Charlotte (Lotte) Thannhauser was born Charlotte Langermann in Floß, in March 1863. There is a peculiarity in the sources regarding her exact birthdate: while the German authorities recorded March 3rd, her father noted March 4th in his Jewish prayer book. She was presumably born after sunset, which in the Jewish calendar is considered the next day.
Charlotte Langermann grew up in a wealthy merchant family with nine siblings. In August 1884, she married Josef Salomon Thannhauser in Nuremberg. Family lore tells of her being quite haughty at their first meeting, but Josef Thannhauser forgot his umbrella and returned the next day. Afterward, Charlotte Langermann was much nicer to him. The couple moved to Munich and, from 1898 onward, lived at Prinz-Ludwig-Straße 6. Charlotte Thannhauser's sister, Lina, and her family also lived there. Josef Thannhauser and his brother Albert built a successful business for souvenirs and beer steins. The Thannhausers were respected Munich businesspeople who also distinguished themselves through generous donations to the city.
In 1885, Charlotte Thannhauser's son Siegfried was born, of whom she was very proud. At the end of her life, she wrote to him: "You, my dearly beloved son, have exceeded my highest expectations." Siegfried Thannhauser studied medicine, headed a military hospital ward during the First World War, and became a professor and later dean in Freiburg. Charlotte Thannhauser's husband Josef died at the end of 1917; even as a widow, she continued to live at Prinz-Ludwig-Straße 6.
When Charlotte Thannhauser turned 70 in March 1933, Siegfried Thannhauser threw her a large party. He showed family photos on a slide projector and recited Bavarian verses. Shortly afterward, he was forced to resign as dean due to his Jewish heritage and was placed on leave, which must have been an enormous burden for Charlotte Thannhauser. A few months later, on November 21, 1933, Charlotte Thannhauser died at the Klinikum links der Isar hospital in Munich. After her death, Siegfried Thannhauser fled with his family to the USA. (text: Felix Neumayr; lectorate: C. Fritsche)
