Hans Warsch

Hans Warsch on the district fountain in Ludwigshafen am Rhein

Hans Warsch was a shepherd who lived in Oggersheim in the 17th century . He became famous for a story that happened during the siege of Oggersheim during the Thirty Years' War and which Johann Philipp Abelinus told in his "True Descriptions of All Memorable Stories that Happened from 1617 to 1629" .

The history

In 1621 the Spanish general Don Cordova was commissioned by the emperor to take the Palatinate. When Don Cordova prepared to besiege the city of Frankenthal , he camped near Oggersheim, whose wealthier residents all fled to Mannheim with their belongings . Around 24 poorer residents remained within the city ​​wall . They locked the gates and waited on the city wall to see how things turned out. Then a trumpeter rode up and did not let the defenders' shots stop him.

The trumpeter let the Oggersheimers know that they should give up. When asked in whose name Don Cordova could request this, the trumpeter replied: “ In the name of your Imperial Majesty .” This shocked the citizens so much that they jumped from the wall on the other side of the city and also fled.

Only the shepherd Hans Warsch and his family remained in Oggersheim. This now agreed the terms of the transfer on the condition that his family would be spared and their religion (Hans Warsch was reformed ) was allowed to keep. When the trumpeter promised him this, he opened the city ​​gate and let the Spaniards move in.

In the evening the cows came back from the pastures on their own and went to their stables. Some time later, Hans Warsch's wife had a child, who was sponsored by Don Cordova.

The story

Johann Peter Hebel gives his version of the story for the best in his tales of the Rhineland family friend . Here, Hebel describes how the astonished Spaniards moved into Oggersheim:

After an hour, as the enemy closed ranks and limbs, with flags flying and drums beating moved in, the outer gate was nobody's - "You will be on the inner."

Nobody was at the inner gate either. - “You will be in the square.” The hearty Burgersmann stood all alone with the white flag on the square. - “What do you mean? Where is the commander and the crew, where is the mayor and the council? "

Then the citizen fell on his knees in front of the field captain: “Sir, I am the only one who has confided in your generosity. The others all fled to Mannheim at your request. Only my wife is still with me in the little town, but an immense long recruit will arrive in the next few days. Meanwhile I am my own commander and my trumpeter, my commoner and my professor. If I had wanted to desert since yesterday, I would have had to catch myself again and hunt the gauntlet. "

• Wikisource: The Occupation of Oggersheim

The comedy

In the heroic comedy "The capitulation of Oggersheim" takes Ludwig Achim von Arnim this episode from the Bohemian-Palatine war, otherwise than according to interest the historical accuracy. Hans Warsch becomes a hero by negotiating favorable surrender conditions for his city and by his behavior preventing the Spaniards from looting the city.

The poem

The poet August Friedrich Ernst Langbein wrote a poem in which he retells the story of Hans Warsch.

Hans Warsch, the shepherd of Oggersheim

In the thirty years of war

Took the Palatinate on the Rhine

A Spanish general once to the goal

And moved in with droves.

He let, in order to advance victoriously,

Surround the town of Oggersheim.

Another nine stanzas follow before the Spanish general acknowledges Hans Warsch.

"Eh," cried the general, "eh, how has

The rogue headed us!

But the whole city should benefit

What his courage deserves. "

He rules on it like a friend, to say the least

And stood godfather with the child.

• Wikisource: Hans Warsch, the shepherd of Oggersheim

Appreciation

In Oggersheim a square and the carnival club founded in 1925 are named after Hans Warsch. At the district fountain built in 1985 in the Friedenspark , the stele that stands for Oggersheim reminds of Hans Warsch.

literature

• A shepherd in Ogersheim accerdiert with the Spanish. In: Johann Philipp Abelinus: Theatrum Europaeum. Part 1. Wolffgang Hoffmann, Frankfurt am Mayn 1635, p. 599 (= image 00669). On-line.
• Ogersheim or Oggersheim . In: Johann Heinrich Zedler: Large complete universal lexicon of all sciences and arts, which bißhero were invented and improved through human understanding and wit ... Vol. 25. - Halle: Zedler 1749, Sp. 950. Online.
• Ogersheim. In: Johann Christoph Wagner: The Palatinate on the Rhine state, country, city and history mirror. Koppmayer, Augsburg 1690, p. 51. (Brief description of the conquest of Oggersheim.) Online.
• Anna Egler: The Spaniards in the Palatinate on the left bank of the Rhine. 1620-1632. Invasion, administration, re-Catholicization. Society for Middle Rhine Church History, Mainz 1971 (on Oggersheim see pp. 62, 66).
• Petra Stölzle: The city of Oggersheim at the time of the Thirty Years War. The legend about Hans Warsch, a true story? In: From Oggersheim's past. Local history study group Ludwigshafen-Oggersheim (ed.), Ludwigshafen-Oggersheim 1991, pp. 5–20.