Rothschilds were wealthier.
Wittgenstein’s early life was cultured. The family was at the center of Vienna’s cultural life. Karl was a patron of the arts. He commissioned works by Auguste Rodin. He financed the city’s exhibition hall. This hall was the Secession Building. Gustav Klimt even painted a portrait of Wittgenstein’s sister Margaret. Johannes Brahms and Gustav Mahler gave concerts in the family’s music rooms.
Wittgenstein experienced personal struggles. Three of his four older brothers committed suicide. He served in World War I. He taught in remote Austrian villages. He worked as a hospital porter in London during World War II.
Walter Meier’s life details remain sparse. His legacy connects him to a family. This family influenced European industry and thought. The Walter Meier Plaque stands as a testament to his existence. It connects him to a sprawling history. It ties him to Vienna’s cultural and intellectual tapestry. He rests among ancestors who navigated fame fortune and philosophy.
Next time you pass the Walter Meier Plaque reflect. Consider the vastness of intertwined lives. Think of how a simple marker can echo with untold stories. It speaks of Vienna’s rich intricate past.