Hugo Rothstein

Hugo Rothstein (born August 28, 1810 in Erfurt ; † March 23, 1865 there ) was a Prussian officer, writer, musician and teacher.

Hugo Rothstein

Life

After Rothstein had attended grammar school until 1826, he decided, against his father's will, to join the artillery . In 1832 he became a second lieutenant and in 1838 a teacher at the artillery school in Berlin. He designed many military scientific works, which brought him awards and cash prizes. Contributions in the field of music and literature were not missing from Rothstein's cultivated interest in education.

On a private study trip through Sweden he got to know Lingsche gymnastics in 1843 and described it in the magazine Der Staat in 1844 . Ling himself called his gymnastics "rational", by which he meant the scientific justification for it. Rothstein caught the attention of the Prussian Minister of War Hermann von Boyen and he sent him to study gymnastics in Stockholm and Copenhagen . At the Königlich Gymnastischen Central-Institut (GCI), founded in 1814, Rothstein completed a ten-month training course and a three-month course at the institute in Copenhagen, which had been in existence since 1806, together with Second Lieutenant Techow. The GCI was under the direction of Per Henrik Lings, who had been employed as a fencing instructor at the Karlberg War Academy in Stockholm since 1813. Rothstein made no distinction between army gymnastics and school gymnastics, so that he found the exercise material of Lingschen "rational" gymnastics suitable for both army gymnastics and Prussian school gymnastics.

After Rothstein's return, he decided to develop the Lings apprenticeship and wrote his own work, The Gymnastics, based on the system of the Swedish high school teacher PH Lings . He was able to successfully implement his idea of ​​a Central Institute for gymnastic instruction in the army , so that the first training course began in October 1847. However, the March Revolution in 1848 was the end for the still young institute. In 1851 Rothstein was promoted to captain and later to major and also to head ("teaching conductor") of the newly created Royal Central Gymnastics Institute (CTA), so that he could also practice rational gymnastics in the military and civil departments. According to Rothstein's will, teachers for schools have now also been trained there according to the Swedish gymnastics system. From 1851 to 1857, however, only 48 primary school teachers were trained to be school gymnastics teachers in 6 courses. In reality, however, the two civilian teachers employed at the CTA, Hermann Otto Kluge and Paul Martin Kawerau, mainly taught gymnastics according to Eiselenscher and soon also according to the Spießian method .

The critical gymnastics clubs could not do anything about the unfamiliar gymnastics at the CTA because they were politically suspected and were under police supervision. After Friedrich Wilhelm IV had to cede the affairs of state to his younger brother, Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, in 1858 due to illness , this change of government ushered in a liberal new era . In addition, there were some foreign and domestic political events in 1859, so that a wave of nationalism was triggered in Germany. The gymnasts now feel empowered and openly expressed their opinion on Hugo Rothstein. Trusting the Ministry of War and Culture, which had previously offered him support, Rothstein replaced the two civilian teachers with Carl Euler , who had a doctorate at the CTA , in order to improve his position again. In the course of Rothstein was also stretching and bullion create from the CTA, as he believes the draw was similar to the Swedish cross-tree too much and the ingot is classified as hazardous by him. Euler proved to be highly qualified, well organized and extremely committed. Due to his six years of school experience, however, he was not very convinced of Ling-Rothstein's gymnastics and found gymnastics to be superior in any case. Carl Euler asked for the gymnastics equipment removed by Rothstein to be returned.

Rothstein did not comply with this request, so that the gymnastics clubs nationwide triggered an agitation against Rothstein , which became known as the parallel bars . Thereupon he tried with expert reports from doctors who were benevolent towards him to bring about a scientific confirmation of his skepticism regarding the bar. In a memorandum from the Berlin Gymnastics Council to all members of parliament from March 1861, a devastating criticism of Ling-Rothstein's gymnastics was expressed for reasons of national education. Eduard Ferdinand Angerstein, editor of the Rheinisch-Westfälische Turnzeitung, also submitted his negative opinion as a petition to the House of Representatives via the Cologne gymnastics club. In this he demanded to refrain from rational gymnastics and to reintroduce gymnastics at the Central Gymnastics Institute. In 1861, due to the second German gymnastics festival, the gymnastics day in Berlin was held, at which an appeal was also made to the government to abandon rational gymnastics and concentrate again on Jahn , Spieß and Eiselen’s ideas in German gymnastics. The Prussian government was not dissuaded from its concept and made sure that neither the memorandum nor the petition was dealt with in the plenum of the House of Representatives. In 1862 the guidelines for physical education in the Prussian elementary schools were finally published and were the first curriculum. This did not contain any horizontal bar or parallel bars, although Euler worked on it. Emil du Bois-Reymond , a long-time board member of the gymnastics community in Berlin, then rebelled against Rothstein's medical thoughts with a pamphlet.

