Margret Wittmer
Margret Wittmer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Margret Walbroel 12 July 1904 Cologne, Germany |
| Died | March 21, 2000 (aged 95) Floreana Island, Ecuador |
| Spouse | Heinz Wittmer |
| Children | 2 |
Margret Wittmer (née Walbroel; 12 July 1904 – 21 March 2000)[1] was a German woman who was an early colonist of Floreana Island. Her experiences living on the island were documented in her 1959 biography Postlagernd Floreana: Ein außergewöhnliches Frauenleben am Ende der Welt (lit. Post Office Floreana: An Extraordinary Woman's Life at the End of the World), published in English as Floreana: A Woman's Pilgrimage to the Galapagos.
Biography
Wittmer was born in Cologne on 12 July 1904, the daughter of Eva (née Leuchtenberg) and Johannes Walbroel, a goldsmith.[1]
She wrote about her experiences of being an early settler in the book Postlagernd Floreana. Erlebnisbericht deutscher Siedler (1959) (English title: Floreana: A Woman's Pilgrimage to the Galapagos). She returned to Germany in 1960 to present her book.
Margret's book attracted more German tourists to Floreana Island. She built several bungalows to host different tourists and scientists that visited Floreana.[2] The family's Wittmer Lodge still operates on the island.
Personal life and death
Wittmer, her husband Heinz, and his son, Harry, from a previous marriage moved to Floreana Island in 1932, following the arrival of German doctor Friedrich Ritter and his wife, Dore Strauch. Wittmer was in the fourth month of her first pregnancy when they arrived, and she gave birth to a son, Rolf, and a daughter, Ingeborg, while living on the island.[1]
Wittmer remained on Floreana Island for most of the remainder of her life, though she returned to Germany twice, once in 1935, and again in 1960 to present her book Floreana: A Woman's Pilgrimage to the Galapagos.[1]
Wittmer died on 21 March 2000, at the age of 95. She was buried on Floreana Island, next to husband Heinz who died in 1963.[3]
Margret's step-son Harry died in a boating accident in 1951. Son Rolf innovated Galápagos’ ecotourism industry by setting up a tour boat company, Rolf Wittmer Turismo, Ltd, and is remembered with the Rolf Wittmer Foundation.[4][5]
As of 2017, the family's Wittmer Lodge on Floreana was still being operated by Margret's daughter, Ingeborg, and her daughter Erika.[6]
In popular culture
Actress Diane Kruger portrayed Wittmer in the 2013 documentary The Galapagos Affair.[7] Sydney Sweeney portrays Wittmer in the 2024 film Eden.[8]
References
- ^ a b c d "Margret Wittmer". Beaufort Books. Archived from the original on 21 August 2025.
- ^ Woram 2005, p. 271.
- ^ Major, Jack. "Off the Rails: Empress of the Galapagos". major-smolinski.com. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ "Rolf Wittmer". galapagosonline.wordpress.com. galapagosonline.com. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ "Floreana's Little Shop of Horrors". galapagosunbound.com. Galapagos Unbound. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ K., Alexei. "Photo: Myself with Ingeborg and Erica Wiitmer". TripAdvisor. com. TripAdvisor LLC. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ Stein, Sophia (10 April 2014). "Uncovering 'The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden'". Cultural Weekly. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020.
- ^ Natale, Michael (2025-08-22). "The Galapagos Offered Them Paradise. Their Deadly Downfall Inspired the New Movie 'Eden'". Yahoo Entertainment. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
Sources
- Wittmer, Margret (1989). Floreana: A Woman's Pilgrimage to the Galapagos. Translated by Nelson, Anthony. Avon, England: The Bath Press. ISBN 978-1-559-21001-0.
- Woram, John (June 1, 2005). Charles Darwin Slept Here: Tales of Human History at World's End. Rockville Center, New York: Rockville Press, Inc. ISBN 978-0-976-93360-1.