Idilia Dubb

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Lahneck Castle
Keep of Lahneck Castle

Seventeen-year-old Idilia Dubb from Edinburgh is said to have died of thirst in 1851 on one of the towers of Lahneck Castle . In all likelihood, however, it is a literary invention that belongs in the context of literary Rhine romanticism , not an actual event.

prehistory

It is said that 17-year-old Idilia Dubb was on a trip to the Rhine with her parents and two siblings in 1851, which also took her to Koblenz . After spending the night in the hotel, the Dubbs hiked to Lahnstein the following day , where they rented a room in the inn on the Lahn . Before leaving, Idilia, who wanted to be a painter, went to the Lahneck castle ruins alone to make another drawing of her. When she had climbed the approximately twenty-meter-high tower of the castle, the wooden stairs collapsed, which had been built a few years earlier by nature lovers because of the beautiful view of the Lahn valley . This cut off her way back. She failed to make herself noticeable, so she died of thirst after four days. During this time she kept a diary . A search for the girl initiated by the parents was unsuccessful and so they finally traveled back to Scotland without their daughter.

Allegedly, construction workers discovered a skeleton on the tower in 1860 and Idilia Dubb's diary in a crack in the wall.

This story - together with the last pages of the diary - was published in two parts under the title “The Death of Miss Dubb” in the Adenauer Kreis- und Wochenblatt on October 26th and November 1st, 1863.

It had previously appeared from August 26 to September 1, 1863 in six episodes under the title “The death at Lahneck Castle” in the features section of the New Bavarian Volksblatt in Stadtamhof . The Dutch version “De dood op burg Lahneck”, the De Huisvriend. Gemengde lectuur voor burgers in stad en land, published by JJA Goeverneur in 1863, may have appeared even earlier.

Until recently, the articles were considered evidence of the authenticity of the story. In 2002 C. Bertelsmann Jugendbuchverlag published a translation of the alleged original diary. An alleged friend of Idilias by the name of Genevieve Hill , who has prepared her friend's diaries for publication, is named as the editor . In particular, more recent research, most recently by Klaus Graf , suggests that all of this evidence is of no value and that it is a modern legend that was first brought into circulation through publications such as those mentioned in 1863.

Even the Allgemeine Zeitung München, which on June 30th 1864 reproduced a short version of the story that the Pfälzer Zeitung had published on June 21st, 1864, felt like "the story of a bride in Modena" "in the Italy of the poet Rogers" remind.

Closer to the source is the story “The Tower of Lahneck. A Romance ”by Thomas Hood , published in 1842 in The New Monthly Magazine . It is about an English woman and her young German friend who climb the tower of Lahneck Castle at the end of May 1830. There they only briefly enjoy the view of the Rhine Valley when suddenly the stairs of the tower collapse with a roar, making the descent impossible for them. Calls for help and other attempts to attract attention turn out to be pointless. Instead of slowly languishing, the German chooses the leap into the depths and leaves her friend alone. Did she also perish? Anyone asked asserts that they have not heard or seen anything. Only the fisherman on the Rhine had once seen crows and ravens soaring over the castle and a screeching eagle that had settled on the tower.

It was based on what Hood's wife Jane, as Hood reports in his memorials , had experienced herself on a trip to the Rhine in 1836. Jane and a Miss von B. had climbed the tower when six steps of the stairs fell down. It took some time for the two women to make themselves felt and to be brought to safety.

last diary page
" Father in heaven, have mercy on my soul "
(" Father in heaven be merciful to my soul ")

Report in the Adenauer Kreis- und Wochenblatt 1863

The report begins with a reminder that “eleven years ago, all the papers from the Rhine region, and later also from the rest of Germany, were eagerly researched for an M. Idilia Dubb”, and ends with a reproduction of the records allegedly found at Lahneck Castle of the Idilia, who is dwindling there, "from the English original, as communicated by the Times and other British papers of their time". Research into such publications was fruitless. The names of the family members and the named friends are also not found in the Edinburgh birth and death records, which are available in the official Scottish government source for genealogical data .

The descriptions of the appearance of the tower contained in the articles do not match reality either. A tower should therefore be demolished because of its dilapidation. The 28 m high keep was - in contrast to some of the much lower ones in the ruined castle walls - almost completely preserved. However, as is customary for Bergfriede, it had no level access. The stairs on the upper floors are laid out in vaults inside the outer wall, so that they were probably preserved. At least there can be no question of collapsing in one fell swoop . New construction studies also show that access to the tower must have been made much earlier than 1860. The first thing that was done during the reconstruction in the 19th century was a new building between the outer wall and the keep, which was given access to it. Dendrochronological examinations show that the year of construction was 1853–55. In addition, some stones falling loosely after centuries would have killed the construction workers and it must therefore have been secured as the very first construction measure. The slender north-west tower, which was still in good condition at the time, is more likely to come into question, which - standing directly on the slope away from the castle - offers a good view of the Lahn valley and which, according to the weekly newspaper, contained the collapsed wooden spiral staircase .

