Johann Georg Hildt

Johann Georg Hildt (born March 17, 1785 in Oppelsbohm ; † November 23, 1863 in Weinsberg ) was a German master craftsman and architect . From a poor background he worked his way up to become a wealthy and respected citizen of Weinsberg. For his friend, the Weinsberg senior medical officer and poet Justinus Kerner , he built the Kernerhaus, now a listed building and serving as a museum, in 1822 . He supported Kerner in the restoration of the Weibertreu castle ruins in 1824.

Life

Hildt was born in Oppelsbohm as the son of master bricklayer Johann David Hildt and his wife Eva, nee. Österle, born and had a tough youth. He came to Weinsberg for the first time as a bricklayer. To avoid being called up for military service in Württemberg, he went to northern Germany and stayed for a long time in Hamburg , where an uncle lived.

In 1806 he went on a trip to Switzerland. On the way back to Hamburg he got caught between the fronts of the Napoleonic Wars and was arrested by the Prussian military at court as a suspected French spy, but was able to achieve his release a few days before the battle of Jena .

Homesick, he returned to Württemberg, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment as a deserter and was initially taken to Hohenasperg fortress . When it was subsequently used for road construction work, it attracted the attention of King Frederick at Monrepos Castle , who was annoyed by the inability of a master builder to prepare a construction plan as requested. Friedrich took Hildt's claim that he could bring this about at his word. After Hildt had drawn up the desired plan within a day, he was used in the office for typing and was able to train as a foreman in his free time.

Hildt was apparently released early, because already on August 15, 1811, the city of Weinsberg accepted him as a citizen with a fortune of 1200  florins . In 1816 he married Christiane Philippine, born in Weinsberg. Obermann (1790–1864), with whom he had ten children. Hildt enjoyed a high reputation as a builder. He was involved in the construction of several state projects such as the Friedrichshall salt works in Jagstfeld, the Ludwig-Danube-Main Canal , several railways in Romania as well as bridges and canals in Germany.

Hildt was good friends with the new senior doctor and poet Justinus Kerner , who came to Weinsberg in 1819 . In 1822 he built Kerner House, the later of Kerner's son Theobald Advanced Kerner House , a cultural monument that has been Theobalds death in 1907 serves as a museum. In his memories of his father's house, Das Kernerhaus and his guests , published in 1894 , Theobald Kerner set a literary monument to the foreman Hildt .

Hildt's wife Philippine was a founding member of the women's association founded on December 8, 1823 under the chairmanship of Justinus Kerner , which was dedicated to the protection and preservation of the castle ruins Weibertreu . He supported Kerner with the restoration of the ruins in 1824, had the buried towers cleared and made accessible by stairs. In addition to the Kernerhaus, he erected several massive stone buildings in Weinsberg, including the renowned Zur Traube inn (demolished in 1970) . He was a city councilor and, together with the city architect Wilhelm Ganzenmüller, owner of the Weinsberg quarry. In 1863 he died as a wealthy citizen who was highly respected by his fellow citizens.

Hildt's descendants, including his son Christian (1814–1909) and his grandson Erwin (1851–1917), were also respected citizens of their hometown. Both Christian and Erwin were made honorary citizens of the city of Weinsberg. Both also took care of the estate of Justin and Theobald Kerner. The city owes Christian Hildt the Hildtsche Villa on the grounds of the viticulture school , Erwin Hildt the Hildthalle , which was inaugurated in 1914 and which still serves as a festival hall. Hildt's tomb in the Weinsberg cemetery commemorates the Hildt family.

Remarks

1. ↑ He reported on this experience in Justinus Kerner's magazine Blätter aus Prevorst in 1838 : Blätter aus Prevorst . Eleventh collection. Brodhag, Stuttgart 1838, p. 126–136 ( p. 126 in Google Book Search).
2. ↑ Theobald Kerner writes in Das Kernerhaus and his guests about the "Salinen in Kochendorf". The saltworks, founded in 1820, was located in the Jagstfeld district between the two places.

literature

• Kurt Seeber: Hildt family. A contribution to the history of the city of Weinsberg. In: Year book for the city of Weinsberg 1981. Röck, Weinsberg 1981, ZDB -ID 717014-2 , pp. 308-313
• Theobald Kerner: The Kernerhaus and its guests. 2nd Edition. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart and Leipzig 1897, pp. 26–39