In planning our trip, i found it very difficult to find information on how to visit this island without a day trip or cruise. Ritter chose to settle in the galapagos along with his lover and patient, dore strauch, after reading william beebe s popular book, galapagos worlds end. Ritter and dore strauch from in 1929, german doctor friedrich ritter felt the need to get out of germany. A survivors account of the galapagos affair 9781497424326. When satan came to eden is a story ripped from the headlines, although this mystery has been around for close to a century. Floreana travel guide overnight trips floreana forum. Having both left their spouses theyd set out to create paradise, far from their despised bourgeois milieu back in germany. In 1929, friedrich ritter abandoned his wife and berlin dental practice and eloped. The mysterious disappearance of two germans on the worldfamous galapagos islands reads like a soap opera and murder mystery all in one. The black forest is very different from the exposed equatorial island of floreana. Its story begins with the german doctor friedrich ritter, who in 1929 fled to a thenuninhabited speck of. The galapagos affair needlessly pads a fascinating.
People like german dentist friedrich ritter who left his wife and eloped with one of his patients, dore strauch. I had read this book twenty years ago while visiting the galapagos as well as some other books about the unusual people and bizarre events that occurred there involving the earliest settlers to the dry volcanic island of floreana. A survivors account of the galapagos affair by dore strauch, discusses the strange disappearance of an even stranger woman who called herself the baroness from the small island of floreana in the galapagos archipelago in the mid 1930s. Margret was in the fourth month of her first pregnancy. Dore and friedrich were in many ways living out their own embodiment of adam and eve and they were called the adam and eve of the galapagos, said dayna goldfine, whose documentary the galapagos affair chronicles the earliest inhabitants of the islands. A typed transcript of ritter s handwritten letter, with spelling as in the original.
Satan came to eden in the 1930s a german doctor and his mistress set up a refuge from civilization on an island in the galapagos chain only to have their eden fall prey to. One of the first was friedrich ritter, a german dentist who eloped to the islands after starting an affair with a. Despite the fact that they went to find utter solitude, they were discovered by the tabloids, mostly because letters they wrote home to friends and family were published. It started with an eccentric professor, dr friedrich ritter, and his lover, dore strauch, who fled to galapagos as hitler was rising to power. This is a great example of a living book about a family who moves to the galapagos island of floreana in 1932. Actress diane kruger portrayed wittmer in the documentary the galapagos. Friedrich ritter, a dentist, desired to map the human brain and felt civilization had nothing more to offer him. The silent scene is taken from old footage left by a handful of german and germanic.
Dore and friedrich were in many ways living out their own embodiment of adam and eve and they were called the adam and eve of the galapagos, said goldfine. Margret wittmer 19042000 was one of the original settlers of floreana island. On july 4, 1929, dore ritter and i, friedrich ritter, sailed from amsterdam on board the freighter boskop sic, boskoop. The wittmers remained on the islands and became wealthy years later when tourism boomed. They could scarcely have been further away from germany, which was the idea. Friedrich ritter, an eccentric german intellectual, and his longsuffering.
Dore strauch was a teacher who was convinced she was meant for greater things than a life as the wife of a cruel man and working beneath a headmaster who was twice her age. I visited floreana with my brother in june 2016, and we spent three days two nights there. Margret, her husband heinz, and her stepson harry moved to floreana island in 1932, following the arrival of german doctor friedrich ritter and his wife. The story is about the family, how they survived, and the interesting people who tried to live on the island or sailed in to see them. Margret wittmer, in her book floreana, describes her decision to emigrate with her husband and little son from cologne, germany to floreana in 1932. For berlin doctor friedrich ritter and his lover and former patient, dore strauch, the promise of solitude was too much to resist. In 1932 heinz and margaret wittmer arrived with their son harry, and shortly afterwards their son rolf was born there, the first citizen of the island to have been born in.
The galapagos affair by treherne, john and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. A tale of murder in the enchanted islands galapagos. Suffering is something to endure and learn from, the compact, muscular german expat physician friedrich ritter tells his msafflicted mistress and fellow exile dore strauch in dayna goldfine and dan gellers painstakingly executed, strangely fascinating documentary the galapagos affair. In 1929, a nietzscheobsessed doctor, friedrich ritter, left his wife and his german homeland to flee with his mistress, dore strauch, to floreana, a deserted island in the galapagos archipelago off the coast of ecuador. They left their spouses and set sail for the galapagos. Satan came to eden 20 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Ritter s book is of theosophical leanings, but it is the type of theosophical.
In 1929 a german doctor named friedrich ritter and his former patient dore strauch landed on floreana, a thenuninhabited island in the galapagos archipelago off the coast of ecuador. Strauch met ritter in germany during her treatment for multiple sclerosis. The impressive cast includes cate blanchett and diane kruger. The two fell in love and decided to run away together to the remote galapagos islands to begin a new life. The strange story of friedrich ritte and the murder in. Floreana is part of the galapagos islands, off the coast of ecuador. Dore strauch returned to germany and wrote a book, fascinating not only for the sordid tales of the galapagos affair but for its look at the hard life of the early settlers. Friedrich ritter was born in the little town of wollbach near germanys black. The couple seem to have had a sadomasochistic relationship, with. The human story of galapagos, explained klaus, did not begin with charles darwin, though his visit in 1835 certainly helped put the islands on the map. To those who could not know or understand our motives, the journey upon which we had embarked must have seemed the strangest ever undertaken. In 1929 the first settlers to arrive on floreana island were doctor friedrich ritter and his lover dore strauch. Galapagos affair, historical documentary of island.
