6th September, Budapest 1869 – The birth of Felix Salten

Siegmund Salzmann, or Felix Salten as his name became later, was born in Budapest on the 6th of September 1869. He had to move to Austria after only three weeks, as the Austrians were providing full citizenship to the Jews since 1867.

But who is Felix Salten, or Siegmund Salzmann, and what is he known for? His most famous work is Bambi, which he wrote in 1923. Bambi was later translated to English in 1928 and sold to Sidney Franklin for $1,000 in 1933. Sideny Franklin later transferred the rights to Walt Disney Studios, and they released the film Bambi in 1942.

So, next time you see Bambi you have a reason to think about the city of Budapest, and the nation of Hungary!

Another famous Jew from Budapest
Another famous Jew that was born in Budapest was Theodore Herzl (born 1860), the leader of the Zionist movement. He and his family also moved to Vienna, approximately the same time as Felix Salten did.

When they lived in Budapest, they lived just next to the big synagogue in Dohány Utca.

Read more about the other attractions in Budapest here.

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