Franziska Meissner-Diemer

Fanny Meissner moved to Vienna when she was two-years-old with her family. Her father Dr Josef Diemer, a Germanist later a government councillor of the Austrian Empire, became known with the discovery and publication of German poems from the 11th and 12th centuries. He became the head of the University of Vienna Library.

Meissner began publishing periodical reviews early on. On September 19, 1863, she married Dr Leopold Florian Meissner († April 29, 1895), a police commissioner, later court and court attorney, long-time mayor of Währing and writer.

In 1882, Meissner founded the Währing, Hernals and Ottakring branch, part of the National Association Vienna of the Austrian Red Cross, of which she also became a president, and the women's local group of the Deutschen Schulvereines in Währing, which she chaired as well as that of the women's and the girl's local group in Währing. She was the president of the Relief Society of the Red Cross and the secretary of the women's group "Inner City Vienna" of the school association. In 1896, Meissner joined the committee of the Vienna Women's Work Association.

In 1897, Meissner was a delegate to the patriotic aid association at the International Conference of the Red Cross in Vienna. She also organized funds for a reserve hospital through elite balls, picnics, and events. In 1903, Meissner was a substitute member of the federal leadership of the Red Cross and - as the only bourgeois - from 1911 to 18-second vice president.

As Dr Leopold Florian Meissner fell seriously ill, he dictated his memories to his wife (published by Reclam under the title From the papers of a police commissioner ). After his death, the widow published the Christmas games written by her husband, well known in Vienna at the time.

Franziska Meissner's own journalistic work began with publications, partly after lectures that she had given for the Red Cross and the German School Association. She nursed during the war and helped women. The women's hand in the war and The German elementary school in its beginnings up to Maria Theresa and Frederick the Great were published by the "German Association for the Dissemination of Non-Profit Knowledge" in Prague. In addition, Meissner wrote political, partly historical essays for Viennese daily and weekly papers and published in calendars, yearbooks, etc. of patriotic and educational associations.

Meissner also dealt with the legal situation of women in Austria and gave the lecture "Women's rights in Austria" at the 1st International Women's Congress in Berlin on September 25, 1896.

Her final resting place is at the Vienna Central Cemetery (Group 27A, Row 1, Number G2)

• Die deutsche Volks-Schule in ihren Anfängen bis zu Maria Theresia und Friedrich dem Großen. Prag 1886 (Signatur der ÖNB: 393.143-B.117)
• Die Krankenpflege im Kriege und die Hilfeleistung der Frauen von den ältesten Zeiten bis zum Vertrag von Genf. Prag 1887 (Signatur der ÖNB: 393143-B.120)
• Fünfundzwanzig Jahre im Dienste des Roten Kreuzes. Jasper, Wien 1907 (Signatur der ÖNB: 450876-B)

• Ludwig Eisenberg, Richard Groner: Das geistige Wien: Künstler- und Schriftsteller-Lexikon. Wien 1889–1893.
• Marianne Nigg: Biographien der österreichischen Dichterinnen und Schriftstellerinnen. Ein Beitrag zur deutschen Literatur in Österreich. Korneuburg 1893.
• H. Meißner: "Meissner, Franziska". In: Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Vol. 6, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1975, ISBN 3-7001-0128-7, p. 201.

• University of Vienna

Lebenslauf und Werke von Fanny Meissner im ARIADNE-Projekt Frauen in Bewegung der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek