During the National Day holiday of China, Julia Frankenstein, an educator from Germany, along with her husband and four children, came to Shanghai. Although their China trip would take them to many cities, they chose Shanghai as their first stop - a place where her ancestors once sought refuge and lived.

"This is our family name - Frankenstein!" Julia excitedly pointed it out to her husband and children in front of the Wall. The names of her great-grandfather Karl Frankenstein and his son Kurt Frankenstein were both engraved on it.

Julia and her family looking for the names of their ancestors on the Wall

Julia spent over an hour visiting the Museum carefully, occasionally translating and explaining the relevant historical details to the children. She said that her great-grandfather's experience of seeking refuge was a story passed down orally in the family, but this Museum presented that period of time in its entirety and added more vivid details to the family stories she knew. "The Jewish refugees who fled to Shanghai back then were strangers to the Chinese people, but Shanghai accepted them. Even if it was only a short stay, it has been solemnly remembered. This deeply moves me, and I am sincerely grateful."

Julia visiting the Museum

Julia being interviewed by the Museum, recounting her family's refuge experiences

Although their two sets of twins are not yet of school age, Julia and her husband felt that bringing them here in person would allow them to understand the family history more directly. On the museum square, they bent down with their children to identify the words "Shanghai" and "Berlin" engraved on the ground, and told them about the special connection between these two cities eighty years ago. Before leaving, Julia specially returned to the souvenir shop and bought two bilingual picture books related to World War II history. "On the high-speed train to the next destination, I will read them with the children," she said, determined to pass on this history to her next generation.

Story of Seeking Refuge

Karl Frankenstein was from Germany. In his early years, he ran a fashion store with his wife, mainly selling hats and scarves. As the persecution of Jews by the Nazis intensified, the store was forced to close and Karl himself was imprisoned in a concentration camp. After being released by chance, he initially planned to move his family to Uruguay, but due to border policy restrictions, he was unable to do so. Eventually, he could only take his 17-year-old son, Kurt, to Shanghai, while his wife stayed in Germany with their other son (Julia's grandfather), and the family was forced to be separated.

After arriving in Shanghai, Karl and Kurt settled and made a living in the area of Tilanqiao in Hongkou. At first, Kurt worked as a casual laborer at the port to make ends meet. Later, he began to earn money by painting, with most of his works depicting the port, warships and soldiers, etc. Surprisingly, a foreign officer discovered his talent - not only was he willing to lend him money to support him, but also actively helped him contact an economic guarantor in the United States. In 1947, Kurt took this opportunity to leave Shanghai for the United States to study art systematically. He devoted himself to the study of printmaking and etching techniques, participated in art fairs for a long time, and gradually grew into a surrealist painter. As a well-known artist in the Midwestern United States, Kurt won several awards throughout his life, including the Chicago Municipal Art League's Excellence Award, and his works were also collected by institutions such as the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

During his refuge in Shanghai, Karl was always concerned about his wife and children who remained in Germany. After the war, he chose to return to Germany and reunite with his family in Dresden. He passed away in the late 1960s.