“In this house until March 1938 was the publishing house Moritz Perles” These words etched into the bronze plaque before you whisper a story. A story of a prominent Viennese book publisher a legacy tragically cut short.
The Moritz Perles Plaque stands as a somber tribute. It commemorates not only Moritz Perles’s publishing house but also all Jewish booksellers and publishers in Vienna. Their lives and livelihoods were destroyed after Austria’s annexation in 1938.
Moritz Perles born in Prague in 1844 founded his bookstore in 1869. It started modestly but grew into one of the most successful bookselling firms in Austria-Hungary. He wasn’t just a bookseller. He was a publisher too. His firm published calendars medical journals legal texts and even a guide to Turkey. His company even published the Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift from 1888 until 1938. He became a purveyor to the Imperial and Royal Court a significant honor.
The success wasn’t just down to Moritz. His brother-in-law Friedrich Schiller played a key role. His sons Oskar and Ernst also joined the family business. They inherited the company after Moritz’s death in 1917. The business survived World War I and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. But the Nazis’ rise brought unimaginable hardship.
The Perles family’s Jewish heritage marked them as targets. Their business was forcibly “Aryanized” and sold. Family members were murdered in concentration camps. Some escaped to the United States. The family never received compensation for their losses a painful injustice. This plaque a small act of remembrance stands in stark contrast to that immense loss.
This plaque is more than just a historical marker. It’s a testament to resilience a warning against intolerance and a poignant reminder of the devastating impact of prejudice. Take a moment to reflect on the story it tells. It’s a story of success hardship and the enduring power of memory. A story etched in bronze a story we must never forget.