Hermann Biernatzki

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Jürgen Hermann Biernatzki (born March 23, 1818 in Altona ; † September 11, 1895 in Ahrensbök ) was a German lawyer, local politician, farm owner and regional historian.

Training and work as a lawyer

Hermann Biernatzki was a son of Johann Christopher Biernatzky (born April 15, 1765 in Altona; † July 26, 1482 ibid) and his second wife Catharina Maria Rosenbrock (born October 17, 1776 in Altona; † December 29, 1854 ibid). The father worked as a military doctor in Glückstadt and later in Altona. His maternal grandfather was the Altona bleacher Peter Rosenbrock. Pastor Karl Leonhard Biernatzki was one of his brothers . His half-brother Johann Christoph Biernatzki also worked as a pastor.

Biernatzki attended the Christianeum until the spring of 1853 and the Academic Gymnasium in Hamburg from May to September of the same year . Together with his older brother Karl Leonhard, he enrolled at the University of Kiel for the winter semester 1835/38, where he studied law and history. In the winter semester of 1836/37 he continued his studies in Berlin. In the winter semester 1837/38 he moved to Munich, where he spent a year. He then came back to Kiel and completed his studies with the legal examination.

In March 1843, Biernatzki moved to Altona as a lawyer. He lived here with his sister in their mother's house, who was wealthy. In addition to his work as a lawyer, he dealt with historical and topographical studies. The few sources do not indicate that he made any notable appearances as a lawyer or through other activities. Surprisingly, he received an important urban position during the Schleswig-Holstein uprising : in an election in February 1849 in accordance with the provisional city rules of Altona, he was given the office of councilor for life by a large majority.

Change to politics

Immediately after the election, Biernatzki asked the Department of Justice to withdraw his appointment as a lower court lawyer. He probably did this because of possible conflicts of interest that could arise as the magistrate was both administratively and judicially active. During his term of office, which lasted three and a half years, he was a member of the Civil Rights Commission. He took over the chairmanship of the billeting commission, which involved a lot of work. During and after the war there were always troops in Altona, which is why the billeting commission was of great importance.

During Biernatzki's tenure, councilor Ludwig Friedrich Gabriel Schrader returned to Altona. Schrader had worked as a police superintendent in Altona before the survey and, with the support of the government in Copenhagen , has now demanded his posts back. Biernatzki considered this to be incompatible with the city regulations, which were still in force from the time of the survey. If he would accept this himself, he would approve of this breach of city law. Therefore he asked the Ministry for the Duchies of Holstein and Lauenburg in September 1852 for dismissal, which took place immediately.

With his resignation, Biernatzki was obviously trying to provoke a form of strike in local self-government. Councilor Johann Julius Donner followed his example and also asked for dismissal. A little later, the entire college of deputies (city council assembly) wanted to resign. However, the ministry obliged it to continue business.

In the 11th urban electoral district ( Plön , Lütjenburg , Oldenburg ) it was erroneously assumed that Biernatzki was the landowner and could therefore be elected. When he was elected at the end of January 1853, he became a deputy member of the Holstein Estates Assembly . It is unclear why he was able to celebrate political successes outside of Altona. Perhaps the election was based on an election recommendation published in the press shortly before the election, but perhaps also because of a certain prominence outside of Altona.

In the elections for the Holstein assembly of estates in February 1855, Biernatzki won the mandate of deputy estates deputy for Altona. Since he now had real estate that he had probably inherited, he could now also exercise the office. During the electoral term, Biernatzki resigned in 1860/61. Up until then he had not made a significant contribution to the meeting of the estates.

Landowner

Biernatzki acquired a parcel list position in Sierksdorf in Gut Oevelgönne, where he moved his residence. He presumably used the share of the inheritance from his mother, who had died in 1854, that had been paid out to him for the purchase. In 1865 he parted with the farm again and bought another property iniegenfelde , which he held until 1870. After the farm was sold, he bought the Pehmen farm on the south bank of Lake Plön in 1871 , where he lived until 1875. In 1876 he then bought the handsome “Ahrensböker Hof”, where he lived until the end of his life and died childless and unmarried.

Biernatzki led a withdrawn life and suffered from illnesses in old age. A married couple living on his farm took care of him. This couple inherited their property in their will.

Working as a regional scientist

Biernatzki published about since entering local politics. He wrote the extensive works well into old age. He made regular contributions to the “Volksbuch” of his brother Karl Leonhard. The first essays on local history appeared in 1844, the last volume in 1851. The title page of the volumes only ever named his brother as editor. In fact, Biernatzki took over the editing himself, at least in 1845.

In 1846/47 Biernatzki published the "Schleswig-Holstein-Lauenburgische Landesberichte". He wrote several small contributions that appeared in the " Schleswig-Holsteinisches Schulblatt " and dealt with historical and current topics. He provided additional texts for the weekly papers from Itzehoe and Rendsburg, the “Altonaer Nachrichten”, the “Altonaer Mercur” and the “ Hamburgische Correspondenten ”. He wrote about the history of the country and reviews.

In 1847 Biernatzki published the "Pocket Book for Travelers in the Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg", the second edition of which appeared in 1852. Today this book is only of importance to antiquarians.

Biernatzki was already interested in regional studies, especially topography, during his time at the Christianeum. While hiking, he expanded and corrected a well-known topography by Johann Friedrich August Dörfers . In Altona he came into contact with Heinrich Christian Schumacher , who was the head of the Holstein-Launenburg land survey and the local observatory. He made contact with Franz Geerz . He took Biernatzki with him on his travels and was friends with him for life. After the outbreak of the Schleswig-Holstein uprising , during which Johannes von Schröder was Altona city commander, both planned an expansion and a new edition of his Topography of the Duchy of Schleswig, which appeared in 1837 and of the Topography of the Duchy of Holstein, the Principality of Lübeck and the free cities of Hamburg and which were published in 2 volumes in 1841 Lübeck . The new editions appeared in 1854 and 1855. Despite the subsequent literature that appeared later, both books are irreplaceable sources on the historical topography of Schleswig-Holstein.

The updated editions of the topographies by Biernatzki and Schröder sold worse than either of them had hoped. In the first few years after leaving Altona, Biernatzki worked on another new version. Due to the poor sales figures, he stopped the work. In addition, there were probably conflicts with Schröder. So he didn't want to appear on the title page of the topography for Schleswig, which he thought was too flawed. After Schröder's death in 1862, Biernatzki worked on his own work, which he gave up when he was in his mid-forties. He feared that he would not be able to meet his own requirements.

In 1867 Biernatzki refused Geerz's appointment to the Prussian General Staff. In the second half of his life he published significantly fewer works than before. One reason for this was his numerous purchases and the management of farms.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Hartwig Moltzow: Biernatzki, Hermann , p. 32.
  2. ↑ Hartwig Moltzow: Biernatzki, Hermann , pp. 32–33.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h Hartwig Moltzow: Biernatzki, Hermann , p. 33.
  4. ↑ Hartwig Moltzow: Biernatzki, Hermann , p. 32 and 33.
  5. ↑ Henning Oldekop: Hermann Biernatzki, Lebensbild , p. 6
  6. ↑ Stage commander : Henning Oldekop: Hermann Biernatzki, Lebensbild , p. 6
  7. ↑ More detailed information can be found in the respective prefaces of the issues.
personal data
SURNAME Biernatzki, Hermann
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Biernatzki, Jürgen Hermann (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German lawyer, local politician, farm owner and regional historian
DATE OF BIRTH March 23, 1818
PLACE OF BIRTH Altona
DATE OF DEATH September 11, 1895
Place of death Ahrensbök