The book by Bertelsmann Verlag

This publication from the year 2002 reproduces two diaries, the originals of which are supposed to be in the possession of a foundation. The “publisher” does not provide any further details. The first (larger) contains the story of the journey through the Rhine up to Idilia's excursion to Lahnstein Castle, the second the pages allegedly found in the castle, similar to those cited in the Adenauer Kreis- und Wochenblatt .

The first diary cannot be considered authentic in view of a large number of inconsistencies. The ruins of the Johanniskirche are still described as having two towers, although the north tower was already on 28/29. July 1844 had collapsed. This and other details (e.g. in the description of Koblenz or a train that is supposed to be heard, although there was no railway in the Rhine Valley at that time) suggest that an older travel guide that was partially incorrect or misunderstood served as a template . Even the very open description of Idilia Dubb's love story is inconceivable for a girl of the Victorian era - even in a private diary.

Naturally, little facts can be found in the second volume of the diary. It is noticeable that the beginning corresponds literally to the version of the Adenauer Kreis- und Wochenblatt , but the end differs from it. The two illustrations in this second volume appear doubtful. The condition of the cover on the first photo does not match the description of the discovered diary - it is in too good a condition. The photo of the open book with the last pages contains a date by days as well as the words "my beloved, my father, my mother, ...". The first words are not found in the publication in the Wochenblatt , whereby “my beloved” is incorrectly translated as “my beloved” in the German edition of the diary, which fits the love story of the first volume of the diary. In addition, the script (which is too careful and even for an allegedly dying person) by no means looks like an original handwriting from the 19th century, but rather like an attempt to create an "old-fashioned" typeface that is legible even for inexperienced users.

reception

  • The writer Wilhelm Schäfer dealt with the fate of Idilia Dubb as early as 1911 in his novella Das Fremd Fräulein .
  • The composer Mark Moebius turned the fate of Idilia Dubb into a chamber opera that sets the last days of Idilia Dubb to music in three parts. In it, wax scenes alternate with dream sequences of the girl, who is getting tired. The world premiere took place on September 14, 2005 at the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress in Koblenz.
  • In 2002, the Swedish version of Maj-Britt Remper's diary was read in as an audio book .

Publications of the diary

  • Idilia Dubb, Genevieve Hill: Idilia Dubbs dagbok . Translated by Ann-Marie Ljungberg. Tiden, Stockholm 2001, ISBN 91-88877-43-4 (Swedish, 230 pages).
  • Idilia Dubb, Genevieve Hill: The Missing Girl: The Records of Idilia Dubb . Translated from the English by Kattrin Stier. 1st edition. Bertelsmann, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-570-12745-1 (218 pages).
  • Idilia Dubb, Genevieve Hill: Idilia Dubbs dagbog . Translated into Danish from the Swedish edition by Hanna Lützen. 1st edition. Gyldendal, Copenhagen 2002, ISBN 87-02-01124-7 (Danish, 187 pages).
  • Idilia Dubb, Genevieve Hill: Idilia Dubbs dagbok . Translated by Kari Bolstad. Aschehoug, Oslo 2004, ISBN 82-03-24435-1 (Norwegian, 254 pages).
  • Idilia Dubb, Genevieve Hill: The Missing Girl: The Records of Idilia Dubb . Translated from the English by Kattrin Stier. 1st edition. C.-Bertelsmann-Taschenbuch, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-570-30274-1 (218 pages).
  • Idilia Dubb, Genevieve Hill: Het dagboek van Idilia . Translated from the English by Mariëtte van Gelder. Mistral, Amsterdam 2009, ISBN 978-90-499-5124-5 (Dutch, 192 pages).
  • Idilia Dubb: The diary of Miss Idilia: A tragic tale of young love lost . Edited by Genevieve Hill. Short, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-906021-81-8 (English, 239 pages).
  • Idilia Dubb, Genevieve Hill: Idilia Dubbs dagbok . Translated by Ann-Marie Ljungberg. New edition. En bok för alla, Stockholm 2014, ISBN 978-91-7221-681-5 (Swedish, 226 pages).

