BIOGRAPHY

Luise Pompe was born in Chernivtsi (then Czernowitz), Austria-Hungary (now Chernivtsi Oblast, Ukraine), on 13 October 1908. As a young girl, she took piano lessons from the piano teacher Hedda Ballon (1893–1979), who was known far beyond Austria’s borders. Playing the piano was a life-long passion for Luise. A newspaper report from 1932 mentioned that she was already working as a teacher at that time.

Pompe remained unmarried and childless throughout her life. Luise worked for many years as a senior librarian at the Austrian National Library and also gave piano lessons for a few years. Around 1965, she worked as a librarian and lived in an apartment in Vienna’s 2nd district, Leopoldstadt. She retired on 31 December 1970, at the age of 62.

Until her death, she remained mentally active, well-read, and interested in world affairs. She lived independently in her apartment until the age of 103 and received regular private care from the end of 2011 onward.

In around 2011, Pompe became a client of 24 Stunden Pflege, a care organization that enables elderly people to still live in their own homes with live-in carers.

Pompe died on 11 November 2022 in Vienna at the age of 114 years, 29 days, with her funeral being held on 2 December.

RECOGNITION

Pompe was practically anonymous up until her death, with only her initials ‘L. P.’ being publicly known from the Facebook post made by her care organization for her 110th birthday.

Following the passing of Anna Wiesmayr on 23 September 2019, she became Austria’s oldest resident, at the age of 110 years, 345 days.

On 10 April 2021, at the age of 112 years, 179 days, she became Austria’s oldest person ever, after surpassing the final age of Maria Mika (1882–1994).

Pompe was the first person in Austria to reach both the ages of 113 and 114.

On 16 July 2022, after Josefine Ollmann‘s death, she became the last European born in 1908. At the time of her passing, she was the third-oldest living person in Europe, after Lucile Randon (France) and María Branyas Morera (Spain).

Upon her passing, Margarete Tröstl succeeded her as the nation’s oldest living resident.

Her age was verified by Georg Fürholzer and Stefan Maglov, and validated by LongeviQuest on 10 February 2025.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Heute ist ein ganz besonderer Tag – wir konnten mit unserer Kundin Frau L.P. ihren 110. Geburtstag feiern” – 24StundenPflege, 15 October 2018

* Luise Pompe – Wikipedia

* Luise Philippine Pompe – Friedhöfe Wien

GALLERY