German Schiller Foundation

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The German Schiller Foundation from 1859 , based in Weimar, is the oldest German private funding agency for writers . Since its founding in 1855, its constitution in 1859 and its re-establishment in 1995, the focus of its work has been on general literature funding through endowed awards for special literary achievements. No less important to the foundation has been the financial support of writers in need or in distress or their relatives since the beginning.

history

Foundation and first decades: quarrels and success

On the initiative of the writer Julius Hammer , an association was founded as the Schiller Foundation in May 1855 , which was initially supposed to set up a fund to support the survivors of impoverished writers. He was supported by his colleagues Wilhelm Wolfsohn , Berthold Auerbach and Karl Gutzkow . The actual constitution of the foundation did not take place until October 1859 in the Dresden Zwinger pavilion . Weimar was initially the headquarters of the association. Funds had already been made available to the foundation or collected beforehand.

Gutzkow formulated the purpose of the foundation succinctly: it should "provide literary talents vigorous support and help writers in the event of difficult life worries, ... ward off shortages from the herd of poets, give promising talents the leisure to complete poetic works and give those who are grayed in the service of the muses a carefree old age". Otto Ludwig was the first writer to be supported with 400 thalers in the founding year .

After branch associations had already been established in many cities before the official constitution of the German Schiller Foundation. a. in Berlin , Frankfurt am Main , Stuttgart , Munich , Breslau , Darmstadt , further branch foundations were initiated immediately after the establishment, including a. in Linz , Danzig , Cologne , Augsburg , Lübeck , Königsberg and Vienna , where Emperor Franz Joseph took over the patronage.

Grand Duke Carl Alexander granted the foundation the privilege of a “moral body” in 1859 and tried to acquire the Schiller House in Weimar for it and to establish the headquarters in Weimar, which he did not succeed until 1890.

Since the branch associations that quickly emerged were legally independent organizations, there were quarrels and jealousies among each other: The economically strong Dresden association, for example, with its foundation pioneers, wanted to move its headquarters to Dresden and not be considered a branch association . In Dresden, the main initiators had already founded a Dresden Schiller Foundation in 1855 and then the extremely successful Schiller Lottery Foundation in 1859 , the year the German Schiller Foundation was constituted . The significantly weaker Weimar association at the headquarters therefore claimed more money from Dresden than from the other branch associations , which in turn contradicted the statutes of the time. Additional confusion arose from the personal story of the Dresden initiators: Friedrich Anton Serre auf Maxen (* 1789; † 1863) had already founded a Tiedge Foundation together with Julius Hammer in 1842 , which pursued purposes similar to the Dresden Schiller Foundation , and had failed financially . This is one of the reasons why the foundation at its founding seat in Dresden only received the rights of a legal personality in September 1860. After the overwhelming success of the Schiller Lottery Foundation , the Serre branch in Dresden was renamed the Serre'sche Zweig-Schiller Foundation in Dresden ; the lottery had generated the foundation's substantial assets of 300,000 thalers.

In the following administrative period (1865–1869) Vienna became the headquarters ( called suburb in the statutes at the time ) of the foundation, Friedrich Halm was chairman of the administrative board, and Ferdinand Kürnberger was general secretary until 1870 . From 1870 to 1874 Weimar was again the headquarters with Julius Grosse as successor to Gutzkows as Secretary General, from 1875 to 1879 Dresden , from 1880 to 1884 Weimar again. During the sixth administrative period with headquarters in Munich (1885–1889) Paul Heyse became chairman of the board of directors, Hans von Hopfen became general secretary.

