London became the final city in Sigmund Freud’s life: the destination of his flight from annexed Austria and the place where he died in 1939. In the account of his biography, the city marks the transition from a long-established Viennese life to exile, and finally to his death.

Exile from Vienna

Freud had been brought to Vienna by his parents at the age of four and lived there until 1938. Following Hitler’s annexation of Austria, he left Vienna for London. The move is presented as a direct consequence of the political upheaval, making London not simply a new residence but the endpoint of his flight from Austria.

Freud’s Final Years

Freud died in London on 23 September 1939, the year after arriving there. His death closes the biographical arc traced in the book: a life begun in Moravia, shaped by decades in Vienna, and ended in exile. London’s significance in this account is therefore bound to both displacement and finality.