Konstantin Uhder

Konstantin Uhder as a student (around 1890)

Konstantin Uhder (born February 19, 1870 in Wolmarshof, † May 29, 1919 in Alt-Schwaneburg ), Latvian Konstantīns Ūders or Konstantīns Ūdris , was a Latvian pastor . He is considered a Protestant martyr and is recorded on the Riga Martyrs Stone.

The dates in this article are based on the Julian calendar for the period up to 1918 unless otherwise noted.

Life

Youth and education

Konstantin Uhder was the son of a penniless Latvian schoolmaster who died early, and despite great financial difficulties during his studies at the University of Dorpat , which led to interruptions, he was able to advance socially without, however, attaining a higher literary education. The painter Theodor Uhder (Latvian Teodors Ūders , 1868–1915) was his brother.

From 1900, Oskar Schabert employed him for the newly founded Livonian seaman's mission as a seaman's pastor for the Latvian seafarers in Cardiff , Wales , to enable them to celebrate the service in their mother tongue. Uhder was born on Sunday, April 20th ^. / May 3, 1903 ^greg. , ordained at 10 o'clock in the morning in St. Gertrud's Church in Riga by the Livonian general superintendent Oehrn. Afterwards he gave the sermon himself, the collection was intended for the seaman's mission. Uhder initially went to Cardiff again as a seafarer pastor.

The Riga city vicar Alexander Burchard (see chapter “Literature”) then arranged for Uhder to be appointed as adjunct for Pastor Carl Walter (1834–1905) in 1905. The upheavals in connection with the Russian Revolution of 1905 had led to tensions between the Baltic Germans and Latvians , which is why Burchard welcomed the fact that he had won a Latvian for the office in this largely Latvian community. Burchard describes Uhder as unworldly, subjective and unable to adjust to other people. Alexander Burchard gives the following example:

The musically gifted Uhder spent his free time at the piano, but was unable to empathize with old Walter, who was bedridden, sick and disturbed by it. Pastor Walter complained that the consistory had sent him a musician in place of an adjunct. Burchard tried to get Uhder to be more considerate, who agreed, but kept forgetting his promise.

Walter told Burchard on the morning of the day of his death about an incident of the previous day, introduced with a smile: “Think, God gave me great joy yesterday before my death.” So Uhder came to Walter and told him that he had had a vision. In the middle of the hall stood a woman's head with tangled hair, around which fiery bullets had flown, and he heard a clear voice that said to him: “Uhder, you are stupid.” Walter replied: “Listen, Uhder, until now I have not believed in visions, but now I believe that there are visions! "

On the other hand, Burchard calls Uhder a pure soul and a pious person.

Pastor in Aahof

From 1906 Konstantin Uhder was pastor in Aahof. His community valued him.

In 1917 the Bolsheviks took control for the first time and expected von Uhder to support them if he did not want any interference on their part. The pastor did not obey them. Action against him began immediately. So the church building was confiscated by them, so that the services had to take place in the pastorate.

The pastor should be silenced, which is why he was imprisoned in December 1917. But his community stood up for him, which forced the Bolsheviks to release him from prison.

On February 25, 1918, the German army marched into Aahof, which ended the first communist domination. During the German occupation, the pastor was able to renew his congregation and also held services for the German soldiers. They successfully asked him to intercede for Kaiser Wilhelm II .

At the end of the First World War , the German troops withdrew. The return of the Bolsheviks was only a matter of time.

Exile, return and execution

Konstantin Uhder knew that the Bolsheviks would arrest him immediately, which is why on November 25, 1918, at the beginning of the Latvian War of Independence , he left his community and went to Riga, in the hope that this city would be defended against the Bolsheviks at all costs. and that he could wait for the end of their reign there. Here he worked scientifically and surrendered to the music he so valued.

On May 22, 1919, Riga, which had also been occupied by the Bolsheviks, was captured by the Baltic State Army . Most of the country was no longer under the influence of the Bolsheviks, so the pastor felt safe and wanted to return to his homeland.

First he wanted to go to his family in Alt-Schwanenburg. He reached the place on May 28th. At that time the place was still under the control of Latvian Bolsheviks. Uhder was arrested and brought before the tribunal. He was accused of spying for the Germans and received a death sentence. He was then arrested along with nine other death row inmates. He prepared himself and his fellow prisoners for death.

At night they were led out of the place where they had to stand one after the other in front of their already excavated graves. The pastor was the first. A first volley was fired at him. Uhder was unharmed and called:

"Take aim, the angels are waiting for me."

A second volley was fired at Konstantin Uhder; three bullets penetrated him and killed him, causing him to fall into his grave. On the same day Alt-Schwaneburg was occupied by the opponents of the Bolsheviks.

literature

• Oskar Schabert : Baltic Martyrs Book. Furche-Verlag, Berlin 1926, p. 167 f. ( Digitized version, the report is based on the notes of Konstantin Uhder's mother, Marie Uhder).
• Günther Schulz (editor): Church in the East. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1996, ISBN 3-525-56385-X , p. 25.
• Harald Schultze and Andreas Kurschat (editors): "Your end looks at ..." - Protestant martyrs of the 20th century. Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig 2006, ISBN 978-3-374-02370-7 , Part II, Section Russian Empire / Baltic States , p. 559.
• Alexander Burchard: "... all your miracles." The last German provost in Riga remembers. Volume 10 of the publication series of the Carl-Schirren-Gesellschaft , Schriftenvertrieb Carl-Schirren-Gesellschaft e. V., Lüneburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-923149-59-9 .
• Kārlis Beldavs: Mācītāji, kas nāvē gāja. Luterisma mantojuma fonds, Riga 2010, ISBN 978-9984-753-56-0 (Latvian).

Web links

• The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia. 1914.
• Nekropole.info
• Pictures on the website of the University of Tartu
• Portrait photo of Konstantin Uhders (second row from top, second picture from left)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Calendar reform by the Bolsheviks on February 1st ^July. / February 14,  1918 ^greg. , Declaration of independence of Latvia on November 5th ^jul. / November 18,  1918 ^greg.
2. ↑ Notes. in the Rigaschen city sheets , no. 20, May 22, 1903, online at Uhder | issueType: P
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Oskar Schabert : Baltic Martyrs Book . Furche-Verlag, Berlin 1926, p. 168. ( Digitized version, the report is based on notes from the mother Konstantin Uhders, Marie Uhder)
4. ^ Günther Schulz (editor): Kirche im Osten , Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1996, ISBN 3-525-56385-X , p. 25
5. ↑ Alexander Burchard: "... all your miracles": The last German provost in Riga remembers , Volume 10 of the publication series of the Carl-Schirren-Gesellschaft , Schriftenvertrieb Carl-Schirren-Gesellschaft e. V., Lüneburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-923149-59-9 , p. 158 above