Otto Engelhardt

[4] Don Otto, as his Sevillian countrymen called him, later took charge of the Seville Tram company, where he reduced the working hours in winter for drivers and collectors, who dedicated an emotional plaque to him in gratitude.

[2] He believed in pacifism, human rights and freedom to its ultimate consequences, helping Spain remain neutral during the First World War, when he, as a consul, managed to prevent a serious sabotage attempt by a German navy officer against Spanish ships in the port of Seville, a plot that included consular custody of some explosives that were hidden.

[2][5] After his managerial period, his entrepreneurial spirit led him to found the Sanavida pharmaceutical company located in the town of San Juan de Aznalfarache, a laboratory that marketed medications and drugs such as Ceregumil, Nervidin, Neocrom, and Epivomin, which was used for the treatment of epilepsy, insomnia, pregnancy vomiting, and nervous disorders in general.

[2] Engelhardt was a regular columnist for the newspaper El Liberal de Sevilla [es], which had an innovative spirit, being a precursor of the most modern trends in the current press, and which was directed by his friend José Laguillo.

[2][4] Engelhardt's contrary position regarding National Socialism, which was gaining followers in his native Germany, made him unpopular among his people, and after Hitler's rise as chancellor in 1933, he received criticism and threats from the new German government for his articles.

[1][2][4] Engelhardt even telegraphed Hitler himself on 4 August 1934 with a brief message: 'down with fascism', and wrote a revealing book, Goodbye Deutschland (1934),[4] in which he explained very clearly the reasons that led him to request Spanish naturalization, being highly praised by the democratic press of his native country.

[1] On 19 August 1936, Engelhardt was admitted to the Cinco Llagas Hospital, in the San Cosme room, bed number 37, due to phlebitis, but he was discharged on 12 September 1936, and on that same day, he was taken to the Public Order Delegation, located on Jesús del Gran Poder [es] Street, and there he was detained until his execution.

[4] Afterwards they ensured that his life and works fell into oblivion, but his family managed to recover and restore his memory,[2] with his great-granddaughter Ruth later stating that they "have not yet been able to obtain proof that the order for him to be shot came from Hitler".

[4] In October 2021, an exhibition called "Discovering Otto Engelhardt", also repeating the title of the documentary, was organized by the San Juan de Aznalfarache City Council and the House of the Province-Diputación of Seville and held at the Plaza del Triunfo to show the visitors the most unknown aspects of his biography.