Helene von Bülow

Helene von Bülow

Helene Elisabeth Fredericke Henriette von Bülow (born January 14, 1816 in Camin ; † November 17, 1890 in Ludwigslust ) was one of the founders and first superior of the deaconess mother house, Bethlehem Abbey in Ludwigslust.

Life

childhood

Helene von Bülow was born in Camin as the daughter of the landowner Bernhard (Joachim Ludwig) von Bülow (* 1786), the eldest son of the Oberhofmarschall Bernhard Joachim von Bülow , and his wife Elisabeth (Elise), born von der Lühe (* 1795) . She had twelve siblings. Helene was entered on January 18, 1816 under the number 923 in the Dobbertiner registration book for later admission to the noble women's monastery in the Dobbertin monastery . She had a carefree childhood on her father's estate, which had been in the family since 1663. The mother, supported by governesses and domestic servants, took care of the children, the father, who was considered strict, hardworking and pious, ran the Camin estate. The children were encouraged to lead healthy and humble lives. The parents ensured a comprehensive school education: Helene was taught together with a sister and also took part in the brothers' mathematics classes, which are not usual for girls. In 1829, when she was 13, she attended the girls' boarding school run by Fräulein von der Sode in Ratzeburg . After her school education, Helene von Bülow did not want to follow the usual path of life of a daughter from a “good home”, which would have meant a proper marriage and care by her husband. She contemplated becoming an educator, but rejected it because it would not have been appropriate for a wealthy noble woman. Helene von Bülow was introverted, very interested in religious matters and inwardly rejected the usual pleasures of noble society, only complied with them out of courtesy, she rejected marriage proposals.

education

After the death of her father and older brother Bernhard, the mother and her children moved to Ludwigslust in 1842 . Here Helene von Bülow was active in the “poor and sick visiting group” of the women's association, which was founded by the theologian Theodor Kliefoth . During this work the desire was awakened in her to devote her life entirely to religious charitable work. Her friend Marianne von Rantzau told her about the work of the revival theologian Theodor Fliedner , who had founded a deaconess mother house in Kaiserswerth near Düsseldorf in 1846 to train Protestant nurses and “toddler teachers”. Despite being 30 years old, the mother had to give permission to attend this school. During her training in Kaiserswerth, Helene von Bülow went through a “small children's school course”, the “boys' ward” and a time as a trial nurse in the hospital. The training also included joint visits with the community deaconess to the poor and sick in the city and in the surrounding area, whereby no differences were made in the religious affiliation of the visitors. The training lasted a year. A friendly relationship developed between Helene von Bülow and the Fliedner couple, which lasted beyond their training. At the beginning of 1847, Helene was called back to Ludwigslust because her older sister's illness was becoming more and more threatening. The sister died on March 15, 1847, coughing up blood. All these illnesses and deaths in the family will have increased Helene von Bülow's desire to help poor and sick people.

After completing her training, Helene von Bülow became a member of the board of the Ludwigslust Toddler School. Their efforts to improve the city's poorly equipped hospital failed. In 1847 she visited the Berlin Central Deaconess House Bethanien , whose superior was Marianne von Rantzau (1811–1855). Theodor Fliedner, who was also present, advised to start with a small children's hospital and to wait for further developments.

Bethlehem Abbey

Bethlehem Abbey, Collegiate Church

Grave of Helene von Bülow in the Ludwigslust cemetery

Immediately after her return from Berlin, Helene von Bülow bought the small Büdnerei No. 18 in front of the Schweriner Tor in the then Ludwigslust suburb of Kleinow with her own resources in order to set up a children's hospital. The Ludwigsluster Wochenblatt reported on November 1st, 1857: A heart full of love for the sick and poor and especially sick children was the driving force behind this purchase. Here the children of the poorer population, also from the area around the city, were treated by a Ludwigslust doctor. Some children have been treated and cared for over a long period of time. Most of the costs incurred for accommodation, food and clothing were taken over by Helene von Bülow from her private assets.

