Anna Tuschinski

Anna Elisa Tuschinski (; 4 December 1841 – 9 October 1939) was an Esperantist from the city of Danzig. Trained as a teacher, she learned Esperanto in 1907 and began spreading the language throughout the city. Tuschinski was well-regarded in the international Esperanto movement, and is referred to as the "Mother of Esperanto".

Biography Anna Elisa Lorwein was born on 4 December 1841 in the city of Danzig (now Gdańsk), then part of the Kingdom of Prussia. Her father was a German merchant named Gustav Lorwein, while her mother was a Pole named Adela Juchnowicz. Little is recorded about her early life, though it is known that she worked as a teacher and married merchant Karol Tuschinski, having a daughter with him. Her husband died around 1890. Though she was raised in an Evangelical family, Tuschinski attended both Catholic and Jewish church services, and in her later life became aligned with the Baháʼí Faith. She was described by contemporary Martha Root as being "not tall, silent, awe-inspiring; rather she is very petite, slender, always smiling, richly blessed with the gift of humor, and so light is her step that she still dances with the young men at the Esperanto balls and informal parties". The following year, she attended the 4th World Esperanto Congress in Dresden, where she met and danced with L. L. Zamenhof, the creator of Esperanto. In 1922, Tuschinski founded the Gdańsk Esperanto Congress in cooperation with the World Esperanto Association, and five years later, the city hosted the 19th World Esperanto Congress. Tuschinski, then age 86, served as the honorary president of the congress and gave the opening speech. She continued advocating for Esperanto until her death in Nazi-occupied Danzig on 9 October 1939, aged 98.