Henriette Herz

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Henriette Herz, portrayed by Anna Dorothea Therbusch , 1778
Henriette Herz, portrayed by Anton Graff , 1792
Henriette Herz, pencil drawing by Wilhelm Hensel , 1823

Henriette Julie Herz (born de Lemos ; born September 5, 1764 in Berlin ; † October 22, 1847 ibid) was a writer and one of the leading Berlin salonnières of early romanticism . She was married to the doctor and writer Marcus Herz .

Life

Henriette Herz came from a Sephardic-Jewish family whose paternal ancestors had fled Portugal from the Inquisition . Her parents were Benjamin Benveniste de Lemos (1711–1789), a recognized doctor and director of the Jewish Hospital in Berlin , and Esther de Charleville (1742–1817), daughter of a Jewish doctor. Henriette was particularly well trained in various languages. At the age of twelve she was engaged to the doctor Marcus Herz, 17 years her senior, and married two years later.

Marcus Herz, who was fully committed to the Enlightenment and especially to his teacher Kant , gave lectures in her house on his philosophy and led discussion groups on scientific and philosophical topics. Henriette, whose focus was more on the literary, quickly gathered a circle of young men and women interested in literature, where rank or title made no difference.

Henriette Herz is hardly significant as a writer, but she did pioneering work by founding and running one of the most famous literary salons (1780–1803). Initially, her husband received high-ranking guests from politics and culture, while Henriette held a wreath in an adjoining room, which founded a virtue association for “cultivating friendship” and was mainly concerned with Goethe's Sturm und Drang works . This laid the foundation for the Goethe cult. The leading Berlin salon, also known as the double salon in recent literature, was developed from these two circles , located on Spandauer Strasse near the Marienkirche . In addition to politicians, scientists and visual artists, important writers and philosophers, e. B. Johann Gottfried Schadow , who also met his future wife Marianne Devidels here, the brothers Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt , Clemens Brentano's wife Sophie Mereau-Brentano , Jean Paul , Ludwig Börne , Rahel Levin (later Varnhagen) and Friedrich Schleiermacher . Friedrich Schlegel met Dorothea Veit here , the eldest daughter of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn , who later became his wife. Different literary currents, epochs and social circles came together here and it was Henriette Herz's merit to have established contacts and friendships between many German and French scholars, artists and scientists.

Honorary grave of Henriette Herz in Berlin-Kreuzberg

Her husband died in 1803. As a result, she had to severely restrict her socializing and join others, such as the circle around Rahel Varnhagen. From 1813 on she only taught poor children, but her fame remained. She was baptized in 1817 and converted to the Protestant faith.

Henriette Herz died in Berlin in 1847 at the age of 83. She was buried in Cemetery II of the Jerusalem and New Churches in front of the Hallesches Tor . A cross made of cast iron painted black adorns the grave; it was designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel .

Honors

By resolution of the Berlin Senate , Henriette Herz's final resting place has been dedicated as an honorary grave for the State of Berlin since 1956 . The dedication was extended in 2016 by the usual period of twenty years.

Henriette Herz received a late honor in 1999: By resolution of the Berlin House of Representatives, a previously unnamed square near Hackescher Markt was named Henriette-Herz-Platz ; the naming ceremony took place on April 7, 2000.

literature

Web links

Commons : Henriette Herz  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Henriette Herz  - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ see (among others) Henriette Herz in the German biography . In contrast, Jürgen Theil (author), Uckermärkischer Geschichtsverein zu Prenzlau e. V. (Hrsg.): Prenzlauer Stadtlexikon und Geschichte in Daten , self-published, Prenzlau 2005, p. 77 the thesis that she was married to the Prenzlau doctor Simon Herz. As a local historian who publishes himself, he is initially not credible compared to the plethora of other sources.
  2. ↑ Dr. Benjamin Benveniste (De Lemos) Dr. Benjamin Benveniste (De Lemos) Male 1711–1789 (78 years). blankgenealogy.com
  3. ^ Schadow Society
  4. ^ Hans-Jürgen Mende : Lexicon of Berlin burial places . Pharus-Plan, Berlin 2018, ISBN 978-3-86514-206-1 , p. 232.
  5. ↑ Honorary graves of the State of Berlin (as of November 2018) . (PDF, 413 kB) Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection, p. 35; accessed on March 25, 2019. Recognition and further preservation of graves as honorary graves of the State of Berlin . (PDF, 205 kB). Berlin House of Representatives, printed matter 17/3105 of July 13, 2016, p. 1 and Annex 2, p. 6; accessed on March 25, 2019.
  6. ↑ Henriette-Herz-Platz. In: Street name lexicon of the Luisenstädtischer Bildungsverein (near  Kaupert )
personal data
SURNAME Heart, Henriette
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Herz, Henriette Julie (full name); Lemos, Henriette Julie de (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German writer and host of a literary salon
DATE OF BIRTH September 5, 1764
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH October 22, 1847
Place of death Berlin