She planned to enlarge the house in order to be able to accommodate the medically neglected women and an extension to the deaconess institution. She was supported in her plans by Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II and his wife, Grand Duchess Auguste. With their financial help, the foundation stone of the new two-story house, which was built next to the first small building, could take place on July 9, 1850. On November 3, 1851, the inauguration of the new house took place in the presence of the Very High Lords from Schwerin . At the same time, the founder, Fräulein von Bülow, was appointed superior of the foundation, which has now become a church institution. At Helene von Bülow's request, the name Stift Bethlehem was chosen. Helene gave her property to the foundation with cash capital of 10,000 thalers, which was recorded in a donation agreement with the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The contract also stipulated that the superior had the right to determine her successor and that the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, as senior bishop, could dismiss the superior through his senior church council if she proved unsuitable.

Since space was still needed for male patients, Grand Duchess Auguste bought a neighboring Büdnerei and laid the foundation stone for a large extension. Although Helene von Bülow found it difficult, the children's hospital, the actual cradle of the Bethlehem Abbey, was demolished for structural reasons. In the summer of 1855 the new house was inaugurated by the clergyman pastor Kliefoth. A few years later, the Ludwigsluster Wochenblatt wrote about the monastery: What its faithful care is doing was particularly evident in 1859, when cholera roamed the country as a strangling angel of God. The sisters cared for them with untiring sacrifice.

The training of nurses was accompanied from April 15, 1860 by the first monastery pastor Friedrich Wilhelmi Wilhelmi. For a long time Helene von Bülow had requested the use of the clergyman from the Oberkirchenrat. The establishment of a pastor's office was only possible after the approval of 10,000 thalers by the state parliament for the excellent work of the deaconesses during the severe cholera epidemic. From December 16, 1866, Pastor Johann Krabbe was at the side of the superior, with a versatile, practically talented employee who headed the institution for 34 years until his death on January 14, 1901.

Soon the monastery was able to send deaconesses to other places in Mecklenburg. Often the children's hospitals, hospitals and homes asked the superior to provide sisters. In order to visit the institutions in question, Helene von Bülow often had to travel around the country and she reported very critically about the grievances found in the hospitals of Schwerin, Wismar or Rostock.

Despite her extensive management activities, Helene von Bülow made a tour of the house every morning and evening, visiting the hospital wards and taking an interest in the patients' well-being, encouraging them or comforting them. She had also made it her business to accompany the dying and was present at all funeral services.

Helene von Bülow suffered a heart attack on November 17, 1890, which leads to her death. It was reported that when she did not appear for coffee on November 17th, a sister went into the bedroom and found her asleep in her bed with an expression of quiet peace.

In addition to their families, high-ranking personalities and church dignitaries, 200 deaconesses came to the funeral service that took place on November 21st in the churchyard in Ludwigslust. The Ludwigslust population took a large part in the death of the founder.

Honors

In Ludwigslust a street was named after Helene von Bülow. The old people's home in her birthplace Camin also bears her name.

Works

• Songs of David , Ludwigslust 1901
• Yesterday, today and forever , Ludwigslust 1901

literature

• Manfred Berger : Helene von Bülow (1816–1890). Life and work of the founder and first superior of the deaconess mother house "Stift Bethlehem" in Ludwigslust , in: Contemporary history regional. Messages from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania , year 2004, issue 2, pp. 53–62
• Manfred Berger:  Bülow, Helen (a) e Elisabeth Fredericke Henriette von. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 24, Bautz, Nordhausen 2005, ISBN 3-88309-247-9 , Sp. 376-388.
• Johannes Krabbe: Helene von Bülow. A picture of the life of the founder and first superior of the Bethlehem Deaconess House in Ludwigslust. Bethlehem Abbey, Ludwigslust 1930
• Axel Attula: Network of Mercy. Mecklenburg's deaconesses. Ribnitz-Damgarten 2013, pp. 6-9.

Web links

• Literature about Helene von Bülow in the state bibliography MV

Individual evidence

1. ^ Johannes Krabbe: Helene von Bülow. A picture of life. Ludwigslust 1933.
2. ↑ LHAS 3.2-3 / Landeskloster / Klossteramt Dobbertin. Dobbertiner registered book No. 88, 89.
3. ↑ Axel Attula: Superior Helene von Bulow. In: Network of Mercy. Mecklenburg's deaconesses. 2013 pp. 6-9.
4. ↑ Adelheid Martens: In the service of the poor and sick. SVZ, Mecklenburg-Magazin January 2, 2015, p. 23.
5. ↑ Adelheid Martens: In the service of the poor and sick. SVZ, Mecklenburg-Magazin January 2, 2015, p. 23.