Map of Shanghai
Object numberM2008/037
TitleMap of Shanghai
DescriptionMap of Shanghai, by the Asia Realty Company, Federal Inc. U.S.A. It includes lists and locations of places of interest such as hospitals, banks, churches and parks. The lower right hand corner is printed, 'Compliments of Navy Y.M.C.A., Shanghai'.
The map is a memento of the Neugasser's time in Shanghai from 1938 to 1946.
Paul Neugasser (1914, Vienna – 2005, Sydney) and Johanna Neugasser (1911, Vienna – 2001, Sydney) lives provide a narrative of survival and resilience. The couple married in Vienna in 1935. As the upsurge of violent antisemitism spread across Europe, they, along with approximately 17,000 Austrian and German Jews, sought refuge in Shanghai—a rare safe haven with no immigration barriers.
In November 1938, the Neugasser's began their journey. They travelled by train from Vienna to Genoa and then boarded the ocean liner SS Cristofo Colombo to Shanghai. This decision was made under duress; Paul had been arrested by the Gestapo and taken to a local jail. Johanna's recognition by the police, due to her work in the box office of her family’s movie theatre chain, led to Paul's conditional release. The condition was that he leave Austria immediately, which they did that evening.
The Neugasser's settled in the Hongkew Ghetto in Shanghai, where their first child, Neville, was born in February 1944. The family endured the hardships of wartime Shanghai until 1946 when they immigrated to Australia. After a six-month stay in Hong Kong, they arrived by plane and reunited with Johanna’s parents, who had established a chicken farm in Quakers Hill after their own escape from Vienna to Australia in 1936.
The map is a memento of the Neugasser's time in Shanghai from 1938 to 1946.
Paul Neugasser (1914, Vienna – 2005, Sydney) and Johanna Neugasser (1911, Vienna – 2001, Sydney) lives provide a narrative of survival and resilience. The couple married in Vienna in 1935. As the upsurge of violent antisemitism spread across Europe, they, along with approximately 17,000 Austrian and German Jews, sought refuge in Shanghai—a rare safe haven with no immigration barriers.
In November 1938, the Neugasser's began their journey. They travelled by train from Vienna to Genoa and then boarded the ocean liner SS Cristofo Colombo to Shanghai. This decision was made under duress; Paul had been arrested by the Gestapo and taken to a local jail. Johanna's recognition by the police, due to her work in the box office of her family’s movie theatre chain, led to Paul's conditional release. The condition was that he leave Austria immediately, which they did that evening.
The Neugasser's settled in the Hongkew Ghetto in Shanghai, where their first child, Neville, was born in February 1944. The family endured the hardships of wartime Shanghai until 1946 when they immigrated to Australia. After a six-month stay in Hong Kong, they arrived by plane and reunited with Johanna’s parents, who had established a chicken farm in Quakers Hill after their own escape from Vienna to Australia in 1936.
Production placeShanghai, China
Subjectmaps, immigration, ghettos, Hongkew Ghetto, WWII, Holocaust
Object namemaps
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- width: 650.00 mm
height: 333.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Neville and Judy New