Henriette Philippine Room

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Henriette Zimmer (drawing by her nephew Ludwig Emil Grimm )

Henriette Philippine Zimmer ( March 1748 - April 15, 1815 in Kassel ) was the older sister of Dorothea Grimm, the mother of the Brothers Grimm and lady-in-waiting of Countess Wilhelmine Karoline von Hessen-Kassel . After the early death of her brother-in-law in 1796 and later after the death of her sister, she took on an important role in the life of her nephew, the Brothers Grimm.

Live and act

Cityscape of the royal seat of Kassel in 1783 (Friedrichsplatz, on the right the Fridericianum)

Early life (1748–1798)

Henriette Philippine Zimmer was the daughter of Johann Hermann Zimmer (1709–1798) and Anna Elisabeth Zimmer, née Boppo (1718–1792). She was confidante and was lady-in-waiting of the Landgrave, who as the wife of the Landgrave and later Elector Wilhelm IX./I. was soon replaced by mistresses .

After the untimely death of Philipp Wilhelm Grimm (1735–1796), his widow and their six surviving children, including Jacob (1785–1863), Wilhelm (1786–1859) and Ludwig Emil Grimm (1790–1863), also economically tough met, Henriette Philippine Zimmer from then on provided financial security for the Grimm family and later enabled the Grimm brothers to attend school and study.

Financial concern for the Grimm family (1796)

In January 1796, a few days after his father's death, Jacob Grimm wrote to his aunt, asking him to take care of the family, him and his siblings. Henriette Philippine Zimmer then obtained from the Landgravine, just three days after receiving the letter of appeal, that her sister Dorothea Grimm received an annual pension of 100 guilders in Frankfurt currency from the cabinet treasury, with the aim of matching the living standard of the Grimm family to secure the death of the father to some extent.

Care for the education of the Brothers Grimm (1798–1805)

After the financial situation became difficult again due to the death of aunt Juliane Charlotte Friederike Grimm (Schlemmer, widowed since 1785), who lived in the Grimms' family and who had supported the family financially, Henriette Philippine Zimmer, who lived in secure circumstances, took on the task to take care of the education of the Brothers Grimm into their own hands. From then on, she ensured a solid education for the children until her death.

At the end of June 1798, she traveled to Steinau an der Straße for this purpose, to discuss the details of the Grimm brothers' relocation to Kassel with Dorothea Grimm and their maternal grandfather, Johann Hermann Zimmer (1709–1798), who officially acted as guardian of the Brothers Grimm to discuss.

At the end of September 1798, Henriette Philippine Zimmer finally brought the two brothers to Kassel to look after them and send them to the Lyceum.

Since she lived in the Landgravine's household in the city palace or in Wilhelmshöher Palace and did not have her own household, she brought the brothers into the family of Abraham Vollbrecht, a landgrave cupbearer and court cook, in Kassel . Vollbrecht and his wife took in the Brothers Grimm as boarders and provided the brothers with a small room to study. Henriette Philippine Zimmer took over the costs for board and lodging. Their support was characterized by “the purest, self-sacrificing love” .

The Brothers Grimm (left Wilhelm Grimm , right Jacob Grimm )

In 1802 Jacob Grimm went to study in Marburg, Wilhelm followed him in 1803. Henriette Philippine Zimmer also helped the brothers during their student days. B. covered the cost of rent and book money.

For Jacob Grimm in particular, Henriette Philippine Zimmer became an important advisor and confidante for the continuation of his studies and his later professional career. At the turn of the year 1804/1805, Jacob Grimm wrote to his aunt by letter, asking him to give him permission to stay abroad with Savigny in Paris. Shortly before the end of his study stay in Paris, Jacob Grimm informed Henriette Philippine Zimmer in a letter about his personal conflict as to whether he should continue his studies in the future or whether he was forced to look for a job for financial reasons.

Henriette Philippine Zimmer spoke to the Electress several times to ensure that her two “Neveus” positions at the electoral court should be given. She also helped her niece Charlotte Grimm with advice by letter and financial support when she ran the household for the Brothers Grimm after her mother's death.

Late life (1806-1815)

Even after completing their studies, the Brothers Grimm kept in touch with their aunt personally and in writing. At the end of July 1807 Wilhelm Grimm traveled to Gotha to visit Aunt Zimmer at the Electress Karoline von Hessel-Kassel's, who had fled from the French to her youngest daughter who was married in Gotha. Jacob Grimm met the aunt in 1813 after the Battle of Leipzig in Leipzig again.

Philippine Henriette Zimmer died unexpectedly on April 15, 1815 after a catarrh fever that initially seemed harmless. For the Brothers Grimm, the death of “Aunt Zimmer”, who had supported them so much during their high school and study time in Kassel and Marburg, was a very painful event personally. Jacob Grimm, who always had an intimate, affectionate relationship with his aunt, was hit particularly hard by his aunt's death.

meaning

For a long time, historical- biographical research concentrated mostly on recording, considering and evaluating the historical context and the factual life story of the people it “examined” , mostly important personalities. In the meantime, she is increasingly taking the family, social and intellectual environment into account. The family networks and the lifestyles of immediate reference persons as well as of "companions" (Völter et al.), Such as B. more distant relatives, teachers, sponsors and patrons, meanwhile a far greater importance than previously acknowledged for the personal development of the research subjects.