During these years, the following personalities in particular proved to be important donors of the German Schiller Foundation: Berthold Auerbach , Heinrich Brockhaus , Cäsar Flaischlen , Friedrich Ludwig Jahn , Marie Louise von François , Franz Liszt , Fritz Reuter's wife Luise, Empress Augusta , Ludwig Bechstein , Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach , Philipp Eduard Devrient , Friedrich Wilhelm Hackländer , Karl von Holtei (who gave the celebratory speech on Schiller's 100th birthday in 1859 and received a pension of 500 Talers from the Schiller Foundation from 1865), King Maximilian II of Bavaria , Conrad Ferdinand Meyer , Johann Nestroy , Ferdinand von Saar , Ernst von Wildenbruch . The writers Fritz Reuter and Otto Braun bequeathed their villas to the German Schiller Foundation at the end of the 1890s .

After Weimar had finally become the headquarters of the German Schiller Foundation in 1890, Schiller's grandson Ludwig Alexander Freiherr von Gleichen-Rußwurm was chairman of the board of directors from 1895 to 1901; He was replaced by the Weimar State Minister Carl W. Rothe (until 1921).

The ideas of the German Schiller Foundation also found friends in Switzerland. However, there was no branch association there; rather, the Swiss Schiller Foundation, completely independent of the German foundation, was established in Zurich in 1905 . In the same year, the German Schiller Foundation received a donation of 250,000 marks from the Schiller Association of German Women .

Up until the beginning of the First World War , the German Schiller Foundation was firmly anchored in German literary life. She was able to fulfill her foundation purpose brilliantly.

Between the world wars: inflation and the era of National Socialism

The financial assets of the German Schiller Foundation and its branch foundations amounted to 2,500,000 paper marks in 1919 . It was almost completely lost due to inflation. The writer Heinrich Lilienfein became general secretary in 1920 (until 1952).

In 1933 the foundation was incorporated into the Reich Chamber of Literature; After the so-called annexation of Austria in 1938, the important Viennese branch of the foundation had to be dissolved, the other branches were also forcibly dissolved in 1944. At that time, the assets were still 200,000 Reichsmarks . However, the admission to the Goebbels Foundation for cultural workers could be prevented.

After the Second World War: two foundations

In 1946, the head of the Soviet military administration in Thuringia, Iwan Sasonowitsch Kolesnitschenko (* 1907, † 1984) allowed the German Schiller Foundation to resume its work. Heinrich Lilienfein was confirmed in the office of Secretary General. The in Bayern assets (equipment and real estate) was formally located at the Munich trustee Hans Rheinfelder passed, who had already been taken care of the interests of the Foundation intensively as a board member.

Confusion arose in the 1950s: the Berlin writer Werner Schendell strove to establish a German Friedrich Schiller Foundation, not least because he was of the opinion that the Weimar Foundation could no longer operate across Germany or had even expired. Erwin Ackerknecht , to whom he had turned for information, informed him that the German Schiller Foundation still existed and supported writers in need across Germany, albeit modestly (including Ludwig Finckh , Helmut Paulus , Hans Brandenburg ), and above all I am not interested in a parallel formation. The West German initiative was pursued further: In December 1952, the German Friedrich Schiller Foundation was founded in Berlin, with the founding board members Joachim Tiburtius , Wolfgang Goetz , Wolf Lauckner , Paul Ronge , Walter Kahnert , Friedrich Karl Fromm and Werner Schendell. The then Federal President Theodor Heuss and well-known writers of the time such as Hans Carossa and Carl Zuckmayer supported an appeal for membership . The foundation statutes of this second Schiller Foundation, adopted in 1953, also explicitly referred to the founding year 1859, presented itself as the successor to this original German Schiller Foundation and claimed - against better knowledge - that it had expired in 1945. The German Schiller Society , which was connected to both foundations, refused board memberships in both foundations in order not to damage its all-German connections and work: at that time it still had over 300 members in the GDR and even an office in Weimar. After the Deutsche Friedrich Schiller Foundation had relocated its headquarters to Darmstadt, it expanded its social program, it now mainly supported the publishing of novels in large print .

In 1953 Thomas Mann accepted the honorary presidency of the German Schiller Foundation in Weimar. Louis Fürnberg became Secretary General in 1955, Klaus Herrmann in 1959.

