About Arthur R.G. Solmssen


In the same time period as "Boardwalk Empire" plays the novel "A Princess in Berlin" (full text) byÊArthur Solmssen, a Philadelphia based corporate lawyer and writer.ÊWe established contact with him during our time in Princeton (1988-1989) and deepened this connection later in the early 1990s, when I published two of his novels on the internet:


Arthur Solmssen is a part of the Joseph Mendelssohn (1770 - 1848) family tree branch, Joseph is son of Moses Mendelssohn (1729 - 1786).

Details of the Solmssen genealogy


Villa Mendelssohn-Bartholdy

Source: Wikipedia Villa Mendelssohn-Bartholdy

Villa (Paul) Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Rauchstra§e 17-18, D-10787 Berlin (corner of Drakestra§e), Germany

Arthur Solmssen has personal and family connections to these two novels, particularly to "A Princess":Êthe Waldstein bankers (in "A Princess") are modeled after the Solmssen bankers (Georg SolmssenAdolph Salomonsohn). Arthur himself spent his early childhood in the BerlinÊRauchstra§e 17-18, corner Drakestra§e.

It is close to where approximately a decade before his birth Rosa Luxemburg andÊKarl LiebknechtÊhad been assassinated.


In "A Princess in Berlin" -like in "Boardwalk Empire"- historical figures appear, some with their real names, as e.g.ÊWalther Rathenau, the painterÊMax Liebermann, others appear with pseudonyms, e.g.ÊGeorge GroszÊis called Fritz Falcke,Ê


The novel plays in 3 Berlin locations, the third one being my former Berlin neighborhood

  1. Neukšlln (Fritz Falcke's home)
  2. Gendarmenmarkt (Waldstein's bank)
  3. Grunewald (Koenigsalle 65,ÊVilla Rathenau, theÊMendelssohns' house,ÊnowÊSt. Michaels-Heim, Bismarckallee 23)


Comparing "Boardwalk Empire" with "A Princess in Berlin" we learnt rather important, colorful details about the cultural difference between Germany and the US East Coast, which we think are still relevant today.



Version: 4.11.2022

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Jochen Gruber