The bars dispute ultimately found its way onto the political level. Petitions were sent to the House of Representatives and eulogies for German gymnastics were held, so that at the end of 1863 Rothstein had to leave the CTA. In poor health he withdrew to Erfurt and died on March 23, 1865.

Disposal of the establishment of a central gymnasium

Faculty

Hugo Rothstein was in charge of the teaching staff. The doctor Dr. Siegfried Reimer, who provided the anatomical and physiological lectures. The military and civilian teachers also played an important role in the practical instruction in the central gymnasium.

aims

Taking into account Ling's system, “rational” gymnastics should be taught. With the help of anatomy and physiology lessons it was necessary to train teachers in the field of gymnastics. The future gymnastics teachers were deployed at high schools, secondary schools and community schools as well as at school teacher seminars.

organization

A nine-month training course was to take place from October 1 of each year to June 30 of the following year, which was limited to six months in 1858. Every day about five lessons should be attended by the learners, which were taught in groups of no more than 36 participants. Of these 36 participants, 18 were military and 18 civilian students. The Royal Ministry of War jointly held organizational management together with the Ministry of Spiritual Education and Medicinal Affairs.

Fonts

• The gymnastics, according to the system of the Swedish high school teacher PH Ling. Schroeder, Berlin 1847 (digitized)
• The gymnastics, after the Swedish gymnastics school teacher PH Ling. Schroeder, Berlin 1851 (digitized version) , 2nd edition under the title The gymnastic calisthenics according to the PH Ling system. 1855 (digitized version)
• The gymnastic armor exercises according to PH Ling's system. Schroeder, Berlin 1855 (digitized version)
• Commemorative speech for Pehr Henrik Ling.Schroder, Berlin 1861 (digitized version)
• The parallel bars. Schroeder, Berlin 1862 (digitized version)
• The Royal Central Turn Institute in Berlin. Schroeder, Berlin 1862 (digitized version)

literature

• Arnd Krüger : History of movement therapy, in: Preventive medicine. Heidelberg: Springer Loseblatt Collection 1999, 07.06, 1–22.
• Hans Langenfeld , Josef Ulfkotte: Unknown letters from Friedrich Ludwig Jahn and Hugo Rothstein as sources on the early history of gymnastics. Westfälischer Turnerbund, Oberwerries 1990, ISBN 3-928115-05-7 .
• Wolfgang Eichel, Norbert Heise, Eberhard Jeran, Willi Schröder, Helmut Westphal: History of physical culture in Germany 1789–1917. Volume 2, Sportverlag, Berlin 1973, ISBN 3-101288-14-2 .
• Klaus Lutter: On the development of gym teacher training in Germany - a structural-historical-social-scientific investigation from the beginnings to the 1st World War. Beyreuth 1995.
• Carl Euler:  Rothstein, Hugo . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 29, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1889, pp. 376-379.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Reform of school gymnastics . January 24, 2003. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
2. ↑ Hans Langenfeld, Josef Ulfkotte: Unknown letters from Friedrich Ludwig Jahn and Hugo Rothstein as sources on the early history of gymnastics. Westfälischer Turnerbund, Oberwerries 1990. ISBN 3-928115-05-7 .
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h} Wolfgang Eichel, Norbert Heise, Eberhard Jeran, Willi Schröder, Helmut Westphal: History of physical culture in Germany 1789–1917. Volume 2, Sportverlag, Berlin 1973. ISBN 3-101288-14-2 .
4. ↑ Klaus Lutter: On the development of gym teacher training in Germany - a structural-historical-social-scientific investigation from the beginnings to the 1st World War. (= Dissertation to obtain a doctorate). Beyreuth 1995.
5. ↑ ^{a b} Klaus Lutter: On the development of gym teacher training in Germany - a structural-historical-social-scientific investigation from the beginnings to the 1st World War. Beyreuth 1995.
6. ^ The change of government in Prussia on link.springer.com
7. ^ Euler, "Rothstein, Hugo" in: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 29 (1889), pp. 376–379 [online version]; URL: http://www.deutsche-biographie.de/pnd118985876.html?anchor=adb