Hugo von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff

Hugo von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff

Hugo Theodor Wichardt Freiherr von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff (born June 18, 1840 at Gut Markowitz , Inowrazlaw district ; † August 30, 1905 at Gut Kobelnik , Strelno district ) was a German landowner, politician and President of the Province of Poznan . In this position, his policy of understanding between Poles and Germans failed at the end of the 1890s due to the resistance of the radical right-wing members of the German Ostmarkenverein .

Life

Hugo von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff came from a noble family of landowners of Polish origin who had lived in Prussia since the Second Partition of Poland (1793) and who went back to Field Marshal Wichard von Möllendorff (1724-1816). Hugo's father Arnold Freiherr von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff (1813–1888) was the youngest of the general's three adoptive sons. Primogenitur was common in the family , so only Hugo, the eldest son, could inherit the title of baron. One of his brothers was the classical philologist Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff (1848–1931).

Hugo von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff attended grammar school in Bromberg and, after graduating from high school, moved to the knight academy in Dom Brandenburg . Here he studied law and economics. He later moved to the universities of Heidelberg and Berlin . Since 1861 he was a member of the Corps Saxo-Borussia Heidelberg . After completing his studies, he did his military service and joined the Landwehr as a reserve officer.

After his military service, Wilamowitz began his career in administration, first at the district court in Berlin, and later with the government of his native province of Posen . In 1867 he was entrusted with the administration of the Inowrazlaw district . After nine years of service, in 1876 he took over his father's property in Markowitz and Kobelnik after his father Arnold retired. His younger brother Ulrich became a professor in Greifswald that year. As a landowner, Wilamowitz was involved in politics. In 1876 he was elected to the Prussian House of Representatives as a candidate of the German Conservative Party for the constituency Posen-Land 2 . In the one legislative period (until 1879) that he belonged to the House of Representatives, Wilamowitz made a name for himself in Posen and Berlin.

In 1884 he was appointed to the Prussian State Council. From 1888 he was chairman of the Poznan Provincial Committee. In the same year his father Arnold died, and Hugo von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff received his mandate from the Kaiser as a member of the Prussian manor house and was raised to the baron status. His career reached its climax with his appointment as Lord President of the Poznan Province in 1890. In this function he tried to achieve understanding between Poles and Germans in the provinces and came into conflict with the radical East Prussian Junkers who founded the German Ostmarkenverein and especially through Ferdinand von Hansemann , Hermann Kennemann and Heinrich von Tiedemann-Seeheim (HKT, hence “ Hakatists ”) thwarted Wilamowitz's policy. In a memorandum in 1897, the Upper President addressed the Prussian government in Berlin, which, however, was ignored. In 1899 Wilamowitz was founded by Rudolf v. Bitter d. J. was replaced as Chief President and retired to his estate in Kobelnik. Here he died on August 30, 1905 of complications from a heart attack while riding. From 1894 until his death he was commander in the Order of St. John .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Mann, Bernhard (edit.): Biographical manual for the Prussian House of Representatives. 1867-1918 . Collaboration with Martin Doerry , Cornelia Rauh and Thomas Kühne. Düsseldorf: Droste Verlag, 1988, p. 417 (handbooks on the history of parliamentarism and political parties: vol. 3)
2. ^ The Johanniter, Posen-Westpreussische Genossenschaft, history, commendators. In: The Johanniter. Retrieved November 12, 2019 . 

literature

• Martin Sprungala: Hugo von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff (1840–1905). In: East German Memorial Days 2005/2006 , Bonn 2006.

Web links

• Martin Sprungala: Wilamowitz-Moellendorff, Hugo von . In: East German Biography (Kulturportal West-Ost)