Among other things, research developments in sociology , in which the areas of biography research and life course sociology deal with it, have contributed to this.

In the meantime, Grimm research attaches great importance to the milieu-specific and family environment of the Brothers Grimm. So z. For example, the correspondence between Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and their older relatives (mother, grandfather Zimmer, aunt Zimmer, father, aunt Schlemmer) has been compiled, edited and published by the Grimm Correspondence Office at Berlin's Humboldt University since 1986 .

This extensive correspondence covers the years 1787 to 1813, during which the Grimm brothers experienced their decisive influence.

literature

  • Ruth Michaelis-Jena : The Brothers Grimm . Aschendorff, Münster 1980, ISBN 3-402-03478-6 , ( Writings of the Society for the Care of the Fairytale Property of the European Peoples 7), (Original edition: The Brothers Grimm . Routledge & Kegan Paul, London 1970).
  • Hermann Gerstner : Brothers Grimm. With testimonials and photo documents . 8th edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1994, ISBN 3-499-50201-1 , ( Rowohlt's monographs 201).
  • Martin Hoppe: Hanau and the Brothers Grimm . Baugesellschaft Hanau, Hanau 2007, ISBN 978-3-00-022039-5 , ( Edition 4).
  • Sabine Hock : Grimms Hessen. A literary travel guide on the trail of the Brothers Grimm . Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2007, ISBN 978-3-7973-0952-5 , ( Literaturland Hessen 2).
  • Hans-Georg Schede: The Brothers Grimm . Extended new edition. CoCon-Verlag, Hanau 2009, ISBN 978-3-937774-69-5 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hans-Georg Schede: The Brothers Grimm . Extended new edition. CoCon-Verlag, Hanau 2009, ISBN 978-3-937774-69-5 , pp. 22-28.
  2. ↑ Hans-Georg Schede: The Brothers Grimm . Extended new edition. CoCon-Verlag, Hanau 2009, ISBN 978-3-937774-69-5 , pp. 11-28.
  3. ↑ Hans-Georg Schede: The Brothers Grimm . Extended new edition. CoCon-Verlag, Hanau 2009, ISBN 978-3-937774-69-5 , pp. 11-28.
  4. ^ Hermann Gerstner: Brothers Grimm. With testimonials and photo documents . 8th edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1994, ISBN 3-499-50201-1 , pp. 11-26; Sabine Hock: Grimms Hessen. A literary travel guide on the trail of the Brothers Grimm . Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2007, ISBN 978-3-7973-0952-5 , pp. 38/39
  5. ^ Jörg Adrian Huber. The Brothers Grimm in Kassel. Wartberg Verlag 2007, p. 8.
  6. ↑ Hans-Georg Schede: The Brothers Grimm . Extended new edition. CoCon-Verlag, Hanau 2009, ISBN 978-3-937774-69-5 , pp. 21-28; Hermann Gerstner: Brothers Grimm. With testimonials and photo documents . 8th edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1994, ISBN 3-499-50201-1 , pp. 11-26; Sabine Hock: Grimms Hessen. A literary travel guide on the trail of the Brothers Grimm . Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2007, ISBN 978-3-7973-0952-5 , pp. 10/11
  7. ↑ Jacob Grimm, Smaller Writings, Volume 1.
  8. ↑ Hans-Georg Schede: The Brothers Grimm . Extended new edition. CoCon-Verlag, Hanau 2009, ISBN 978-3-937774-69-5 , pp. 29-44.
  9. ^ Sabine Hock: Grimms Hessen. A literary travel guide on the trail of the Brothers Grimm . Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2007, ISBN 978-3-7973-0952-5 , p. 77
  10. ↑ Hans-Georg Schede: The Brothers Grimm . Extended new edition. CoCon-Verlag, Hanau 2009, ISBN 978-3-937774-69-5 , p. 50/51.
  11. ^ Hermann Gerstner: Brothers Grimm. With testimonials and photo documents . 8th edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1994, ISBN 3-499-50201-1 , pp. 11-26; Sabine Hock: Grimms Hessen. A literary travel guide on the trail of the Brothers Grimm . Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2007, ISBN 978-3-7973-0952-5 , p. 26
  12. ↑ Hans-Georg Schede: The Brothers Grimm . Extended new edition. CoCon-Verlag, Hanau 2009, ISBN 978-3-937774-69-5 , p. 79
  13. ↑ See Bettina Völter u. a. (Ed.): Biography research in discourse . VS Verlag , Wiesbaden 2005, ISBN 3-531-14241-0 .
  14. ↑ Cf. Reinhold Sackmann: life course analysis and biography research. An introduction . VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2007, ISBN 978-3-531-14805-2 , p. 9ff.
  15. ↑ Research Center Humboldt University Berlin ( Memento of the original dated November 19, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.grimmbriefwechsel.de
personal data
SURNAME Zimmer, Henriette Philippine
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Aunt of the Brothers Grimm
DATE OF BIRTH March 1748
DATE OF DEATH April 15, 1815
Place of death kassel