Georg Ludwig Lehnes

Georg Ludwig Lehnes (born April 17, 1799 in Neundorf , † December 9, 1849 in Höfen ) was a German archive writer and published five treatises on Franconian regional history between 1833 and 1841 . The works of the early homeland researcher are regarded as a valuable basis for research into local history up to the present day.

Life

Georg Ludwig Lehnes was born on April 17, 1799 as the second son of “very poor parents” in Neundorf ( Aurachtal municipality ) near Herzogenaurach in Middle Franconia . His ancestors included Lutheran exiles from the Lower Austrian Waldviertel who immigrated to the region around Ansbach around 1700 .

The historian's family name may be the result of a typographical or reading error. His two brothers were entered in the register under the surname "Lehner". This name is still widespread around Herzogenaurach to the present day.

From 1822 Lehnes served as a conscript in the royal Bavarian army. As early as 1825, however, he was dismissed from what was actually six years of military service “because of sickness” . In 1822 he also began studying history , mathematics , law and camera science ( administration ) in Erlangen .

After his military service, Lehnes was employed by the government of the Mittelmainkreis for three years and then transferred to the Neustadt an der Aisch regional court . The regional judge there gave him a very good certificate on November 30, 1833. Lehnes was after Matthias Salomon Schnizzer (1708) the second chronicler of the city of Neustadt.

In 1836/37 he was transferred to Rentweinsdorf bei Ebern to organize the family archives of the Barons von Rotenhan . The lord of the castle Julius von Rotenhan later attested in his family chronicle that he had done the "business" well.

Subsequently, on December 1, 1837, Lehnes moved to the archives office of the Royal Archives in Nuremberg (now: Nuremberg State Archives ). As a scribe, he was only paid a meager wage of 45 kreuzers for each working day. A testimony reports, however, of “eagerness to serve despite food worries” and attests to “undaunted perseverance”. The document closes with the overall assessment: "Satisfies every expectation and studies history very diligently". After another favorable assessment (“highly recommended in every respect”) in 1839, he was awarded the title of “archivist”.

In 1847 Lehnes was given the second officer position at the Bamberg Royal Archives (now: Bamberg State Archives ). Only about two years later Georg Ludwig Lehnes died on December 9th, 1849 in Höfen near Neudorf. He was only 50 years old.

In 2005 Günter Lipp ( Kreisheimatpfleger Landkreis Haßberge ) put together a brief biography of the chronicler on the occasion of the reprint of the history of the Baunachgrund . Lipp's main sources were Lehnes' personal files in the Bavarian Main State Archives in Munich and in the Nuremberg State Archives .

Appreciation

The historical works of Georg Ludwig Lehnes contain some time-related misinterpretations, for example on place names . As a child of his Slavophile era, he wrongly assigned a Slavic origin to some place names in the Baunachtal .

Despite these inaccuracies, the chronicler's works are indispensable sources on Franconian regional history, some of which have been made more easily accessible again as reprints. As an archive clerk, Lehnes had direct access to the local history files in important public and private archives. He made particular contributions to the reorganization of the castle archives in Rentweinsdorf. In addition to the written sources, Lehnes also included folk tales and legends in his research and visited the numerous historical monuments in the region. From today's point of view, the way of working of this early home chronicle seems astonishingly modern.

Fonts

Historical news from the places and former monasteries of Riedfeld, Münchsteinach and Birkenfeld . Neustadt an der Aisch, 1833
History of the city of Neustadt an der Aisch - A memorandum of the two hundred years ago burn-down . Neustadt an der Aisch, 1834 (Reprint Neustadt an der Aisch, 1921)
History of the Protestant parish and the former Benedictine monastery Münchaurach, Royal District Court of Herzogenaurach, Decanats Markt Erlbach. With side dishes. Neustadt an der Aisch 1837 ( e-copy )
History of the Aurach, Fembach, Seebach and Zenngrund in Middle and Upper Franconia . Neustadt an der Aisch, 1841. (Reprint Neustadt an der Aisch, 1983. ISBN 3-923006-20-9 )
History of the Baunach-Grund in Lower Franconia . Würzburg, 1842. (Reprint Neustadt an der Aisch, 2005. ISBN 3-89557-251-9 ). First published in: Journal of the Historical Association of Lower Franconia , Vol. 7, Issue 1, 1841

literature

Günter Lipp: Georg Ludwig Lehnes - his curriculum vitae . In: Georg Ludwig Lehnes: History of the Baunach reason in Lower Franconia . Neustadt an der Aisch, 2005. ISBN 3-89557-251-9 .

Web links

Wikisource: Georg Ludwig Lehnes - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

^ Max Döllner : History of the development of the city of Neustadt an der Aisch until 1933. 1950; 2nd edition, Ph. CW Schmidt, Neustadt an der Aisch 1978, ISBN 3-87707-013-2 , p. 3.

personal data
SURNAME	Lehnes, Georg Ludwig
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Archive writer, Franconian local history researcher
DATE OF BIRTH	April 17, 1799
PLACE OF BIRTH	Neundorf
DATE OF DEATH	December 9, 1849
Place of death	Yards

[1] Max Döllner : History of the development of the city of Neustadt an der Aisch until 1933. 1950; 2nd edition, Ph. CW Schmidt, Neustadt an der Aisch 1978, ISBN 3-87707-013-2 , p. 3.