Bertha Krupp and Her Children

Bertha Krupp (1887-1957) spent her entire life in the public eye. Following her father's untimely and scandal-ridden death, she inherited the Krupp industrial empire at the tender age of 16. During her lifespan she witnessed two world wars, the end of the German empire, the great economic crisis, as well as the Weimar Republic, Hitler's Third Reich and the birth of the Federal Republic. A respected yet controversial figure, the only woman who was ever sole proprietor of the family business also inspired fear in some. Her name - Bertha Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach after marriage - stood for everything that was loved as well as hated about Germany.

Diana Maria Friz has fond memories of her grandmother and recounts her life story mainly from a private perspective, drawing on hitherto unpublished documents from the family's extensive private archives.