BIOGRAPHY

Brosig was born in Kiełczów (then Groß-Weigelsdorf), Lower Silesia, Poland (then Germany), on 15 January 1911. She was the third eldest of four siblings. In 1939, at the age of 28, she obtained her driver’s license. At some point, she got married and had two sons.

During World War II, she and her family fled Poland, initially moving to Dresden, where they endured the bombing. They later relocated to Bavaria and eventually settled in Münster, where they lived for 20 years. Her husband’s career change brought the family to Hanover. Her husband passed away in 1977. She did not have formal employment but worked as a seamstress in an English barracks during the post-war period. One of her sons died at the age of 73.

At the age of 100, she moved into an assisted living facility in Seelze, where she lived for the next five years. However, her grandson remarked that it wasn’t the right fit for her, as she didn’t require much assistance. Afterward, she returned to her own apartment. At the age of 107, she broke her femoral neck and had to undergo surgery for the first time in her life, nearly resulting in an amputation of her leg.

On her 108th birthday, she received a visit from the Mayor of Hanover, Stefan Schostok, as well as congratulatory letters from the Federal President and the Prime Minister. She expressed her discomfort with the attention surrounding her birthday, remarking, “Not everyone needs to know how old I am.” She was still living in her own apartment in Ricklingen. At the age of 108, she was still making her own red cabbage, refusing to buy it from a jar. By that time, her hearing and vision were deteriorating. She reportedly did not have a secret for her longevity, but her grandson mentioned that she always ate plenty of vegetables from the garden. She didn’t smoke, though she occasionally enjoyed a small beer and had oatmeal with linseed for breakfast.

Sometime shortly after her 108th birthday, she moved into a senior citizens’ center in Hanover. At the age of 111, she shared her advice for longevity: “Eat healthily, cook fresh food, and for digestion, you can have a little schnapps now and then.” At the age of 113, she had four grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.

Brosig passed away in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany, on 23 July 2024, at the age of 113 years, 190 days.

RECOGNITION

In 2021, she became the oldest (known) living resident of Lower Saxony.

On 12 January 2023, following the passing of Babette Endres, she became the second-oldest living person in Germany, following Charlotte Kretschmann.

On 31 May 2023, at the age of 112 years, 136 days, she surpassed the final age of Gertrud Henze, becoming the oldest person ever to live in Lower Saxony.

At the time of her passing, she was the third-oldest validated woman and person ever to die in Germany, following Charlotte Kretschmann and Josefine Ollmann. An unvalidated male supercentenarian, Gustav Gerneth, might have been older than her at the time of his death.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Mit 108: Erna Brosig ist die Älteste in Hannover” – Neue Presse, 15 January 2019

* “111 Jahre! Das Geheimnis von Erna Borsig: Zur Verdauung einen Schnaps” – Bild, 14 January 2022

* “113-Jährige verrät ihr Rezept für ein langes Leben” – Bild, 14 January 2024

* “Traueranzeige von Erna Brosig” – trauer-anzeigen.de, 27 July 2024

GALLERY