In 1929 a german dentist, friedrich ritter, ran away to the island to start a new life, bringing with him one of his patients, dore strauch. Although mostly uninhabited, a few people began to settle on the galapagos during the 1930s. In the garden of hacienda paradiso, floreana island, galapagos. The first settlers of floreana were berlin doctor friedrich ritter and his lover dore strauch. Both dore strauch and margret wittmer wound up writing books about their experiences on the islandthe films subtitle, satan came to eden, comes from strauchs book and the galapagos affair works best when it sticks close to their frequently conflicting narratives, ably brought to life by the international cast which also, somewhat jarringly, includes josh radnor as the voice of an. In 1929, friedrich ritter and dore strauch arrived in guayaquil from berlin to settle on floreana, and sent messages back encouraging others. In this time, the only other two inhabitants on the island were the german friedrich ritter and his partner dore strauch. Running off with one of his patients, dore strauch, he made his way to the galapagos islands, where he settled on floreana island. Friedrich ritter abandoned his wife and berlin dental practice and eloped with his patient and lover, a married teacher named dore. This is the third in a series of murder mystery posts about a 1930s smithsonian scientific expedition, based on records in the smithsonian institution archives collections.
The tales were of nudism, free love communes, stainless steel dentures a latterday garden of eden. Islands and came across a local history book with the intriguingly titled chapter. Floreana by margret wittmer is another book which along with satan came to eden. Documenting drama in the galapagos affair the boston globe. Click download or read online button to get the galapagos affair book now. Frederick ritter and dore strauch fled the social and economic turmoil of post world. Margret, her husband heinz, and her stepson harry moved to floreana island in 1932, following the arrival of german doctor friedrich ritter and his wife, dore strauch. Words enclosed in braces are additionscorrections to ritter s original text. Shortly after marrying margret in 1931, he announced that they were moving to the galapagos.
The galapagos islands are best known for their giant tortoises, but theyre also the site of one of the most bizarre homesteading misadventures ever, complete with protohippies, a polyamorous. Back in the 30s, the galapagos were largely uninhabited and far from the tourist attraction it has morphed into today. Ritter chose to settle in the galapagos along with his lover and patient, dore strauch, after reading william beebes popular book, galapagos worlds end. The empress of the galapagos islands, part 3 smithsonian. The mysterious murder that rocked the galapagos islands. Set in the brutal yet alluring landscape of the galapagos islands, it interweaves an unsolved whodunnit from the 1930s. The galapagos affair download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. The galapagos affair satan came to eden zeitgeist films. When satan came to eden when berlin physician friedrich ritter came to the island.
Ive written about both books here, as well as a later account written by. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. In 1929 a german doctor named friedrich ritter and his former patient dore strauch landed on floreana, a thenuninhabited island in the galapagos archipelago features book marks. A devout follower of nietzsche, ritter hoped to become a great, published philosopher in his own right while. In 1929, berlin physician friedrich ritter thomas kretschmann left germany. Search for library items search for lists search for contacts search for a library. Blue footed boobie in galapagos islands national park.
Friedrich ritter, an eccentric german intellectual, and his longsuffering companion dora strauch, were. The galapagos affair is a documentary, directed by daniel geller and dayna goldfine. Yet, audiences may be most startled initially by the underlying fact that san francisco married filmmakers dayna goldfine and dan geller have made a movie on the remote galapagos. The gruesome history of the galapagos islands nietzsche. In 1929, friedrich ritter and dore strauch arrived in guayaquil from berlin to settle on floreana, and sent letters back that were widely reported in the press. Heinz wittmer had been fascinated by published stories of dr. He was equally absorbed as was much of the world by william beebes book, galapagos, end of the world. Three dead, including two mummies, two disappearances never understood, a fatal poisoning, a trip to tahiti probably never accomplished, sex, lovers, lost marginal on a galapagos island there was enough to create around the central. Friedrich ritter, an eccentric german intellectual, and his longsuffering companion dora strauch, were the first arrivals. The new documentary film the galapagos affair tells the story of european settlers who move to a remote island looking for paradise, but become embroiled in an murder mystery when two of the. Satan came to eden is both a murdermystery documentary, with aspects of hitchcock and agatha christie, and an exploration of humanitys perennial search for paradise.
Over halfacentury ago fanciful and exotic stories began to appear in the worlds press about settlers on the remote galapagos island of floreana. He took his girlfriend and devotee, dore strauch koerwein, with him to floreana after leaving their mutual spouses together back home in an unorthodox, switcheroo arrangement. Frederick ritter and dore strauch fled the social and economic turmoil of postworld. Last week i watched an excellent documentary film, the galapagos affair. Nearly 250 miles from the nearest coast, its an area of rolling hills, sandstone cliffs and dark, brooding pine forests, scattered with pocket size fields and tiny. Ritter and dores journey to and life in the galapagos.