In 1912, Walter Sobernheim, a doctor of law and the managing director of the Schultheiss-Patzenhofer brewery, purchased a plot of land on the island of Schwanenwerder. He commissioned architect Bruno Paul, who was also the head of the teaching institution of the Museum of Applied Arts, to design and furnish the interior. The house was intended to be a retreat for the couple and their three children, an idyll in the greenery. The villa was named "Haus Waltrud," derived from the syllables of the couple's first names, Walter and Gertrud. The logo on the stationery, the ex-libris, and postcards depict views of the house. The Jewish family emigrated in 1933 and lost their home. This book is a historical investigation to commemorate the villa and its residents—the Sobernheim family.