BIOGRAPHY

Anna Cernohorsky was born in Malešov, Czech Republic (then Molschen, Austria-Hungary), on 13 September 1909.

In 1931, she married Gottlieb, and the couple had three children: Gottlieb, Joseph, and Ursula. She arrived in Bautzen in the autumn 1946 after being expelled from her homeland at the end of the war. Her reputation as a skilled, trained ladies’ tailor quickly spread, helping her not only establish herself in the city but also find a new home. She remained self-employed throughout the era of East Germany and continued to pursue her craft well into old age. Her husband passed away at 79, while her sons Gottlieb lived to 86 and Joseph to 72.

She lived independently in her own apartment until she turned 102, at which point she moved into a nursing home. On her 112th birthday, Mayor Alexander Ahrens congratulated her, noting that she was just as she had been six years earlier—direct and always ready with a joke.

When asked about the secret to her longevity, her daughter Ursula explained that, contrary to the common advice of a healthy diet, she had always preferred fatty meats and sweet Bohemian cuisine. She never visited the doctor and was a chain smoker. Additionally, she enjoyed beer and liquor. However, in her later years, due to dementia, she eventually gave up smoking.

Cernohorsky passed away in Bautzen, Saxony, Germany, on 18 September 2022, at the age of 113 years, 5 days.

RECOGNITION

On 11 March 2022, at the age of 112 years, 179 days, she surpassed the final age of Maria Mika (1882–1994), becoming the oldest person ever born in Czech Republic.-

On 16 July 2022, following the passing of 113-year-old Josefine Ollmann, she became the oldest living person in Germany, at the age of 112 years, 306 days. She held the title for two months, before her own passing in September. She was succeeded by Charlotte Kretschmann.

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Älteste Sächsin feiert in Bautzen Geburtstag“– Sächsische Zeitung, 13 September 2019

* “Älteste Bautzenerin feiert 112. Geburtstag” – Sächsische Zeitung, 13 September 2021

* “Tabak, Bier und fettes Fleisch” – BILD.de, 4 August 2022

GALLERY