After he was prohibited from working in Nazi Germany in 1937 because of his Jewish origins and his social democratic commitment, Franz Hillinger fled to Istanbul, where he continued to work as an architect with Bruno Taut, among others. Only in 1956 did he finally leave Turkey with his family and move to the USA. The document shows the “Certificate of Eligibility” issued to Hillinger by the International Refugee Organization in 1949.
The International Refugee Organization (IRO), founded in 1947 as the first United Nations international agency, operated until 1952 to provide aid for the many people who became refugees due to the Second World War. In Turkey, the IRO opened its office in July 1947 and finished its activities in March 1951. The “Certificate of Eligibility” was given to the refugees who met the criteria of IRO protection. 11For information on the IRO activities in Turkey, see Olszowska, Karolina Wanda, 2019: The Protection Provided by International Refugee Organizations in Turkey in the Immediate Post-War Period, in Prace Historyczne 146(3), pp. 607-619. As the reason for his flight, named on the document by Hillinger, he said that he wanted “to save his flight from the persecution of Nazis”.
Akademie der Künste (Academy of Arts) Berlin, Franz-Hillinger-Archive 34.
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Edith Hillinger, born in Berlin in 1933, fled with her parents from Nazi Germany to Istanbul in 1937. Her father Franz Hillinger worked in…
Edith Hillinger, born in Berlin in 1933, fled with her parents from Nazi Germany to Istanbul in 1937. Her father Franz Hillinger worked in…
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