Castrum Peregrini

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Castrum Peregrini
Purpose:
Chair:
Managing directors: Michael Defuster (executive manager), Frans Damman (marketing), Lars Ebert (programs)
Consist: since 1957
Founder: Gisèle van Waterschoot van der Gracht , Wolfgang Frommel , Selina Pierson
Seat: Amsterdam
Website: www.castrumperegrini.org

no purpose statedno chair indicated

Castrum Peregrini - Intellectual Playground is the name of a cultural foundation based at 401 Herengracht in Amsterdam . Until 2007, the foundation was largely committed to maintaining the memory of Stefan George and Wolfgang Frommel . From this time it managed a rich historical legacy: building, archive, library and a multi-layered past that was strongly influenced by the two central figures Wolfgang Frommel and Gisèle van Waterschoot van der Gracht . After the reorientation of the foundation, which was propagated as a departure from the Frommel era, Castrum Peregrini sees itself as a cultural center with a pan-European presence.

history

Herengracht 401, Amsterdam

In 1941 Gisèle van Waterschoot van der Gracht moved into an apartment in the Herengracht 401 house in Amsterdam. In 1942, she made this apartment available to Wolfgang Frommel and a group of German-Jewish youth who had previously attended the Quaker School in Eerde as a shelter. The group, which saw itself in the tradition of the George Circle and found a way of surviving life in hiding psychologically unscathed by engaging with his (poetic) art, remained undisturbed during the German occupation, for which Frommel and Gisèle van Waterschoot 1973 were honored as Righteous Among the Nations in Yad Vashem .

The group of people in hiding had taken on the name Castrum Peregrini - in English pilgrims' castle . The name was chosen based on the never conquered crusader castle Château Pèlerin near Haifa and was retained even after the end of the Second World War as a name for the circle of friends gathered around Frommel. It was first adopted in 1950 as the title of a magazine and then as the publisher's name. The publisher, which publishes in German, saw itself as an “exile publisher” with a focus on intellectual history and poetry in the tradition of Stefan George . In the second edition of the 1985 book by Claus Victor Bock , Untergetaucht unter Freunde , which tells the story of the hiding place in the Herengracht, the imprint says about the founding history of the publisher: "Castrum Peregrini was founded in 1950 under the sponsorship of Carl August Klein † Wilhelm Fraenger † and Lothar Helbing founded by JE Zeylmans van Emmichoven. Editor and editor-in-chief MR Goldschmidt. Advisory board: Claus Victor Bock [London], Karlhans Kluncker [Bonn], CM Stibbe [Rome] ”. Lothar Helbing was Wolfgang Frommel's pseudonym, under whom he had already published before his emigration; the other godfather, Carl August Klein, is an early member of the George Circle (* 1867 in Darmstadt - † 1952), who was already involved in the publication of George's magazine Blätter für die Kunst .

Joke Haverkorn writes about the situation of the magazine in the mid-1950s: “The magazine Castrum Peregrini had grown and, thanks to financial support from Bonn, including from Inter Nationes , was on safe ground. Manuel Goldschmidt had developed into a capable and determined publisher. “The house in the Herengracht, which had been acquired by Gisèle van Waterschoot floor by floor, was converted in such a way that Gisèle, who in 1959 was Arnold D'Ailly, lawyer and banker, and from 1946 to Mayor of Amsterdam in 1956, who lived on the upper two floors, while Frommel and Manuel Goldschmidt lived and worked on the lower floors.

On Frommel's initiative, the Castrum Peregrini Foundation was established in 1957 . According to Haverkorn, he was the source of the ideas, but not the financier, because he lived largely from the hospitality of Gisèle van Waterschoot. “In the early years, Chris Dekker supported the foundation financially. But in the end it was Selina Pierson, who died in 1965, and later Gisèle, who brought in all her belongings. It is an irony of fate to call that two very independent women, of all people, laid the financial basis for the Castrum Peregrini Foundation and for the residents of the Herengracht. All the more so as in the select crowd of pilgrims, based on the 'masterly' example, women were assigned a subordinate and actually no participating role. "

The magazine Castrvm Peregrini was published from 1950 to 2007 with five issues per year and in numbered editions by its own publisher. Always related to Stefan George and his environment, in addition to treatises on the history of ideas, larger collections of sources were brought out, such as editions of letters from Friedrich Gundolf , Friedrich Wolters or other members of the George district. In 2007 there was a significant turning point within the foundation: "The current generation [meaning the management of the foundation at the time] discontinued the magazine and publisher in 2007/2008 and distanced themselves from the George-inspired community around Wolfgang Frommel." 2008 at Wallstein Verlag in Göttingen as a follow-up project a series of publications published by the scientists Wolfgang Braungart , Ute Oelmann (as representative of the Castrum Peregrini Foundation) and Ernst Osterkamp under the title Castrum Peregrini. New episode .

