Nathan Bretzfelder was born in Estenfeld on August 13, 1863 as the son of Samuel and Hanna Bretzfelder, née Reichmann. For many years he was the chairman of the Israelite Religious Community and as its determined opponent actively fought against the rise of National Socialism in Bad Kissingen. With his spa hotel – “Villa Holländer” - he managed to establish himself as the hotelier with one of the best hotels in the town.

Since 1891, he was married to Klara, née Goldstein. Their first child Sali was born on January 10, 1894, became a merchant and died in Innsbruck as early as in 1914. In 1895, their daughter Irma was born who married the doctor Dr. Sally Mayer from Fürth in 1923. In the same year, he opened his practice as a physician and bath doctor in the spa hotel of his father-in-law, “Villa Holländer”. In 1899 Nathan Bretzfelder was awarded the right of a Kissingen citizen. On New Year’s Day of 1931, the respected citizen could celebrate a rare anniversary: On that day he had been a member of the town parliament continuously or 25 years. From 1905 till 1919, Nathan Bretzfelder had been one of the community plenipotentiaries, then he became a member of the town council. To honour him, the town council decided on December 23, 1930 to hand out a certificate to him and to enable him to sign the Golden Book of Bad Kissingen. To this end, Mayor Dr. Pollwein personally took the Golden Book to Bretzfelder’s house. The Mayor of Bad Kissingen thanked Bretzfelder on behalf of the town for his “unselfish, meritorious activities in the service of the common good in the course of two and a half decades”. Nathan Bretzfelder was moved and thanked Dr. Pollwein for the honour and made a donation for charitable purposes.

Only two years later Nathan Bretzfelder had to experience that he was first taken into protective custody in March 1933 and that he had to leave Kissingen Town Council against his will together with Otto Goldstein. During the Nazi-regime, Nathan Bretzfelder took great pains to support the community members. In the middle of March 1938, Kissingen Town Council tried again to take revenge on Nathan Bretzfelder because of his passionate fight against the rise of National Socialism in Bad Kissingen during the Weimar Republic: On the initiative of Town Councilor and District Propaganda Leader Josef Bauch, Nathan Bretzfelder was no longer given a concession for his spa hotel, because “during the fight for and seizure of power of the Movement, the Jew Bretzfelder had objected to and proved completely detrimental to it”. In the Pogrom Night of November 9/10, 1938, Nathan Bretzfelder was arrested and imprisoned the jail of the District Council. Together with some other very old men the 75-year-old Bretzfelder was released from protective custody two days later.

He died on February 1, 1939 in Bad Kissingen. On his gravestone he is honoured as a “faithful man, adornment of his family, benefactor, and chairman of our community”.