Heinrich Brockhaus

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Heinrich Brockhaus

Heinrich Brockhaus (born February 4, 1804 in Amsterdam , † November 15, 1874 in Leipzig ) was a German bookseller , publisher and liberal politician .

Live and act

He was a son of the publisher's founder Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus . Although he did not receive any higher education after his stay in Carl Lang's renowned educational institution for boys at the Lößnitz -schloss Wackerbarths Ruh ' , sometimes together with his younger brother Hermann , Brockhaus showed an above-average interest in literature and a talent for modern languages. At the age of fifteen, he started working for his father's publishing house without going through the usual years of traveling . When his father died, Brockhaus took over the management of the FA Brockhaus publishing house at the age of just twenty .

At first he managed the publishing house together with his brother Friedrich . Heinrich Brockhaus later ran it alone, before sharing responsibility with his son Eduard from 1854 . Under the direction of Heinrich Brockhaus, the company grew and its importance continued to increase. In 1831 Brockhaus bought the traditional publishing house Johann Friedrich Gleditsch, which dates back to the 17th century. In terms of content, the publisher covered almost all areas of knowledge. In addition to literature, Brockhaus published the Leipziger Allgemeine Zeitung from 1837 , later renamed the Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung . The publishing house expanded internationally through branches in Paris , Vienna and Paris, but also overseas.

Brockhaus continued his education autodidactically, but systematically. This included long journeys across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. In addition to expanding his knowledge, he also used the trips to maintain and expand business contacts.

In addition to his close publishing activities, Brockhaus participated in various committees in the interests of booksellers and was particularly involved in the area of ​​copyright law. He was a co-founder of the Leipziger Kunstverein .

Brockhaus was a member of the Leipzig city parliament for many years, and he was also a member of the Saxon state parliament . In 1848 Brockhaus was a member of the Frankfurt preliminary parliament . Later he was one of the co-founders of the German National Association .

Heinrich's older brother Friedrich married Richard Wagner's sister Luise Konztanze in 1828 and his younger brother Hermann married Ottilie Wilhelmine Wagner, another sister of the composer, in 1836. Heinrich Brockhaus became Wagner's “two-time” brother-in-law, whose library (so-called “Dresden Library”) he withheld as security for the composer's debts after Wagner fled Dresden in 1849.

In 1872 he was made an honorary citizen of Leipzig.

Fonts

  • Diaries. Volume 1: Italy, Spain and Portugal 1834 to 1872. Edited by Volker Titel. 2nd Edition. Filos, Erlangen 2005, ISBN 3-938498-10-2 .
  • Diaries. Volume 2: Germany 1821 to 1874. Ed. By Volker Titel. Filos, Erlangen 2004, ISBN 3-9808983-2-6 .
  • Diaries. Volume 3: Reisen im Orient 1857 to 1858. Ed. By Hartmut Bobzin and Jens Kutscher. Filos, Erlangen 2005, ISBN 3-9808983-6-9 .
  • Diaries. Volume 4: France, Andorra, Basque Country 1829 to 1868. Edited by Astrid Melzer. Filos, Nuremberg 2017, ISBN 978-3-938498-32-3 .
  • Diaries. Volume 5: Iceland 1867 . Edited by Jon Madsen. Filos, Nuremberg 2018. ISBN 978-3-938498-33-0 .

literature

Web links

Commons : Heinrich Brockhaus  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hermann Camillo Kellner:  Brockhaus, Herrmann . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 47, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1903, pp. 263-272.
personal data
SURNAME Brockhaus, Heinrich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION publisher
DATE OF BIRTH February 4, 1804
PLACE OF BIRTH Amsterdam
DATE OF DEATH November 15, 1874
Place of death Leipzig