Emmy Sonnemann
Encyclopedia
Emma Johanna Henny "Emmy" Göring (née Sonnemann) (24 March 1893 – 8 June 1973) was a German actress and the second wife of Luftwaffe
Commander-in-Chief Hermann Göring
. She served as Adolf Hitler
's hostess at many state functions, which led to her claiming the title of "First Lady of the Third Reich".
, Germany
on 24 March 1893, to a wealthy salesman and was an actress at the National Theatre in Weimar
. She became Emmy Köstlin upon her marriage to actor Karl Köstlin in late 1916, but they later divorced.
She became Emmy Göring upon her marriage to Hermann Göring
on 10 April 1935. It was also his second marriage his Swedish first wife Carin
died in October 1931. Her daughter Edda Göring was born on 2 June 1938; she was reportedly named after Countess Edda Ciano
, eldest child of Benito Mussolini
, although other sources say she was named after a friend of her mother's.
Hermann Göring named his country house "Carinhall
" after his first wife, but his hunting lodge at Rominten (now Krasnolesye
), the Reichsjägerhof, was known as "Emmyhall".
, whom Emmy Goring snubbed and openly despised. This led to Hitler issuing angry instructions to Hermann Göring to demand that Emmy treat Eva with more respect; one of the outcomes of Emmy's condescending attitude toward Eva was that she was no longer invited to Hitler's Bavarian retreat, the Berghof
. As for Eva Braun, she allegedly never forgave Emmy for having assumed the role of "First Lady of the Reich".
As wife of one of the richest and most powerful men in Europe, Emmy Göring received much public attention, was constantly photographed, and enjoyed a lavish lifestyle well into World War II. Her husband owned mansions and estates and castles in Austria, Germany and Poland and was a major beneficiary of the Nazis' confiscation of art and wealth from Jews and others deemed enemies by the Nazi regime. The birth of her daughter was celebrated by her husband's ordering 500 planes to fly over Berlin (Göring stated he would have flown 1,000 planes as a salute had it been a boy).
After the end of the war, a German denazification
court convicted her of being a Nazi and sentenced her to one year in jail. When she was released, 30 percent of her property was confiscated and she was banned from the stage for five years. By the time of her husband's death at Nuremberg she and her daughter had been reduced to living in a two-room cottage with no running water or electricity, and a woman whose gowns had once required multiple closets owned two dresses.
. She wrote an autobiography, An der Seite meines Mannes (1967), published in English as My Life with Goering in 1972. She died in Munich
in 1973.
She is caricatured as the character "Lotte Lindenthal" in Klaus Mann
's 1936 novel Mephisto: Roman einer Karriere.
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
Commander-in-Chief Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
. She served as Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's hostess at many state functions, which led to her claiming the title of "First Lady of the Third Reich".
Marriages
Emmy Göring was born Emma Sonnemann in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on 24 March 1893, to a wealthy salesman and was an actress at the National Theatre in Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
. She became Emmy Köstlin upon her marriage to actor Karl Köstlin in late 1916, but they later divorced.
She became Emmy Göring upon her marriage to Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
on 10 April 1935. It was also his second marriage his Swedish first wife Carin
Carin Göring
Carin Axelina Hulda Göring was the Swedish first wife of Hermann Göring.She was born Carin Fock in Stockholm in 1888. Her father Commander Baron Carl Fock was a Swedish Army colonel, from a family who had immigrated from Westphalia. Her mother, Huldine Fock Carin Axelina Hulda Göring (21 October...
died in October 1931. Her daughter Edda Göring was born on 2 June 1938; she was reportedly named after Countess Edda Ciano
Edda Mussolini
Edda Mussolini was the eldest child of Benito Mussolini, Italy's fascist dictator from 1922 to 1943. Upon her marriage to fascist propagandist and foreign minister Galeazzo Ciano she became Edda Ciano, Countess of Cortellazzo and Buccari.She strongly denied her involvement in the National Fascist...
, eldest child of Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
, although other sources say she was named after a friend of her mother's.
Hermann Göring named his country house "Carinhall
Carinhall
Carinhall was the country residence of Hermann Göring, built on a large hunting estate northeast of Berlin in the Schorfheide forest between the Großdöllner See and the Wuckersee in the north of Brandenburg....
" after his first wife, but his hunting lodge at Rominten (now Krasnolesye
Krasnolesye
Krasnolesye is a settlement in Nesterovsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Krasnaya River close to the border with Poland, in the north of the Romincka Forest. East of Krasnolesye lies Lake Vistytis....
), the Reichsjägerhof, was known as "Emmyhall".
First Lady of the Third Reich
Emmy Göring served as Hitler's hostess at many state functions prior to World War II. This factor as well as her claim to be the "First Lady of the Third Reich", created much animosity between herself and Hitler's mistress, Eva BraunEva Braun
Eva Anna Paula Hitler was the longtime companion of Adolf Hitler and, for less than 40 hours, his wife. Braun met Hitler in Munich, when she was 17 years old, while working as an assistant and model for his personal photographer and began seeing him often about two years later...
, whom Emmy Goring snubbed and openly despised. This led to Hitler issuing angry instructions to Hermann Göring to demand that Emmy treat Eva with more respect; one of the outcomes of Emmy's condescending attitude toward Eva was that she was no longer invited to Hitler's Bavarian retreat, the Berghof
Berghof
Berghof or Berghoff may refer to:* Herbert Berghof, founder of HB Studio in New York City* Berghof , Adolf Hitler's home in the mountains of Bavaria* Berghof Foundation for Conflict Studies* The Berghoff , Chicago...
. As for Eva Braun, she allegedly never forgave Emmy for having assumed the role of "First Lady of the Reich".
As wife of one of the richest and most powerful men in Europe, Emmy Göring received much public attention, was constantly photographed, and enjoyed a lavish lifestyle well into World War II. Her husband owned mansions and estates and castles in Austria, Germany and Poland and was a major beneficiary of the Nazis' confiscation of art and wealth from Jews and others deemed enemies by the Nazi regime. The birth of her daughter was celebrated by her husband's ordering 500 planes to fly over Berlin (Göring stated he would have flown 1,000 planes as a salute had it been a boy).
After the end of the war, a German denazification
Denazification
Denazification was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of any remnants of the National Socialist ideology. It was carried out specifically by removing those involved from positions of influence and by disbanding or rendering...
court convicted her of being a Nazi and sentenced her to one year in jail. When she was released, 30 percent of her property was confiscated and she was banned from the stage for five years. By the time of her husband's death at Nuremberg she and her daughter had been reduced to living in a two-room cottage with no running water or electricity, and a woman whose gowns had once required multiple closets owned two dresses.
Later years
Upon her release from jail she was able to secure a small apartment in a new edifice in the rebuilt city of Berlin. She remained there for the rest of her life. For most of her life she suffered from sciaticaSciatica
Sciatica is a set of symptoms including pain that may be caused by general compression or irritation of one of five spinal nerve roots that give rise to each sciatic nerve, or by compression or irritation of the left or right or both sciatic nerves. The pain is felt in the lower back, buttock, or...
. She wrote an autobiography, An der Seite meines Mannes (1967), published in English as My Life with Goering in 1972. She died in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
in 1973.
She is caricatured as the character "Lotte Lindenthal" in Klaus Mann
Klaus Mann
- Life and work :Born in Munich, Klaus Mann was the son of German writer Thomas Mann and his wife, Katia Pringsheim. His father was baptized as a Lutheran, while his mother was from a family of secular Jews. He began writing short stories in 1924 and the following year became drama critic for a...
's 1936 novel Mephisto: Roman einer Karriere.