Page "Heinrich Himmler" Paragraph 76

Himmler met his future wife, Margarete Boden, in 1927.

Seven years his senior, she was a nurse who shared his interest in herbal medicine and homeopathy, and was part owner of a small private clinic.

They were married in July 1928, and their only child, Gudrun, was born on 8 August 1929.

The couple were also foster parents to a boy named Gerhard von Ahe, son of an SS officer who had died before the war.

Margarete sold her share of the clinic and used the proceeds to buy a plot of land in Waldtrudering, near Munich, where they put up a prefabricated house.

Himmler was constantly away on party business, so his wife took charge of their efforts — mostly unsuccessful — to raise livestock for sale.

After the Nazis seized power the family moved first to Möhlstrasse in Munich, and in 1934 to Lake Tegern, where they bought a house.

Himmler also later obtained a large house in the Berlin suburb of Dahlem free of charge as an official residence.

The couple saw little of each other as Himmler became totally absorbed by work.

The relationship was strained.

The couple did unite for social functions ; they were frequent guests at the Heydrich home.

Margarete saw it as her duty to invite the wives of the senior SS leaders over for afternoon coffee and tea on Wednesday afternoons.