Joachim Nikolaus von Dessin

Joachim Nikolaus von Dessin (* 1704 in Rostock ; † September 18, 1761 in Cape Town ) laid the foundation stone in Cape Town for the establishment of the first public library in South Africa .

Life

Joachim Nikolaus von Dessin came from the old Mecklenburg noble family von Dessin . The father Christian Adolf von Dessin was born in 1679 and served as an officer in the Swedish army. From 1702 he was married to Margaretha Elisabeth von Hünenmörder. This marriage resulted in two sons, Joachim Nikolaus, born 1704, and August Christian, baptized 1706.

The father sent both sons out of the house early. While the younger was given food to a preacher, Joachim Nikolaus Page was at the court of Margrave Albrecht Friedrich von Brandenburg and received schooling in Berlin at the Joachimsthalschen Gymnasium .

Shortly after his promotion to chamberlain in 1722, he left the margrave's estate and returned to Mecklenburg after the death of his parents. Soon afterwards he turned to Holland, left his homeland and in 1726 joined the Dutch East India Company, also known as the United East India Company of the Netherlands.

On November 7, 1726 he went on board the ship "Ketel" as a simple soldier and reached Cape Town on April 16, 1727 , where he stayed and in 1729 rose to the chancellery of the Chamber of Justice with the rank of assistant. He also practiced as a lawyer in a private notary's office.

On December 10, 1730, he married Christina Ehlers of German descent. Thanks to their relationships with influential Cape Townspeople, he gained access to better circles and the upper class of the Cape Colony.

In 1737 he became secretary of the orphanage and estate agency, where he administered estates and dealt with guardianship matters. When he asked for a promotion again in 1744, he received it as sub-merchant. In 1757 he retired from the company due to illness.

Joachim Nikolaus von Dessin died on September 18, 1761 in Cape Town.

collection

Through his professional and social advancement in society, Joachim Nikolaus von Dessin was able to acquire large land holdings and several houses. One of these houses was suitable for the inclusion of a library . The structure and composition of his growing book collection revealed much about his wide-ranging and diverse interests in the Age of Enlightenment . He paid great attention to the classics of antiquity but also to contemporary philosophy and theology. The theological books in more than a thousand volumes comprised almost a quarter of the entire collection.

In order to train his good language skills, which were already considered excellent during his school days, he acquired numerous grammars, language courses and dictionaries. In addition to his mother tongue, he also read Dutch, Latin, French and, in addition, Greek, Hebrew, English, Italian and Spanish. This is proven by numerous handwritten notes in his books.

He also dealt with mathematics, astronomy and geography.

He was also particularly interested in history, to which around 800 works from his collection can be assigned. There are also important scientific publications in various fields in his collection. This inventory was supplemented by valuable manuscripts for the early history of the European settlement of South Africa (including transcriptions of diaries and reports and descriptions of the Cape by company officials). When purchasing the books, Dessin benefited from his profession, his assets and his personal relationships, because without a printer, bookstore or publisher in the vicinity, the acquisition turned out to be quite difficult.

As the secretary of the orphanage, he was the first to find out about an estate and was able to quickly acquire books. He received them from departing officials and guests passing through, and he also exchanged books for food or other items. He ordered many books directly from Europe.

legacy

His extensive will was read out on October 5, 1761 in the Council of Churches. He bequeathed his library to the Dutch Reformed Church on the Cape, along with manuscripts, the associated bookcases and desks, book presses, as well as his scientific instruments and pictures. However, this only on the condition that his inheritance may not be sold and serve as the basis for a public library and should be increased annually with new items. The church council accepted the demand.

The inventory prepared on November 2nd consisted of no less than "3856 volumes and manuscripts, bound and unbound", in different book sizes, "together with the corresponding bookshelves, large cupboards and small desks, four bookbinding presses, tier boards, two step ladders, some mathematical and astrological ones Instruments, 32 images selected by the Council of Churches, 17 silver medals, 123 large, 103 medium-sized. 118 small silver coins and some copper coins ”. All works subsequently delivered should also be added to the inventory. In addition, he bequeathed 1000 Reichstaler each to the church and the orphanage for the construction of the library. He also thought of his relatives in Mecklenburg, friends in the Cape and his godchild. He gave his three slaves freedom as well as money for their livelihood and clothing. In 1763, the church consistory had a house built on the second floor of which there was space for Dessin's book collection. In 1764, the preacher Johannes Friedrich Bode was appointed as the first librarian and library regulations were issued. By 1821 the collection had grown to 4,565 works.

In addition to the existence of the “Dessinian Collection” in the National Library of South Africa, two round panels in the provincial administration building remind of Dessin's work. They contain the text: "JN von Dessin whose book collection by his bequest the first Public Library in South Africa dwelt on this site from 1756-1761." (JN von Dessin, whose book collection became the first public library in South Africa on his legacy , lived here from 1756 to 1761.)

literature

Eduard Moritz: Joachim Nikolaus von Dessin . In: Mecklenburgische Jahrbücher. 99 (1935) pp. 209-218. ( Digitized version )
Martin Guntau [Ed.]: Mecklenburgers abroad. Historical sketches on the life and work of Mecklenburgers in their homeland and far away. Ed. Temmen, Bremen 2001. ISBN 3-86108-772-3 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Design, Joachim Nikolaus von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German nobleman, laid the foundation stone in Cape Town for the establishment of the first public library in South Africa
DATE OF BIRTH	1704
PLACE OF BIRTH	Rostock
DATE OF DEATH	September 18, 1761
Place of death	Cape Town