Eugen Berg

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Eugen Karl Berg , Latvian Eižens Bergs (born August 24, 1855 in the pastorate of Pernigel , Livonia Governorate , Russian Empire ; † March 14, 1919 in the Bickern Forest near Riga , Latvian SPR ) was a German-Baltic pastor . He is considered an Evangelical Lutheran martyr and is recorded on the Riga Martyrs Stone.

The dates in this article are based on the Julian calendar for the period up to 1918 unless otherwise noted.

family

Eugen Berg was born in the pastorate of Pernigel as the son of the local pastor Karl Berg. He was married from July 1, 1890 to Nancy Adolphi, a daughter of the poet and city doctor of Wenden , Alexis Adolphi, who was thus a sister of the pastor of Adsel , Heinrich Leonhard Adolphi , who in February 1918 during the first invasion of the Bolsheviks in Livonia was killed together with his wife. Eugen Berg had only one son; he became a doctor.

Life

Training and Inauguration

Eugen Berg attended the district school in Wolmar from 1866 to 1869 , which was run by his uncle and was considered a good school. He then spent the five school years from 1870 to 1874 at the Birkenruh School , which was directed by Albert Löffler. Berg did his Abitur as an external student at the Gouvernements-Gymnasium in Riga as a Primus Omnium .

1875-1884 he studied theology at the University of Dorpat , where he co-founded the corporation Neobaltia . Since 1875 he was a member of the Dorpat Theological Association. He completed his studies, which he had interrupted several times, as a graduate student. In 1885 he passed the exams before the consistory in Riga. He spent his probationary year in 1885 with his father in Pernigel. On September 8, 1885, he was ordained in Walk by Superintendent Girgensohn. From 1885 to 1886 he was an assistant to his father in Pernigel.

After that, from October 1886, he was pastor- ordinary for 32 years in the sister congregations of Palzmar and Serbigal in Livonia.

Conflicts with the Orthodox State Church

When Eugen Berg had to take over the community, she found herself in a difficult situation. His predecessor was called Karl Brandt. The administration of the Russian Empire had suspended and exiled him because Brandt had given spiritual care to people who had first converted to the Russian Orthodox state church but then returned to the Protestant church. Even the new pastor could not agree with his conscience to reject reconverts. The result was constant legal conflicts.

Among other things, Eugen Berg had to answer to the Livonian court on March 10, 1888, together with four other Evangelical Lutheran preachers. The other defendants were Richard Vogel, Pastor von Laudohn , Gustav Reinberg, Pastor von Bersohn , Provost August Doll and Pastor Arnold Sunte. The reading of the resolutions took place in public, the rest of the hearing, with the exception of the Vogel case, in camera, since it concerned offenses against family rights. General Superintendent Girgensohn acted as spiritual delegate.

Berg was charged with the marriage of a person of Orthodox denomination to a person of another denomination without the marriage being consecrated beforehand by an Orthodox clergyman and without an elder of the clergy having given a clearance certificate. Berg was acquitted because he had received a certificate from a higher church authority at the time of the marriage. Vogel and Reinberg were also acquitted; the proceedings against Doll and Sunte have been referred to regional courts.

In another case, Berg and Vogel got off lightly: On July 7, 1889, the district court of Wenden announced a decision by the governing senate to remove Berg, Vogel and the pastor of Tirsen , Nikolaus Pohrt, from their offices for four months. Again, the reason was illegal acts in the performance of their official duties. This was Berg's first suspension

In 1893 Berg was suspended a second time, now for eight months. He defended himself energetically in all processes.

On March 12, 1894, Berg had to answer again in court, this time before the Rigas District Court, which met in Walk. At 2 p.m., he was removed from office for six months under Articles 1576 and 149 of the Russian Criminal Code. The reason was the marriage of the Orthodox Jaan Melli to the Evangelical Lutheran Anna Osol without prior blessing of the marriage by an Orthodox clergyman.

In 1895, this third suspension was overturned by the St. Petersburg Court of Justice due to an imperial mercy manifesto of November 14, 1894 and a related appeal by Berg and two other clergymen before it could come into force. Berg was one of many to benefit from the grace manifesto.

