Hans Momsen

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hans Momsen (painted by Christian Albrecht Jensen )

Hans Momsen (born October 23, 1735 in Fahretoft in North Friesland ; † September 13, 1811 there ) was a North Frisian farmer , mathematician and astronomer .

Life

Hans Momsen was born in the small town of Fahretoft, then part of the Duchy of Schleswig in the entire Danish state, near the North Sea coast as the son of the farmer Momme Jensen. His father had temporarily worked as a navigation teacher in the Netherlands . Momsen moved to Dithmarschen in 1753 and found a job there as a surveyor in dyke construction . He later took over his father's farm and lived as a farmer and polymath . Despite the lack of a university education, he knew how to perform elaborate mathematical calculations and build astronomical devices. He autodidactically acquired foreign language skills in order to be able to understand important works and taught gifted students in the subjects of mathematics, land surveying and navigation. One of his students, the son of the local pastor Krebs, became a mathematics professor in Copenhagen . Momsen also worked as a surveyor and built an organ for the Fahretofter Church .

Hans Momsen was married and had nine children.

aftermath

While the organ built by Momsen was only played in the church for a year, a sundial constructed by him still adorns the entrance to the church. Many of his astronomical devices have been preserved and are exhibited in museums. His skills have been praised as follows:

"You have heard, sir, the Frisians are good at math, and you have probably heard talk about our Hans Mommsen from Fahretoft, who was a farmer and yet could make bussols and sea clocks, telescopes and organs."

- Theodor Storm : The Schimmelreiter

While Hans Momsen only appears as a marginal figure in the novella , his character is said to have served as a model for the protagonist Hauke ​​Haien.

The district of North Friesland has been awarding the Hans Momsen Prize every year since 1986 "for special services to cultural life in North Friesland".

Momsen's former home is now known as the Hans-Momsen-Haus . The Fahretofter primary school, which was closed in 2009, was called the Hans Momsen School .

Others

The surnames Momsen and Mommsen mean son of Momme . The two spellings were sometimes reversed. This explains the spelling in the Theodor Storm quote. However, there is no relationship between Hans Mommsen and Nobel Prize winner Theodor Mommsen .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Carsten Erich Carstens :  Momsen, Hans . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 22, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1885, pp. 160-162., Accessed on March 21, 2012
  2. ↑ Hans Wagener : Theodor Storm, Der Schimmelreiter . Explanations and documents. Reclam, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-15-008133-5 , p. 62 ff.
personal data
SURNAME Momsen, Hans
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German farmer and astronomer
DATE OF BIRTH October 23, 1735
PLACE OF BIRTH Fahretoft , North Frisia
DATE OF DEATH September 13, 1811
Place of death Fahretoft , North Frisia