From 1971 onwards, for political reasons, the foundation could no longer be run as an all-German institution. The office in the Schiller House had to be closed in 1977. Repeated attempts to liquidate the foundation failed. Authors could not, however, receive further funding; this task was claimed by the GDR Cultural Fund . Only support for impoverished writer widows remained.

In 1987 approx. 2500 historical files from the German State Library (GDR) could be returned to the German Schiller Foundation. Today they are on deposit in the Goethe and Schiller Archives Weimar.

Turning point and new beginning 1995

In 1991, the Minister for Science and Culture of the State of Thuringia appointed a new board of trustees, which was to temporarily lead the foundation until the new statutes were drawn up and approved. It included writers, literary scholars, museum people, lawyers and high administrative officials: Gerhard Dette (Darmstadt), Eberhard Dünninger (Munich), Lothar Ehrlich (Weimar), Harald Hartung (Berlin), Norbert Oellers (Bonn), Ulrich Ott (Marbach a. N.), Peter Rieck (Weimar), Hartmut Vogel (Bonn). However, it turned out that the foundation no longer legally existed.

This complicated and uncertain situation of the foundation should be clarified through expert opinions. This dragged on until 1994; not least to determine the ownership structure of the Weimar Schiller Foundation in the west. The trustees received great support from the Free State of Bavaria and the Kester Haeusler Foundation .

The “old” foundation has now been liquidated, and the re-establishment of the German Schiller Foundation from 1859 as a foundation under civil law with legal capacity was celebrated in September 1995 with a ceremony in Weimar.

Awards and gifts of honor from the German Schiller Foundation

Since it was founded in 1855, the German Schiller Foundation has supported over 3,000 writers with honorary gifts. Here is a small selection: Peter Altenberg , Johannes R. Becher , Helene Böhlau , Theodor Däubler , Max Dauthendey , Richard Dehmel , Albert Ehrenstein , Herbert Eulenberg , Gustav Falke , Ludwig Feuerbach , Theodor Fontane , Leonhard Frank , Ferdinand Freiligrath , Reinhard Goering , Jakob Haringer , Georg Herwegh , Sophie Hoechstetter , Arno Holz , Ricarda Huch , Peter Huchel , Hans Henny Jahnn , Sarah Kirsch , Friederike Henriette Kraze , Isolde Kurz , Else Lasker-Schüler , Moritz Lazarus , Heinrich Lersch , Detlev von Liliencron , Agnes Miegel , Eduard Mörike , Wilhelm Raabe , Brigitte Reimann , Rainer Maria Rilke , Joachim Ringelnatz , Peter Rosegger , Ferdinand von Saar , Paul Scheerbart , Leopold Schefer , Johannes Schlaf , Wilhelm Schmidtbonn , Ina Seidel , Adalbert Stifter , Lulu von Strauss and Torney , Christian Wagner , Josef Viktor Widmann , Christoph Wieprecht , Ottilie Wildermuth , Paul Zech .

Even after the fall of the Wall , the foundation awarded several prizes and honorary gifts to German-speaking writers:

When it was re-established in 1995 as the German Schiller Foundation from 1859 , it established the prestigious Schiller Ring awards , the sponsorship award of the German Schiller Foundation from 1859 , the Otto Braun Prize , the Christian Ferber Prize , the Dr. The Manfred Annual Fair , the Kester Haeusler , the Adolf Mejstrik for poetry , and the Eugen Viehof , which are briefly presented below:

Honorary gift from the German Schiller Foundation

Award winners

Schiller ring

The Schiller Ring is a German literary award . It has been awarded every three years by the German Schiller Foundation from 1859 in Weimar since 1999. The honor consists of a gold signet ring embossed with the portrait of Friedrich Schiller and is associated with a grant of 20,000 euros (previously 30,000 euros). The award emerged from the German Schiller Foundation's Literature Prize of 1859 , which was established in 1996 and which the Foundation presented to Wolfgang Hilbig in the same year .