Office management and sideline activities

Eugen Berg's sermons were considered warm and profound. He took care of the needy reliably and unselfishly. Many sought his advice or took his help. You were not disappointed. He was a popular participant at the Sprengel conferences, which took place in small groups and in a fraternal atmosphere, while he was more reserved at the Synod, which was much larger. There was an exception to this rule when he made a carefully prepared and promising proposal at the synod. So it was customary at the time for the German-Baltic and Latvian congregations in one place to be served by the same pastor. Berg pleaded for the abolition of this personal union, as he hoped that reconciliation between the two ethnic groups could be achieved in this way, at least in church matters. The synod did not accept the proposal.

On June 17, 1899, he gave a lecture in the gym of the Riga city secondary school as the first speaker after being welcomed by the President to the section for Latvian farmers at the Congress of Baltic Farmers and Foresters on agricultural horse breeding.

He welcomed some progress, but complained about the lack of breeding stallions, which sometimes required impossible distances of 75 km from the farmers with their mares. As breeding stallions, he recommended high half-breed stallions like the descendants of Torgel's "Hetman", since versatile utility horses are to be expected as offspring; the breed is irrelevant in this case. The upbringing and feeding of the foals is also still inadequate. Berg complained about the low, dark and dirty stalls, insufficient exercise and inadequate forage. He particularly recommended oats and hay instead of the usual clover and flour drink. He gave instructions on how to raise the foals, but they followed the usual patterns. He recommended that the farmers be instructed in word and writing. Every farmer who brings his mare to the stallion should receive a brochure. He particularly recommended the Estonian von Grünwaldt brochure. He also recommended an increase in the number and a better spatial distribution of the sires. He also thought it would be beneficial to give special awards to farm horses at exhibitions.

The audience was about 100 people, including women, notably at the time. The following discussion was factual and disciplined. Berg received general approval.

Around 1902 he raised 102 rubles and 31 kopecks at an event for the Society for the Care of the Insane in Livonia.

Consequences of the Russian Revolutions, Death Sentence and Execution

During the Russian Revolution of 1905 , a small group of revolutionaries took over the Palzmar Church. Berg was driven out by these Latvian Social Democrats and replaced by Gailit, the pastor of Alt-Pebalg , for the duration of the revolution . At church services led by Gailit, the congregation sang the Latvian hymn. Berg officially remained in office during this time.

Thanks to the efforts of the majority of his community, Berg was able to return after a relatively short time. He was considered a good and popular pastor, who was able to build a good relationship with the rural population due to his childhood in the countryside. However, he had physical complaints and suffered from a lack of self-confidence, as indicated by his frequent self-critical comments.

The revolution was followed by punitive expeditions by the Russian Empire. During this time, Berg was able to save innocent suspects from punishment. His sense of justice was considered incorruptible, which meant that he did not stand up for people he himself believed to be guilty. That would later turn out to be unfavorable for him.

In 1915, during the First World War , numerous refugees came to Palzmar from the south. Berg paid particular attention to these. For several years he was in charge of the refreshment station, which had been set up by the state for the refugees.

During the Latvian War of Independence , communism in Palzmar initially found no support. This changed over time, however, which is why Berg was persuaded to flee to Riga in December 1918.

The Bolsheviks then took control of Riga for four and a half months, and also of large parts of Latvia. There were numerous death sentences against so-called counter - revolutionaries . In Riga alone 3,654 death sentences were carried out. Berg expected to be shot. He dealt daily with the songs of the Evangelical Church of Cross and Consolation.

On February 23, 1919, Berg wanted to visit a sick member of his community who had also fled to Riga. Two communists recognized him on the way. He was arrested and detained in the Citadel Prison. He has not received any captive letters from him. Immediately after the arrest, his community tried to rescue him. Within two days, 1000 members of his congregation signed a corresponding petition in which his loving care for the congregation was emphasized. It can be assumed that the efforts to execute Berg were even reinforced as a result. A Christian who as such had thousands of supporters may have been classified as a great danger by the atheist regime.

Eugen Berg was sentenced to death after a short time. He was able to assign another prisoner who survived to tell the congregation to be faithful to God. In the early morning of March 14, 1919, Eugen Berg was shot together with 64 other people from many different population groups, including his official brother Theodor Scheinpflug , in the Bickern Forest near Riga. Germans, Latvians, Jews and Russians were among those killed, and many different professions and ages were represented. At 63, Berg was the oldest victim, the 18-year-old shop boy Morduch Girsfeld the youngest; close relatives died together.

