Constanze Manziarly

Constanze Manziarly (14 April 1920 – disappeared 2 May 1945) was born in Innsbruck, Austria. After studying to become a nutrition teacher, she began serving as Adolf Hitler's cook and dietitian in 1944. She wrote a number of letters to her family describing her dismal conditions, even as she was brought closer into Hitler's orbit. She was with him until his final days in the Führerbunker in 1945, after which she went missing; according to Hitler's secretary Traudl Junge, Manziarly was taken by Soviet soldiers.

Early life and career Manziarly's parents were from both from around Vienna, Austria. She was born in Innsbruck, Tyrol, on 14 April 1920 and was raised in the Greek Orthodox Church. In 1929, Manziarly's father bought a villa in Innsbruck. In 1937, her mother died of cancer. On 3 April 1944, Manziarly confided to her father and sister that the job made her uneasy, but she hoped it would last no longer than six months or it would prevent her from starting her career as a full-time teacher. She observed that "Any resistance would only lead to be me taken to court," comparing her situation to having "one foot in the grave".

German author Stefan Dietrich became interested in Manziarly after reading about her in Junge's memoir as he came from the same region. He found Manziarly's sister, Susanne Schiessl (1918–2014), and Schiessl's daughter, who provided 15 letters published (and partially transcribed) in Dietrich's 2020 biography of Manziarly. Additionally, Eva Braun filmed a few seconds of Manziarly (the only known footage of her) at her sister Gretl Braun's wedding in June 1944.

Depictions in film Constanze Manziarly has been portrayed by the following actresses in film and television productions: Phyllida Law in the 1973 British film Hitler: The Last Ten Days Carole Boyd in the 1973 British television production The Death of Adolf Hitler Pam St. Clement in the 1981 American film The Bunker Bettina Redlich in the 2004 German film Downfall (Der Untergang)