Award winners

Sponsorship award from the German Schiller Foundation from 1859

The German Schiller Foundation's sponsorship award from 1859 honors literary debutants. They are selected by the wearer of the Schiller Ring. The award ceremony takes place in the year following the awarding of the Schiller Ring.

Award winners

Otto Braun gift of honor

The Otto Braun Gift of Honor is a promotional award that has been given at irregular intervals since 1995 in memory of the Munich writer and journalist Otto Braun . At the end of the 19th century he bequeathed his Schwabing villa to the German Schiller Foundation . The asset base was formed from the proceeds from the sale of the building in 1995, the interest income now forming the endowment of the honorary gift.

receiver

Christian Ferber gift of honor

The German Schiller Foundation of 1859 awards the Christian Ferber Honorary Gift in trusteeship for the Christian and Ursula Ferber Foundation, which was founded in 1999 . Christian Ferber , (actually Heinrich Georg Balthasar Seidel, * 1919; † 1992), the son of the poet Ina Seidel , was a well-known writer, critic and journalist of the second half of the 20th century. He has been awarded the Theodor Wolff Prize several times . To preserve his memory, his wife Ursula Ferber-Seidel donated the Christian Ferber gift of honor , which can be considered one of the highest literary recognition prizes in Germany. The award is given “in recognition of a life's work and is intended to enable and promote old age work”. It is endowed with 500 euros as a monthly grant for life. The writer Reiner Kunze was the first recipient to receive this honorary gift in 2000. In 2006 it was awarded to Hans Bender , combined with a special, one-off award.

Dr. Manfred annual fair gift

From the proceeds of a foundation established in 1997 by the publisher and non-fiction author Manfred Jahrmarkt , the Dr. Manfred Annual Fair Gift of Honor awarded. It is intended to honor German-speaking writers "who have stood out through their artistic achievement". It is endowed with 5000 euros.

receiver

Kester Haeusler gift of honor

The Kester Haeusler Honorary Gift of the German Schiller Foundation from 1859 was donated in 1995 by the Kester Haeusler Foundation . She wants one hand, the memory of Caspar Haeusler (member of the Reichstag keep alive 1907-1918), on the other hand, according to its statutes contribute to the promotion of German literature. The award is presented annually and is endowed with 6000 euros (as of 2018).

receiver

Adolf Mejstrik gift of honor for poetry

The historical Mejstrik Prize was first awarded in 1920 in memory of the Viennese bookseller and writer Adolf Mejstrik (* 1840; † 1918). He had made great contributions to the Vienna branch of the German Schiller Foundation. In connection with this, the German Schiller Foundation has been awarding the Adolf Mejstrik gift of honor for poetry at irregular intervals since 1997 . It is endowed with 5000 euros.

receiver

Recipient of the historic Mejstrik Prize

Eugen Viehof gift of honor

The Eugen Viehof donation has been awarded by the German Schiller Foundation since 1996 in support of the Eugen Viehof Foundation, which was also founded in 1996 . The occasion for the foundation by the four sons was the 80th birthday of their father Eugen Viehof . The award is given annually and is endowed with 5000 euros.

receiver

Anke Bennholdt Thomsen Poetry Prize

The Anke Bennholdt-Thomsen-Lyrikpreis , donated by Alfredo Guzzoni, is awarded every two years by the Deutsche Schillergesellschaft in the sponsorship and administration of the Anke Bennholdt-Thomsen Foundation . The award is endowed with 10,000 euros.

