Maria Faßnauer... once the tallest woman in Europe

In February 1879, a baby girl named Maria was born. At that time, however, no one had any idea that she would soon attract international attention. Maria grew up with her family in humble but happy circumstances. Despite the hard work, she loved farm life, and especially her animals. But what Maria did not understand at first, and what caused her parents great concern, was her rapid growth. At the age of 12, Maria had already reached a height of 191cm, weighed 90 kilos, and thus towered over most of the men in the village.

Talk of Maria and her extra-large proportions soon spread far beyond the country’s borders. In 1906, her parents finally agreed, and she and her sister Rosa set off on their travels. In the beginning, Maria was paraded as a “giant woman” in Munich and Berlin, and later in cities such as London, Brussels, Liverpool, and Amsterdam. She sent the money she received home with long letters. She missed her homeland very much and her animals in particular were always on her mind.

After a rejected marriage proposal from a London giant, countless newspaper articles with headlines like “Colossal Creature with Giant Strength”, and many more city tours, Maria finally returned home in 1913.
In 1917, after a long illness, Maria died at the age of 38. And yet, even after her death, the headlines about her continued, and her legacy lived on.