The Witness House

August 9, 2010
Kohl, a correspondent for Süddeutsche Zeitung and former editor for Der Spiegel, returns to the 1945 Nuremberg trials with this fascinating look at 24 Novalisstrasse, a villa on the outskirts of Nuremberg, which housed the trial witnesses, the prosecution, and the defense. This meant that "former Nazis and members of the Resistance were under the same roof." Kohl's detailed account begins with the recruitment by Americans of the 36-year-old Hungarian Countess Kálnoky as house manager. Kálnoky, who spoke four languages, was instructed to "keep things running smoothly," which she did, often entertaining the "motley assortment" of guests with her amusing anecdotes and practical jokes, in addition to helping them prepare for courtroom appearances. Because Kálnoky's book, The Guest House, glossed over certain incidents, Kohl began her own extensive research, conducting interviews with Kálnoky shortly before her death in 1997 and poring through public archives, private papers, and eyewitness reports. Kohl's skill as a writer has enabled her to create a powerful postwar portrait of life inside the villa amid denials, guilt, and bitter memories.

October 1, 2010

During the more than three years in which the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal heard cases, the American military ran an inn called the Witness House for those slated to testify. Journalist Kohl has utilized published sources and her own interviews with former residents, staff, and associates to tell the story of this unusual hostel. The focal point of the narrative, translated by the notable Bell, is the Hungarian emigre Ingeborg Kalnoky, who was engaged by American military authorities to manage a facility in which both defense and prosecution witnesses stayed. Kohl vividly re-creates the physical landscape and the nearly soap opera-like interactions of the residents, some of whom were intimates of the Nazis and others their victims. VERDICT Kohl blends the story of her own research with the telling of the actual history of the hostel. The result is not always interesting, although the narrative of the hostel is fascinating, particularly the portraits of the Nazis and Nazi sympathizers and their revisionist stories about their past.--Frederic Krome, Univ. of Cincinnati Clermont Coll.

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