Carl Heinrich Nicolai

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Carl Heinrich Nicolai (1739–1823)

Carl Heinrich Nicolai (born November 26, 1739 in Berlin ; † September 18, 1823 in Lohmen ) was a teacher, theologian, hiking guide and writer. Nicolai was one of the first hiking guides in Saxon Switzerland ; together with Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger , he is considered to be the tourist developer of this region.

Live and act

The church in Lohmen , Carl Heinrich Nicolai's place of work from 1797

Nicolai grew up as the son of the impoverished shoemaker Johann Christian Nicolai in Berlin. For financial reasons, he was denied a higher education or a degree, instead he was forced to learn his father's profession. In 1758, however, he was given the opportunity to train as a teacher at a secondary school . This activity corresponded to his intellectual interests and in the following year he was able to take up a job as a teacher for religion and geography in Döbernitz . In 1762 he returned to Berlin for a short time due to an illness, but took up his job as a village school teacher in Döbernitz again in the same year. After expanding his knowledge of Latin and Greek, he took up a teaching position in Dresden in 1764 . In addition to school lessons, he also gave numerous private lessons here. In his free time he continued theological and scientific studies he had already started. In 1780 Nicolai started giving physics lectures.

From 1784 he worked as a teacher at the Freemason Institute in Friedrichstadt . From 1789 to 1797 he worked here as director of the teachers' college. Nicolai succeeded Deacon Feigenhauer, the first director of the facility. After the death of his wife (1797) he gave up his post, passed the theology exam at the age of 58 and took over a vacant pastor's position in Lohmen. He quickly began to explore the surrounding rocky landscape in Saxon Switzerland. On his hiking and excursion tours, he was increasingly accompanied by visitors who, like Nicolai, were fascinated by the nature of Saxon Switzerland. Probably at the suggestion of his visitors, Nicolai published the first guide through Saxon Switzerland in 1801 . By 1825 the book appeared in five editions and made the author v. a. known in Dresden. His rectory in Lohmen was the first port of call for travelers to Saxon Switzerland. At that time, the place was considered the gateway to Saxon Switzerland, as the journey was not yet made via Pirna and the transport routes in the Elbe Valley, as is usual today , but via Pillnitz , the Liebethaler Grund and Lohmen to the Bastei and further into the rear Saxon Switzerland.

In 1821 Nicolai fell ill with an eye disease which forced him to quit his work as a pastor. Carl Heinrich Nicolai died in Lohmen on September 18, 1823.

family

Nicolai married Henriette Marquardt in 1769, who died in 1797. The death of his wife was one of the decisive factors in Nicolai's move from Dresden to Lohmen. The rural seclusion of Saxon Switzerland helped him to come to terms with the pain of losing his first wife. In 1799 he married again. At his death he left 5 daughters and 4 sons.

Aftermath

Memorial plaque for Nicolai and Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger on the Bastei bridge

Carl Heinrich Nicolai, together with Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger, is one of the developers of Saxon Switzerland. He has the merit of having written the first travel guide about the region. In contrast to Götzinger's descriptions from the years 1786 and 1804, Nicolai dispensed with extensive local and natural history descriptions, although his knowledge would have allowed this. Instead, Nicolai published a short and handy travel guide, which v. a. enjoyed great popularity among the Dresden residents. With his work as a writer and hiking guide, he made a significant contribution to the awareness of Saxon Switzerland and laid the foundation for the region's tourism development.

Nicolai's grave, restored in 1973, can be found in the immediate vicinity of the church in the Lohmen cemetery. In addition, a "Nicolaiweg" named after him and a stone tablet near the Bastei bridge reminds of the pastor's work.

Fonts

The comprehensive education of the pastor and teacher is expressed in his writings on completely different subjects. In addition to the famous hiking guide, Nicolai wrote a book on astronomy and one on calendars . In a memorandum on the subject of lightning rods , he published his experiences with the construction and operation of such facilities. He had installed lightning rods himself in the rectory and church. Finally, Nicolai wrote an autobiography.

  • Completely raised concerns about the installation of the lightning rods, together with instructions on how they can be installed most easily and cheaply , Waltherische Hofbuchhandlung, Dresden 1800
  • Signpost through Saxon Switzerland along with a travel map , Pirna 1801
  • About the silkworms , Leipzig 1801
  • About the dogs , Leipzig 1801
  • Signpost through the starry sky , Dresden 1810
  • Prudence in the starry sky , Berlin 1812
  • Key to the Secrets of the 1814 Calendar
  • Confession of Faith , Pirna 1823
  • The Enigmatic Man - Description of the life of Pastor Nikolai in Lohmen, sketched out by himself in old age , 1865

literature

Web links

Commons : Carl Heinrich Nicolai  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Nicolai, Carl Heinrich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German homeland researcher
DATE OF BIRTH November 26, 1739
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH September 18, 1823
Place of death Lohmen (Saxony)