The Modernist matzevah and family history of Paul Schwarz (1928-1932) reconstructed through archival research. New Jewish Cemetery at Lotnicza Street in Wrocław.
This small, marble tombstone of Paul Schwarz is located in the children’s section of the New Jewish Cemetery on Lotnicza Street. The modernist simplicity of the block is unique in its form. The top front side bears the short inscription “Our Angel,” below which the first and last names along with the dates can be found. The other side displays only the first and last name followed by the grave number: 453. The Star of David is inscribed on the very top of the monument. The gravestone itself is indicative of the fact that Paul came from an artistic family. But first things first.
Paul’s father, Arthur Schwarz, was born in Kempen at 2:30 AM on 14 May 1884 in the home of Rebecca (née Gallewska) and the merchant Abraham Schwarz. Arthur had a twin brother named Paul. But that is essentially all that we know about Arthur’s brother Paul.
We know significantly more about Arthur. For instance, he graduated from the St. Elizabeth High School in Breslau and later became an architect and resided at Moritzstr. (Lubuska) 33. Very detailed documents from WWI have also survived. In addition to the record of the successive stages of his battle path – with annotations of lazaretto stays – there is also a description of Arthur. He is purported to have had black hair and mustache, an ordinary nose, oval jawline, stocky build, and be 5’4” tall.
Drafted from at least 1 July 1915, he fought in the 15th Infantry Division of the 11 Royal Bavarian Army. On 30 September 1918 he was considered missing in action during a battle near Montigny. A subsequent report (notated in red) indicates that Arthur was taken prisoner by the French. He was not released until 15 February 1920.
On 10 June 1924, he married Charlotte Rosenbaum in Berlin. Charlotte—thirteen years his junior—was born in Berlin to the merchant Mark Rosenbaum and Adelheid (née Hurtig). Charlotte, who signed her name “Lotte,” has “rhapsodist” listed as her profession on the marriage certificate. She was affiliated with theatres in Berlin.
Nevertheless, Arthur and Charlotte settled in Breslau. First at Augustastr. (this street ran along what are now Szczęśliwa, Pabianicka, and Wesoła Streets) 69.
Around 1927, Arthur designed the logo for the well-known pharmacy Mohren-Apotheke (the then problematically named the “Moor” Pharmacy—located in what is now Solny Square in the building that currently houses the Wrocław office of the newspaper “Gazeta Wyborcza”), which was owned by Doris Leschnitzer at the time.
At the of end of 1928—on 29 December, to be precise—the Schwarz’s son Paul was born. He died three and a half years later, on 13 April 1932 at 4:35 PM, for unknown reasons. His funeral took place on 15 April at the Jewish cemetery located on what is now Lotnicza Street. About Paul himself—whose matzevah led us to his parents and gave us the opportunity to recall his father’s design projects—we have no other information.
In 1935, Arthur Schwarz entered a competition with a project proposal to restore the polychromic dome and Aron HaKodesh (the wooden ornamental chamber that houses Torah scrolls) in the New Synagogue in Breslau. He received first place ex aequo with Heinrich Tischler. The high quality of submitted proposals swayed the Jewish Community to exhibit the projects at the Jewish Museum. While Tischler’s project underscored the spatial arrangement of the synagogue, Schwarz focused on color and ornament. Ultimately, it was Tischler’s idea that was realized.
Other original graphic designs by Arthur Schwarz are currently on display at The Israel Museum in Jerusalem (till 25 January 2026) as part of an exhibition about games created for Jewish children in the 1920s and 1930s by Breslau resident Rosa Freudenthal. Rosa commissioned Arthur to design playing cards and cards for the Jewish New Year—among other things.
Photos 1-4. Graphic designs by Arthur Schwarz: playing cards for children, Simchat Torah flag (recto-verso), Jewish New Year’s card (Wunschbogen). Gift of Aviva Schmelzinger, Jerusalem. © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Zohar Shemesh.
