John Green

John Green around 1900

Jean ("John") Grün (born August 27, 1868 in Bad Mondorf ; † November 3, 1912 in Ettelbrück ) was a Luxembourgish man of strength. He was better known under the name Herkul Grün and was considered the strongest man in the world at the time.

biography

Jean Grün was born in 1868 as the son of Johann Grün and Anna Schneider into a long-established family of craftsmen from Bad Mondorf.

In 1889, at the age of 21, he emigrated to America, where he met Alexander Marx, a professional athlete and strongman. Marx recognized Grün's talent and teamed up with him so that they went on tour together as 'The Two Marks' in America. In 1892, when Grün was already considered the strongest man in the world, he went back to his native Luxembourg to show off his powers. He later teamed up with the Belgian athlete Miss Fanny until he finally appeared alone as John or Herkul Grün.

At the Schobermesse in 1897, where he appeared in the "Grand Théâtre Fernando", John Grün was a major attraction. In 1898 he managed to keep a carousel with eleven people in it in the air for a few minutes at the Schobermesse.

Detail on the Old John Green Monument

During his public appearances, he would bend nails with his fingers, use only muscle power to blow horseshoes to pieces, or break stones on his chest with a thick hammer. One of his most famous numbers is depicted on the monument erected in his honor in Bad Mondorf: In an ornament you can see green standing on a platform and lifting two horses with adult riders into the air with the help of ropes.

After his strength had finally left him, Grün ran a hotel in London for a while. After a stroke , he died in the psychiatric institution in Ettelbrück. He was buried in his home village Bad Mondorf.

Honors

In Bad Mondorf, next to the monument erected in 1920 and a street named in his honor, the Stade John Grün commemorates the strength athlete. In memory of John Grün, Milo Barus began his world tour in 1929 as the strongest man and world champion in carrying loads with several appearances in Luxembourg, where he performed appropriate acts of strength with some original props. On the 100th anniversary of his death in 2012, he was commemorated by laying a bouquet of flowers at his grave in the presence of Mayor Maggy Nagel and representatives of the community, culture and sport as well as numerous residents. After a subsequent memorial service in the parish church, there was a solemn procession that led to Grün's birthplace, where the mayor solemnly unveiled a plaque attached to the house. It reads: "Dans cette maison naquit John Grun - Roi de la force 1868 - 1912" (in German: John Grün was born in this house - King of Power 1868 - 1912 ). To mark the 100th anniversary of John Grün's death, a steel monument was erected next to the parish hall in 2012, which is intended to remind of the extraordinary muscular strength of this man of strength, the "New John Green Monument".

Web links

Commons : John Grün  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Once upon a time ... Retrieved October 28, 2017 . 
2. ↑ At one of his demonstrations in Luxembourg, Emil Bahr was honored by the Grand Duchess present in 1929 as a worthy successor to John Grün .
3. ↑ Sympathetic muscle man: John Grün died 100 years ago. Retrieved October 28, 2017 .