Johannes Hellmann

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Portrait photo by Johannes Hellmann

Johannes Joseph Conrad Hellmann (born August 12, 1840 in Zauditz , Ratibor district , † September 25, 1924 in Neisse ) was a German lawyer, administrative officer and chairman of the Provincial Association of Fire Brigades in Silesia. Hellmann is called the father of the fire brigades in Silesia and was made an honorary citizen of the city of Neisse. In his honor, the Hellmann Medal was issued in 1920 , which has been awarded again as an Upper Silesian award since 2011 - now with the inscription in Polish.

Live and act

Hellmann grew up in Ratibor and attended the Royal High School there. After graduating from high school in March 1862, he studied law and camera science in Breslau until 1865. During his studies in 1862 he became a member of the Raczeks Breslau fraternity . He then completed training as a trainee lawyer at the Court of Appeal in Racibórz. Hellmann passed his exam as a government trainee lawyer in Opole and worked in the administration of the government district until the spring of 1869. On April 1, 1869, Hellmann was elected second mayor of the city of Gleiwitz . During his tenure he founded the volunteer fire brigade in Gliwice and thus the first volunteer fire brigade in Silesia. It emerged from the rescue and gymnastics club and installed Hellmann as chairman. On August 8, 1873, Hellmann was elected city syndic (legal department) in Neisse. There he also founded a volunteer fire brigade. Hellmann was re-elected two more times as city counsel for Neisse. On November 2, 1876, he was appointed honorary chairman of the Neisse volunteer fire department. On April 1, 1907, he resigned from the city's service and retired.

In June 1886 Hellmann was elected to the board of the Provincial Association of Fire Brigades in Silesia on the 13th Association Day in Frankenstein. In 1902 Hellmann received the Order of the Red Eagle, 4th class, in 1907 the Order of the Crown, 3rd Class, on April 20, 1909, the fire brigade commemorative badge and in 1913, the Order of the Red Eagle, 3rd Class with ribbon. At the 25th Silesian Fire Brigade Day on August 12, 1920, Hellmann laid down the chairmanship of the Provincial Association of Fire Brigades in Silesia.

Inauguration of the honorary grave in Neisse on May 25, 2012

Johannes Hellmann died on September 25, 1924 in Neisse and was buried on September 29 in the Rochus cemetery there. After the end of the Second World War, Johannes Hellmann and his work for the Silesian fire department fell into oblivion. It wasn't until Rudolf Hyla from the volunteer fire brigade in Schemrowitz / Szemrowice (Opole / Opole Voivodeship) issued a commemorative coin with Hellmann's picture and a Polish inscription in 2008 that people began to remember him again.

In 2011, parts of his tomb were found in the now abandoned Rochus cemetery. In 2012, the grave was moved to the Jerusalem cemetery in Neisse, where it was again consecrated as an honorary grave with a large number of representatives from the city, the fire brigade and the population.

Commemorative coin Johannes Hellmann 2008, obverse
Commemorative coin Johannes Hellmann 2008, reverse side; Translation of the Polish text: For the glory of God - For the good of the people

His son Hans Hellmann was a first lieutenant in the sea in the Imperial Navy , stationed on the gunboat SMS Iltis and was fatally wounded in 1900 during the battle for the Taku forts in China.

In 2016, a memorial plaque was donated to Johannes Hellmann in honor of the German minority in Gogolin , the location of the plaque is still being determined.

literature

  • Helge Dvorak: Biographical Lexicon of the German Burschenschaft. Volume 1: Politicians. Sub-Volume 2: F-H. Winter, Heidelberg 1999, ISBN 3-8253-0809-X , p. 295.
  • Schlesische Feuerwehr-Zeitung , July 13, 1925
  • Gerd Schrammen: Study by Johannes Joseph Conrad Hellmann (1840–1924) , German Fire Brigade Museum Fulda 2013

Web links

Commons : Johannes Hellmann  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

http://www.dfm-fulda.de/Objects and stories

Individual evidence

  1. NTO: Firefighters visited Hellmann's grave monument
  2. NTO homeland: W Gogolinie pamiętają o Johannesie Light Mannie