literature

  • Wilhelm Schäfer : The Stranger Fraulein and Other Anecdotes. Reclam, Stuttgart 1969, p. 71 (reprint of the 1911 edition).
  • Werner Cornelius: Locked in at Lahneck Castle - nobody heard the 17-year-old Scottish girl Idilia calling for help . In: Home to Lahn and Dill . No. 409 , 2000.
  • Bettina Bab: legend or victim of the romantic rhine? Idilia Dubb . In: Bettina Bab (ed.): Romance, Travel, Realities: Women's life on the Rhine . Ed. Lempertz, Bonn 2002, ISBN 3-933070-29-5 , p. 82-83 .
  • Ingrid Schmitz-von Szymonski: The girl from Lahneck Castle . In: Contributions to the Rhine customer . tape 54 , 2002, pp. 73-75 .
  • Karla Schneider : Fabled and conjectured . In: The time . February 20, 2003, ISSN  0044-2070 (Critical review of the diary published in 2002).
  • Hans G. Kuhn: Idilia Dubb, the Scottish Fraulein von Lahneck - cruel reality or eerily beautiful saga from the Middle Rhine? In: Heimatjahrbuch des Rhein-Lahn-Kreis . 2003, p. 62-64 .
  • Peter Weller: The Death of Idilia Dubb - Truth or Legend? In: Contributions to the Rhine customer . tape 58 , 2006, ISSN  0408-8611 , p. 55-63 . ( Full text )
  • Christina Nover: Ghost hunt at Lahneck Castle . In: Rhein-Zeitung, edition B0 . tape 66 , no. 252 , October 29, 2011.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Transcription at the Lahnsteiner Altertumsverein ( memento from February 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), facsimile at the newspaper portal zeit.punkt NRW, October 26 and November 1, 1863 .
  2. ↑ Neues Bavarian Volksblatt 1863 p. 934 , p. 935 , p. 938 , p. 939 , p. 946 , p. 950 , p. 954 , p. 958 , p. 959
  3. ↑ De Huisvriend. Gemengde lectuur voor burgers in stad en land, verzameld by JJA Goeverneur . Volume 21, 1863. pp. 267-269
  4. ↑ a b Klaus Graf: New sources on the Schauer history of Idilia Dubb at Lahneck Castle . archivalia.hypotheses.org of December 26, 2014, accessed on August 22, 2018.
  5. ↑ Palatinate newspaper Speyer. 1864 p. 239 bottom left : "A tragic end."
  6. ↑ Allgemeine Zeitung Munich 1864 p. 2963 : “A tragic story”. Samuel Rogers (1763–1855), apparently so well known in Germany at the time that his first name did not need to be mentioned, had presented a description of Italy in verse in 1822. In it he reports on the 14-year-old Ginevra, whose portrait is shown by Zampieri hanging over an oak chest in a palace in Modena. After the wedding with her great love, she did not show up for the banquet and despite all searches, she could no longer be found. It wasn't until fifty years later that a skeleton with her wedding ring was discovered by chance in the old chest. A snap lock on the chest in which she had hidden for fun was her undoing. Samuel Rogers: Italy , London 1822. pp. 123-130 books.google . See also The Bride of Modena by John Heneage Jesse , in ders .: Tales of the Dead, and Other Poems , London 1830, pp. 35-59 books.google , and en: Legend of the Mistletoe Bough
  7. ^ "The Tower of Lahneck. A Romance "by Thomas Hood in The New Monthly Magazine , 1842, pp. 161-167
  8. ^ Memorials by Thomas Hood. Collected, arranged and edited by his daughter. London 1860. Volume 1. p. 180
  9. ↑ cf. the drawing of the inner keep with a 3 meter high insurmountable wall at the top ( memento from November 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) on the website Alte Burggeschichte: Burg Lahneck, Idilia Dubb (Japanese).
  10. ↑ cf. the far right NW tower in a photo from John L. Stoddard's Lectures. Vol. Seven. Chicago & Boston 1898; shown on the MediaSpecialties website: Castles Along the Rhein River: Burg Lahneck ( Memento from April 3, 2005 in the Internet Archive ).
  11. ↑ cf. Henriette von Preuschen: Exploring Burg Lahneck (English, PDF; 206 kB) ( memento from October 13, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) and Ferdinand von Quast: floor plan of the castle before its restoration in 1854. Architecture Museum of the TU Berlin; the NW tower is shown at the bottom right here.
  12. ↑ cf. Idilia Dubb - facts, discrepancies. Lahnsteiner Altertumsverein ( Memento from February 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive ); Idilia Dubb - Reviews: Karla Schneider. Lahnsteiner Altertumsverein ( Memento from August 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). On the condition of the Johanniskirche cf. Ferdinand von Quast (1807–1877): St. Johannis Church, Niederlahnstein before reconstruction in 1856 (drawing).
  13. ↑ This is the verdict of a review of the English version of the “diary”: Andrew Taylor: I smell a rat: The Diary of Miss Idilia presents the reader with an unusual problem. The Spectator , February 17, 2010 (English).
  14. ↑ Original diary of the last 2 days shown in: The girl who has disappeared. Home page of Arlindo NM Correias (Portuguese).
  15. ^ Idilia Dubb - Sources + Editions: Wilhelm Schäfer, 1911. Lahnsteiner Altertumsverein ( Memento of December 11, 2009 in the Internet Archive ).
  16. ↑ Idilia's fate as material for a contemporary chamber opera. Kulturland Rhineland-Palatinate, February 11, 2008.
  17. ^ Genevieve Hill: Idilia Dubbs dagbok. Lund in Worldcat 2002 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Dubb, Idilia
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish casualty
DATE OF BIRTH 19th century
DATE OF DEATH 1851
Place of death Lahnstein