Current positioning

As a result of the alleged renunciation of the George and Frommel cult of earlier years, the Castrum Peregrini has prescribed a new self-image. Journalist Julia Encke visited the facility in April 2018 . In an interview with her, “(while George busts are standing on the windowsill behind them) the three 'Castrum' employees decidedly distance themselves from Frommel's George cult: 'We are a younger generation that has not been through it,' they claim. 'Pedagogical Eros' has not played a role in the 'Castrum' for 15 years, we no longer read George, and that was a conscious decision. The whole cult of friendship seemed anachronistic to us. We sold the library, which was part of a ›rite de passage‹ with which we wanted to find relevance today. '"

More about the current self-image can be found on the homepage: “Castrum Peregrini is a unique cultural center that combines a rich and multi-layered past with the pressing social issues of today. Castrum Peregrini has a clear belief in a society where nobody is excluded and where diversity and equality are accepted as conditions for progress. Our core values ​​FREEDOM, FRIENDSHIP and CULTURE reflect this. Firmly rooted in Amsterdam, it is internationally oriented.

Castrum Peregrini is a place of (artistic) research and encounter. It offers a protected environment for artists, thinkers, opinion leaders and activists to work in the context of the organization and in exchange with their network and audience. ”This claim should be realized on three levels:

  • Memory Machine is a public program about the relationship between cultural or collective memory and individual identity. Lectures, exhibitions, performances, workshops, debates and publications are aimed at artists, students, teachers and opinion leaders.
  • Intellectual Playground focuses on developing new ideas through (artistic) research and encounters. Think tank meetings, residency programs and cooperation projects collect, develop and share knowledge with a large number of local and international partner organizations.
  • The House of Gisèle offers guided tours and educational events in which the past is literally visible. The labyrinth of rooms, corridors, stairs and surprising rooms is a living testimony to the life of the artist Gisèle van Waterschoot van der Gracht (1912–2013). Their interiors and collections tell countless stories about culture and humanity. ”What is not on the homepage, and which is in a certain contradiction to the alleged departure from the Frommel circle:“ Part of the apartment was left as it was, underneath the Frommel room with the seating in front of the window facing the canal, where George was read, with the bookshelves and the devotional items (dried ivy wreaths, photos, statues) that make one rather uncomfortable to look at. "

The fact that in this context, as it says on the homepage, "the historical environment and the complex history of Castrum Peregrini [...] will form a laboratory for the researching artist and the interdisciplinary researcher" has not been the benchmark since 2017 Rejectable necessity of having to deal with the abuse allegations from the 'complex story', especially since part of the current management team may still be part of this story itself.

The master's shadow

The sexual preferences around Wolfgang Frommel and the Castrum Peregrini were discussed in a master's thesis by Anaïs Van Ertvelde in 2012. In 2013, Joke Haverkorn's book distant memories of W. was published , which not only addressed Frommel's sexual preferences, but also clearly reported on sexual abuse. These allegations were renewed in 2017 when Frank Ligtvoet, a former close relative of the circle around Frommel, came out as a victim of such incidents. His painful experience reports were reinforced by the research of the two journalists Botje and Donkers, who were able to present further victim reports in February 2018.

In an initial statement by the management of the CP, which the editors of Vrij Nederland , the newspaper in which the articles by Ligtvoet, Botje and Donkers appeared, refused to reprint for understandable reasons, an attempt was made primarily to refer the incidents to other institutions (the Schools in Eerde and Beverweerd) or to assign them to an earlier era with which today's CP has nothing to do. This is also indicated on the current homepage of the foundation: “In more than 70 years Castrum Peregrini has taken on many forms and represented different values ​​and stories: a hiding place and shelter during the Second World War, the home of the painter Gisèle, a magazine and a Publishing house, a cultural foundation and a community organized around the friendship cult, inspired by the German poet Stefan George and led by Wolfgang Frommel. The story of hiding and thus the person of Gisèle van Waterschoot van der Gracht is only part of a complex story, but one that most inspires and motivates today's Castrum Peregrini.

In 2007/2008 the current generation dissolved the magazine and the publisher and distanced themselves from the George-inspired community around Wolfgang Frommel. "

Because of the critical attitude of today's Castrum Peregrini, the Freundeskreis Wolfgang Frommels organized itself into the Wolf van Cassel Stichting, which also manages his intellectual and material estate. The historical-critical biography of Annet Mooij offers new insights into the role of Gisèle van Waterschoot.

Nevertheless, following the latest allegations of abuse, the foundation has announced two measures to deal with its history:

  • She wants to have a critical history of the CP written that covers all aspects of its cultural significance, even if they should be related to abuse. To this end, an independent research group was set up under the direction of Professor Rosemarie Buikema from the University of Utrecht;
  • For those who suffer from traumatic memories, an independent confidant has been appointed as a contact person.

