Johann Ludwig Weitling

Johann Ludwig Weitling (* 1758 ; † after 1792 probably in Lichtenberg ) was a German educator and pastor . He is considered to be the eponym of Weitlingstrasse in the Lichtenberg district of Berlin, which was called Wilhelmstrasse until 1938 .

Life

Weitling became a schoolmaster in the community of Lichtenberg in 1782 . He held his lessons in a school building built in 1777 for 300 thalers, whose teachers were also obliged to cultivate white mulberry trees according to the royal order issued by Frederick II in 1742 . That is why an extra room had been set up for raising silkworms .

Weitling had done his elementary school teacher training in the “ preparation institute ” of a Royal Real School . In addition to the teaching and pastoral office, he took the sovereign order seriously and immediately planted 44 mulberry trees when he started school. After a short time he was able to produce five pounds of pure silk from the cocoons of the caterpillars . It can be assumed that silk production also played an important role in teaching, as Lichtenberg was a village east of the city of Berlin in the 18th century .

After just ten years, in 1792, Weitling left school voluntarily.

In the 19th century, silk production in Prussia no longer played a role, so that the original trees have not been preserved. It was not until the 21st century that the administration returned to the old tradition and had several new mulberry trees planted in the cemetery on Rummelsburger Chaussee.

Web links

• Weitlingstrasse. In: Street name lexicon of the Luisenstädtischer Bildungsverein (near  Kaupert )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Mulberry trees are reminiscent of Prussian tradition . In: Berliner Morgenpost , December 21, 2008; accessed on May 31, 2013