The Leipzig episode in Freud's life (1859): a new narrative on the basis of recently discovered documents.

This paper sheds new light on the facts and chronology of Sigmund Freud's two-month stay in Leipzig. Using material from the Leipzig city archives, the authors explore the attempts of Freud's father in 1859 to obtain a permanent residence permit in Leipzig for himself and his family. At that time, there was a ban on the immigration of foreign Jews into Saxony, lifted only for merchants whose residence was deemed beneficial to local commerce. Evidently, Jacob Freud did not meet this requirement and therefore had to move on to Vienna. The significance of these events for Freud's mental development is discussed.