Award winners

literature

  • Georg Brun: And freely I declare all my servants - On the genesis of the German Schiller Foundation. In: Nikolaus Turner (Hrsg.): German Schiller Foundation from 1859 - Documentation of the festive event on the occasion of the new construction. Verlag Kester-Haeusler-Stiftung, Fürstenfeldbruck 1995, ISBN 3-931548-07-4 , pp. 29-39
  • Rudolf Goehler: The German Schiller Foundation. An anniversary publication in two volumes. Volume 1: History of the German Schiller Foundation 1859–1909. Alexander Duncker Verlag, Berlin 1909
  • Michael Krejci (Ed.): German Schiller Foundation from 1859 - Reading Night 1999. Publishing house Kester-Haeusler-Foundation, Fürstenfeldbruck 2000, ISBN 3-931548-00-7
  • Ferdinand Kürnberger : The German Schiller Foundation - essays, literature reports and expert opinions. Edited by Otto Erich Deutsch, Georg Müller, Munich and Leipzig 1912
  • Erco von Dietze: Adoration of the Schiller and the Schiller Foundation in Darmstadt. In: Michael Krejci (Ed.): Deutsche Schiller Foundation from 1859 - Honors, Reports, Documentations 1999. pp. 75–87
  • Susanne Schwabach-Albrecht: Small Chronicle of the German Schiller Foundation. In: Michael Krejci (Ed.): Deutsche Schillerstiftung von 1859 - Honors Reports Documentations 1998. Verlag Kester-Haeusler-Stiftung, Fürstenfeldbruck 1998, ISBN 3-931548-24-4 , pp. 67-74
  • Susanne Schwabach-Albrecht: The German Schiller Foundation 1905–1945 . Special print from the archive for the history of the book industry. Volume 55, 2001
  • Susanne Schwabach-Albrecht: In memoriam Isidor Landau (1850-1944). In: Michael Krejci (Ed.): Deutsche Schiller Foundation of 1859 - Honors, Reports, Documentations 2001. Verlag Kester-Haeusler-Stiftung, Fürstenfeldbruck 2002, ISBN 3-931548-34-1 , pp. 88–92
  • Susanne Schwabach-Albrecht: The honorary gift of the Dresden Schiller Foundation on Mörike's 70th birthday - letters from Johann Georg Fischer, Eduard Duboc and Eduard Mörike. In: Renate Brendel (Ed.): Deutsche Schiller Foundation of 1859 - Honors, Reports, Documentations 2003. Verlag Kester-Haeusler-Stiftung, Fürstenfeldbruck 2004, ISBN 3-931548-40-6 , pp. 140–149
  • Susanne Schwabach-Albrecht: On behalf of Friedrich Schiller - 150 years of the German Schiller Foundation - Schiller celebrations. Catalog for the exhibitions of the same name in 2005 in the Heinrich Heine Institute in Düsseldorf , in the Kügelgenhaus in Dresden and in the Weimar Bertuchhaus City Museum , Heinrich Heine Institute (publisher), Düsseldorf 2005, ISBN 3-936698-02-3
  • Nikolaus Turner (Ed.): German Schiller Foundation from 1859 - honorary gifts 1995. Kester-Haeusler-Stiftung, Fürstenfeldbruck 1996, ISBN 3-931548-09-0
  • Bernhard Zeller: On the history of the Schiller Foundations in the first post-war period. In: Renate Brendel (Ed.): Deutsche Schiller Foundation of 1859 - Honors, Reports, Documentations 2004. Verlag Kester-Haeusler-Stiftung, Fürstenfeldbruck 2005, ISBN 3-931548-43-0 , pp. 144–149 (in this volume also detailed information on the foundation committees, the funding guidelines and the statutes.)

Related topics

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Michael Sachs: 'Prince Bishop and Vagabond'. The story of a friendship between the Prince-Bishop of Breslau Heinrich Förster (1799–1881) and the writer and actor Karl von Holtei (1798–1880). Edited textually based on the original Holteis manuscript. In: Medical historical messages. Journal for the history of science and specialist prose research. Volume 35, 2016 (2018), pp. 223–291, here: pp. 283 f.
  2. Gisela von Wysocki and Kerstin Preiwuss awarded. In: tagesspiegel.de. November 14, 2019, accessed November 19, 2019 .