Adolphine von Klitzing
Adolphine von Klitzing (born September 27, 1772 in Schorbus near Cottbus , † March 26, 1844 in Berlin ; full name Adolphine Susanne Luise Karoline Johanna von Klitzing ) was Heinrich von Kleist's childhood friend .
origin
As the daughter of the Prussian major general Karl Kuno Ludwig von Klitzing (1728–1785), Adolphine grew up on the Schorbus family estate near Cottbus and, in her youth, became friends with Heinrich von Kleist.
Life
In 1791 she married the Prussian War and Tax Council Christoph Wilhelm von Werdeck (born January 9, 1759 - June 21, 1817) who did not live up to her intellectual demands and from whom she finally divorced in 1813. She had a daughter Mathilde von Werdeck (June 1, 1812 - September 30, 1888), who later married the Prussian diplomat Heinrich Friedrich Philipp von Bockelberg (March 11, 1802 - December 28, 1857).
During her husband's term of office in Potsdam , she became a close confidante of the Prussian Queen Luise ; During this time and on several trips abroad, there were further intensive contacts with Heinrich von Kleist and his circle and a lively correspondence. Heinrich von Kleist had written the following dedication in a copy of Moses Mendelssohn's Phaedon to his friend Adolphine von Werdeck:
- “Where the mists of gloom gray, participation and compassion flee. Sorrow stands lonely and avoided by all fortunate people like a fallen favorite. Only friendship smiles at him. For friendship is true, and bold, and unambiguous. HK "
In 1815 Adolphine, now divorced, married the then Prussian Colonel Karl Friedrich von dem Knesebeck (1768–1848), lived in Berlin and developed a lively literary production. Most of the letters, diaries and travelogues have been lost. The Berlin poet and novelist Helene von Hülsen (1829-1892), wife of the Prussian officer and theater manager Botho von Hülsen (1815-1886) had letters from Adolphines von dem Knesebeck in the weekly Der Bär von Berlin in the years 1889/90 from the years 1825 to 1840 published to family members, which paint an interesting picture of the Berlin court, diplomatic and military society and also illustrate the lively style of Heinrich von Kleist's childhood friend. The writer Hülsen describes her great-aunt with admiring words:
- “Adolfine von dem Knesebeck, née von Klitzing, was a very peculiar, unique appearance ... Unusual sharpness of mind, goodness of heart, peculiar living conditions and fates had made these characters so original and sharp that they were most common Those who were distant remained an insoluble problem and were often not understood even in their closer family circles. In the circles of the court, because of her often biting wit, more feared than loved and admired, Adolfine von dem Knesebeck showed her warm heart, so self-sacrificing to all she loved, to only a few in all its richness ... "
In the preface to the collection of letters, Helene von Hülsen eloquently described her great-aunt's meeting with Bonaparte, the first consul at the time in Paris - an event of world historical importance for the family.
She is buried after her husband in the old garrison cemetery in Berlin-Mitte.
Web links
- Literature by and about Adolphine von Klitzing in the catalog of the German National Library
Individual evidence
- ^ Christoph Wilhelm von Werdeck at worldhistory.de
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Klitzing, Adolphine von |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Klitzing, Adolphine Susanne Luise Karoline Johanna von (full name); Werdeck, Adolphine von (during the first marriage); Knesebeck, Adolphine von dem (during the second marriage) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Heinrich von Kleist's childhood friend |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 27, 1772 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Schorbus near Cottbus |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 26, 1844 |
| Place of death | Berlin |