Hartwig von Hedemann-Heespen

Hartwig Christian Georg von Hedemann-Heespen (born April 26, 1882 in Deutsch-Nienhof ; † January 4, 1960 in Rendsburg ) was a German landowner, administrative officer, nature conservation officer and bird expert.

Life

Hartwig von Hedemann-Heespen was the son of the landowner Friedrich von Hedemann-Heespen and his wife Anna Laura Kunigunde, née Countess von Reventlow. He had six brothers and two sisters. Three brothers and a sister died young. He spent his childhood at Gut Deutsch-Nienhof and received an education at high schools in Lübeck and Flensburg . During this time he developed a nervous heart condition from which he suffered for life. After graduating from high school in 1902, he attended universities in Lausanne, Freiburg im Breisgau, Munich and Kiel, where he studied law. In 1906 he passed the exam at Kiel University.

From 1907 to 1911, von Hedemann-Heespen worked as a government trainee in local government for the districts of Cologne and Aachen. He wrote about "The Economic Significance of Inheritance Law" and thereby became a government assessor. After that he worked for a short time in Eschwege. During the First World War he volunteered for military service, but was turned down due to health problems. Instead, he managed the district office in Hersfeld from 1914 to 1918.

On February 27, 1919 Hedemann-Heespen became a councilor. On October 1, 1921, he took up a position as a consultant in the forest administration (nature conservation) in the administration of Schleswig. He also worked as a department head for the Schleswig moors and the Prussian domain system. In 1934 he was appointed to the Upper Government Council. After the death of his brother Paul , he stopped working for the Prussian state on June 23, 1937. Until 1939 he worked as the fifth entail master at Gut Deutsch-Nienhof.

Acting as a conservationist and ornithologist

Experiences during his youth triggered a profound love of nature at von Hedemann-Heespen. He was particularly concerned with birds. Despite his poor health, he often wandered around the regions of Schleswig-Holstein. He successfully campaigned for nature conservation and initiated the nature reserves Oehe-Schleimünde from 1920 to 1927, the Green Island / Eiderstedt and others in 1920. He was considered one of the best experts in Schleswig-Holstein's nature.

From 1919 von Hedemann-Heespen worked for the German Ornithological Society and the Jordsand Association , which made him an honorary member in 1957. He wrote articles for newspapers and magazines and began extensive public relations work in Schleswig. In 1922 he founded a Schleswig branch of the Federation for Bird Protection . From about 1934 to 1960 he headed the ornithological section of the Faunistic Working Group for Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and Lübeck .

From around 1920 von Hedemann-Heespen traveled through countries in the Alpine and Mediterranean regions for natural history education purposes. These included Sicily, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Rhodes, and Corfu in 1934. In 1936 he visited Montenegro and Dalmatia, in 1956/57 Chile.

After he took over Gut Deutsch-Nienhof in 1937, von Hedemann-Heespen concentrated on nature conservation in the Rendsburg district and later became involved as an honorary representative of the district administration. He was able to secure the heather of the Boxberg near Innien , as well as the Bokelholm reserve and moorland. He also initiated the Westensee-Süd landscape protection area. Together with Alfred Toepfer , he made the first plans for a nature park there.

Acting as the lord of the Deutsch-Nienhof

During his time at Gut Deutsch-Nienhof, von Hedemann-Heespen tried to properly maintain its park. He also took care of the manor house with its art objects, the archive and a private library that contained around 11,000 volumes. To this collection he added many works on natural history with an emphasis on ornithology. In particular through his contacts with the Viennese Otmar Reiser , who traveled to the Balkans and researched bird eggs, he created a large collection of bird eggs.

Von Hedemann-Heespen organized cultural events on the estate. After the Second World War , famous artists and scholars made guest appearances here, giving concerts and lectures. This was visited by invited guests from all walks of life and parts of Schleswig-Holstein.

In the last years of his life, von Hedemann-Heespen tried to create elaborately designed stove plates. These were made in the 17th and 18th centuries and were located in farms and cottages. To prevent these panels from being destroyed, the landlord had them walled into the walls of the library.

Working as a painter

Von Hedemann-Heespen was a talented draftsman and first drew as a student, but did not receive drawing lessons. He later focused on caricatures. From around 1895 to 1930 he portrayed numerous known and unknown people.

family

Von Hedemann-Heespen remained unmarried for life. On October 15, 1946, he adopted Carsten Peter-Ole Verner von Hedemann (born April 4, 1925 in Copenhagen , † September 19, 1960 in Deutsch-Nienhof). He was a descendant of a brother of the family great Christian Friedrich von Hedemann and lived on Deutsch-Nienhof since 1943. Here and on other estates he learned agricultural work.

On August 14, 1954, Carsten von Hedemann married Vera Elena Reccius (* December 5, 1929 in Valparaíso ) in Westensee , who married Hermann Toepfer for the second time. The couple had their son Sven Georg Hartwig (born June 23, 1956 in Kiel) and a daughter.

literature

• Günther AJ Schmidt: Hedemann-Heespen, Hartwig . in: Schleswig-Holstein Biographical Lexicon . Volume 3. Karl Wachholtz Verlag, Neumünster 1974, pp. 141-143