Afterlife

The death sentences were published in the Riga Red Flag , among other things . In the edition of March 18, 1919 alone there were 63, in the edition of the following day 30. Among these 93 people were Eugen Berg, as well as Alfred Freytag, Paul Fromhold-Treu , John Armidstead, Karl Rosenberg, Guido Richter, Paul Hahnenfeld , Hugo Korn, Heinrich Blaese, Emil Seifert, Wilhelm Baumann, Theodor Scheinpflug, Alexander Grosset, Matthias Recke, Albert Peesch, Gotthard Vegesack, Rudolf Adler, Otto Groß, Heinrich Hoffmann, Theo Born, Alfred Thielmann, Friedrich Malkolm, Italie Krüdener and Adolf Wichert. The Red Flag emphasized the necessity of these measures in the class struggle and complained that "the revolutionary people are always too lenient, too generous and only too easily forgive centuries of bondage and slavery".

Berg was buried in Riga, outside of his parish, in which the death of the popular pastor was deeply regretted.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Article on Berg's graduation in the Rigaschen Zeitung , No. 212, September 14, 1885, online at Berg | issueType: P
  2. ↑ Article about Berg's election in the Libauschen Zeitung , No. 231, October 4, 1886, online at Berg | issueType: P
  3. ↑ Article on Berg's inauguration in the Libauschen Zeitung , No. 250, October 27, 1886, online at Berg Pastor | issueType: P
  4. ^ Announcement of the proceedings against Berg in the Düna-Zeitung , No. 55, March 9, 1888, online at Berg | issueType: P
  5. ↑ Article on Berg's acquittal in the Düna-Zeitung , No. 56, March 10, 1888, online at Berg | issueType: P
  6. ↑ Article on Berg's acquittal in the Rigaschen Zeitung , No. 59, March 12, 1888, online at Berg | issueType: P
  7. ↑ Article on Berg's suspension in the Libauschen Zeitung , No. 182, August 11, 1889, online at Berg | issueType: P
  8. ↑ Article on Berg's suspension in the Düna newspaper , No. 180, August 11, 1889, online at Berg | issueType: P
  9. ↑ Article about Berg's suspension in the Düna-Zeitung , No. 216, September 24, 1893, online at Berg | issueType: P
  10. ↑ Article about Berg's suspension in the Libauschen Zeitung , No. 218, September 27, 1893, online at Berg | issueType: P
  11. ↑ Article about Berg's suspension in the Düna-Zeitung , No. 57, March 14, 1894, online at Berg Berg | issueType: P
  12. ↑ Article on the lifting of Berg's suspension in the Düna-Zeitung , No. 104, May 9, 1895, online at Berg | issueType: P
  13. ↑ Article on the lifting of Berg's suspension in the Düna-Zeitung , No. 191, August 24, 1895, online at Berg | issueType: P
  14. ↑ Article on the lifting of Berg's suspension in the Rigaschen Rundschau , No. 193, August 26, 1895, online at Berg | issueType: P
  15. ↑ Article on the Baltic Central Exhibition in the Rigaschen Rundschau , No. 134, June 19, 1899, online at Berg | issueType: P
  16. ^ Report on the Assets of the Society for the Care of the Insane in Livonia. In: Düna-Zeitung , No. 49, March 1, 1903, online at Berg Pastor | issueType: P
  17. ↑ Article about the revolutionary events of 1905 in the Düna newspaper , No. 100, May 1, 1905, online at Berg Pastor | issueType: P
  18. ↑ Twenty years ago in the Rigaschen Rundschau , No. 61, March 15, 1939, online at Berg | issueType: P
  19. ↑ Twenty years ago in Gospel and the East: Russian Evangelical Press Service , No. 5, May 1, 1939, p. 166, online at [1]
  20. ^ Publication of the death sentences from the Rote Fahne in the Libauschen Zeitung , No. 69, March 24, 1919, online at Berg | issueType: P
  21. ↑ Five years ago in the Rigaschen Rundschau , No. 62, March 15, 1924, online at Berg | issueType: P
personal data
SURNAME Berg, Eugene
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Berg, Eugen Karl (full name); Bergs, Eižens
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German-Baltic pastor
DATE OF BIRTH August 24, 1855
PLACE OF BIRTH Pernigel , Russian Empire
DATE OF DEATH March 14, 1919
Place of death Bickern Forest near Riga , Latvian SPR