Porcelain Lane: Then and Now
Porcelain Lane or Porzellangasse is an historic street in the 9th district where I live. Its name comes from a porcelain manufacturer that operated there for over 140 years. The area is part of a vibrant, French-inspired neighborhood called Servitenviertel. I have walked this street many times. There are some wonderful restaurants here that I enjoy. My local post office is here.
Porzellangasse credit: https://www.zeitenspruenge.at
One day recently, that street name clicked for me. Years ago, as I was just beginning this research, several documents appeared. They showed my grandma Ricky’s and grandpa Paul’s names and address on sales receipts for a jeweler named Josef Keindl. No surprise there. My grandparents needed money to get out of Austria. The receipt was dated March 10, 1939, one day before they fled Vienna forever.
I had been going to the post office located next door to what was once Josef Keindl Jewelers for months, not realizing the importance of this address. Now that I had finally put it together, I had the opportunity to take it all in and explore the building, to picture them planning their departure and selling anything they could.
Heartbreakingly, along with a bracelet and some other valuable items, the receipts also show they sold their gold wedding rings.
One of the documents is fragile and torn, as see through as porcelain.
It lists: 1 silver men’s watch, 1 silver sports chain, 1 gold wedding ring
The other doc is a copy:
1 chrome women’s bracelet watch, 1 gold wedding ring
I did a little photo tour of the building that Josef Keindl Watchmaker and Jeweler once occupied. It’s now a mixed use building with some residential and commercial space.
Researching my grandparents’ history through documentation is incredible - I get to hold a piece of paper that they once held during the Nazi era, and learn the steps they took in their escape. The truly amazing connection comes when the papers guide me to the very street or building where that event happened. It is there the history unfolds a bit. I see some of what they saw. I get a sliver of insight into their world. It is sad to learn all they had to give up, but knowing their experience also brings me closer to them.