Johann Wittemak

Johann Wittemak , also Wittmack , (* 1608 , maybe also 1618 , probably in Flensburg ; † February 13, 1676 in Rendsburg ) was a German officer, engineer and dikemaster.

Live and act

Johann Wittemak was a son of Dietrich Wittemak (* 1563; † June 7, 1626 in Flensburg) and his wife Margaretha Schnivken (* 1583; † January 9, 1616 in Flensburg). The father worked as a clerk in Schwabstedt and later in Flensburg, where the son probably spent childhood and youth. His educational path is not documented. As a 20-year-old he took over the office of Oberdeichgrafs of the Nordergoesharde in Duke Schleswig.

After the Burchardi flood, Wittemak apparently made such a service that he received royal privileges in connection with his house. King Christian IV visited the stately building in Bredstedt repeatedly. In addition, the dyke loads for his property in Ockholmer Koog were waived . In addition, he owned the Hallig Lundingland.

After the Burchardi flood, Wittemak tried for several years to dike in the west coast of Schleswig. The king asked him to draw up a map of North Friesland. Wittemak completed this in 1649, using older models. Johannes Mejer dedicated the sheet “Nordergoesharde im Amt Bredstedt” to him in 1649, which can be seen as a sign of recognition of Wittemak's cartographic skills.

From 1643 Wittemak participated as an officer in the royal lord in the fight against the Swedes. In 1645 he fought as a captain in the von Buchwaldtschen regiment during the siege of Flensburg. The following year he became a lieutenant captain in the Ahlefeldt body regiment. In the following years he took on various positions according to documents and worked as a building inspector, dikemaster or engineer. In 1648 he served as an adjutant to Field Marshal Ernst Albrecht von Eberstein , where he quickly rose to major. The king followed Eberstein's recommendation and appointed Wittemak as quartermaster general of his army corps in November 1659. On November 4, 1659, the army and Wittemak's leadership landed on Funen and conquered the island. Then he went to the king to report on this.

Wittemak married Telse Bruhn on July 13, 1646 in Rendsburg (* February 2, 1627 in Meldorf ; † October 29, 1662 there). According to sources, he went into another marriage. He had two daughters and a son.

After the peace agreement of May 27, 1660, von Eberstein proposed making Wittemak inspector of the fortifications. In 1661/62 the troop strength was reduced, which meant that Wittemak had to fear that he would lose his job as a professional officer. In March he and other officers signed a petition to the king. In it they complained about the announced dismissals of soldiers and officers. Wittemak should then put together a new "land regiment". In 1663 he was in command of one of these regiments as a colonel in Holstein.

Sources from 1666 list Wittemak as Quartermaster General, Colonel, and Governor and Dikgrave von Bredstedt . During this time he worked on several fortifications and hydraulic structures. In 1674 he took over command of the Friedrichsort fortress , and in July 1675 of the Rendsburg fortress , which was his last place of work.

Some foundations of church facilities show that Wittemak was wealthy: in 1646 he donated a pulpit to the church of Breklum . A pulpit and baptismal font of the newly built church in Ockholm date from 1647 . There was also an epitaph which, according to Richard Haupt, still existed in 1874, but is now considered lost. In 1656 he donated a chalice to the church of Bredstedt . Also in 1656 he commissioned an epitaph for his parents from the renowned Flensburg carver Claus Gabriel and the painter Heinrich Jansen. This was installed in the Marienkirche in Flensburg .

literature

• : Wittemak, Johann . in: Biographical Lexicon for Schleswig-Holstein and Lübeck . Volume 10. Wachholtz Verlag, Neumünster 1994, pp. 388-390.