People around the Castrum Peregrini

Most of the people from the founding period and the period after the Second World War were recruited from former students of the Quaker School Eerde and its successor institutions:

literature

  • Günter Baumann: Poetry as a way of life. Wolfgang Frommel between George-Kreis and Castrum Peregrini . Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg 1995, ISBN 3-8260-1112-0
  • Thomas Karlauf : Master with his own circle. In: Sense and Form . Year 63, Issue 2, 2011, pp. 211-219.
  • Marita Keilson-Lauritz : Kentaurenliebe: Sideways of male love in the 20th century , Männerschwarm Verlag GmbH, Hamburg, 2013, ISBN 3-86300-143-5 .
  • Michael Philipp: Lived Life - the Power of Poetry. The Castrum Peregrini Amsterdam publishing house . In: Clams . Annual journal for literature . No. 30. Viersen 1993, ISSN  0085-3593 .
  • Donald O. White: Castrum Peregrini and the Heritage of Stefan George (Yale University dissertation, 1963 [unprinted]).
  • Friedrich W. Buri: I gave you the torch in leaps and bounds. WF a reminder report. Edited and with an afterword by Stephan C. Bischoff, Verlag für Berlin-Brandenburg, Berlin, 2009, ISBN 978-3-86650-068-6 . (The title is borrowed from the poem "Die Fackel" by Wolfgang Frommel.)
  • Wolfgang Cordan: The mat. Autobiographical records , in the appendix: Days with Antonio MännerschwarmSkript Verlag, Hamburg, 2003, ISBN 3-935596-33-2 . Also a review by Herbert Potthoff in Invertito , 6, 2004.
  • Michael Angele: Schirrmacher: A portrait. Structure, Berlin 2018, ISBN 978-3-8412-1509-3 .
  • Joke Haverkorn van Rijswijk: Distant memories of W. Daniel Osthoff Verlag, Würzburg, 2013, ISBN 978-3-935998-11-6 .
  • Claus Victor Bock: In hiding among friends. A report. Amsterdam 1942-1945 . Castrum Peregrini 166-167, Amsterdam 1985.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wolfgang Frommel on the website of Yad Vashem (English)
  2. ↑ Timeline of 'Castrum Peregrini' Herengracht 401
  3. ↑ On the works of Klein see: Carl August Klein - Catalog of Works.
  4. ^ Joke Haverkorn van Rijswijk: Removed memories of W. , pp. 58–59
  5. ^ Joke Haverkorn van Rijswijk: Removed memories to W. , pp. 59–60. Selina Pierson was a wealthy banker's widow, whom Frommel had met through teacher friends from the Quaker School in Eerde , and who he often stayed in their house in Ommen . (Haverkorn, p. 16)
  6. ↑ a b About Castrum Peregrini. “ In more than 70 years Castrum Peregrini has taken many shapes and forms, and represented various values ​​and stories: a hiding place and shelter during WWII, the home of the painter Gisèle, a magazine and publishing house, a cultural foundation, and a community that organized themselves around the friendship cult as inspired by the German poet Stefan George and led by Wolfgang Frommel. The history of hiding and with it the person of Gisèle van Waterschoot van der Gracht is just one part of a complex history but one which inspires and motivates todays Castrum Peregrini the most.
    In 2007/2008 the current generation has terminated the magazine and publishing house and has distanced itself from the George-inspired community around Wolfgang Frommel.     ”
  7. ↑ a b Julia Encke: Abuse in the name of Stefan Georges
  8. ↑ About Castrum Peregrini. “ Castrum Peregrini is a unique cultural center, combining a rich and multi-layered past with pressing social issues of today. Castrum Peregrini has an unequivocal belief in a society where nobody is excluded and that embraces diversity and equality as conditions for progress. Our core values ​​FREEDOM, FRIENDSHIP and CULTURE reflect this believe. Firmly rooted in Amsterdam its outlook is international.
    Castrum Peregrini is a place of (artistic) research and encounter. It offers a protected environment for artists, thinkers, opinion leaders and activists, to work in the context of the organization and in exchange with its network and audience.     ”
  9. ↑ The foundation cooperates with the Goethe-Institut Amsterdam (joint residency program), with the University of Utrecht (joint research project Inter (p) lace), and is a permanent participant in the Amsterdam Museum Night (winner of the n8 jury prize 2011) and the Fringe Theater Festival Amsterdam .
  10. ↑ About Castrum Peregrini. “ Memory Machine is a public program on the relationship between cultural or collective memory and individual identity. Lectures, exhibitions, performances, workshops, debates and publications target artists, students, teachers and opinion leaders.
    Intellectual Playground focuses on the development of new ideas through (artistic) research and encounter. Think-tank meetings, residencies and collaboration projects collect, develop and share knowledge with a wide group of local and international partner organizations.
    The House of Gisèle offers guided tours and educational events in which the past literally becomes visible. The maze of rooms, corridors, stairways and surprising spaces is a living testimony to the life of the artist Gisèle van Waterschoot van der Gracht (1912–2013). Her interiors and collections tell countless stories about culture and humanity.     ”
  11. ↑ A heated argument broke out in the Vrij Nederland magazine about Michael Defuster, who, according to the Foundation's homepage, is one of the three board members and his “executive manager” . Frank Ligtvoet and Christiane Kuby testified to the newspaper that Defuster was still a close member of the Frommel circle; the Directory denies this. Defuster himself was not prepared to make any direct statement.
  12. ^ Annette Jacoba Mooij: De eeuw van Gisèle. Myths in werkelijkheid van een kunstenares . De Bezige Bij, Amsterdam 2018, ISBN 978-94-0311850-5 .
  13. ↑ About Castrum Peregrini.