Ludwig Gustav von Winterfeld
Ludwig Gustav von Winterfeld (born May 31, 1807 in Nemitz ; † August 18, 1874 in Damerow ) was a Prussian officer, politician and family historian. From 1867 to 1874 he was a member of the Prussian manor house . As a chronicler of the family, he is a key figure in the extensive Prussian noble family von Winterfeld .
Life
Ludwig Gustav von Winterfeld was born into an old Prussian aristocratic family that spread far beyond Brandenburg and Pomerania. He was a son of the Prussian captain a. D. Hans Friedrich von Winterfeld (1761–1819) and his wife Charlotte Dorothee, née von Petersdorff (1778–1846). His father was the owner of two manors: the old family estate Damerow in the Uckermark and Nemitz near Stettin, which had been run down by leasing . His early childhood was marked by the turmoil and hardship of the Napoleonic occupation. The father, untalented as a landlord, sold Nemitz in 1816 and died in 1819.
After attending grammar school in Prenzlau , Ludwig Gustav embarked on a military career in the Prussian Army and advanced to major - probably mainly because the family, impoverished during the Napoleonic era, lacked the means for another career. New perspectives only arose when he acquired the old Damerow estate in 1835 from his father's inheritance. He left the military to rebuild the long neglected estate. He succeeded in shaping Damerow into a modern and profitable farm. Here he used techniques that he had studied while traveling through England and France. Numerous new buildings were erected within twenty years, which were to form the core of the manor that is still visible today. In the 1850s, a magnificent mansion with a landscaped garden was added as the core of the flourishing estate economy.
In 1864, Ludwig Gustav expanded his property to include the Pätzig estate in Neumark (today Piaseczno near Trzcinsko Zdrój in Poland).
As a successful landlord, he vigorously got involved in the knighthood , the professional representation of the Uckermark country nobility. In 1856 he was elected knighthood director, in 1867 he was sent as a representative to the Prussian manor house , the upper house of the parliament formed in 1849. He belonged to him until his death. In 1862 he was accepted as a legal knight in the Order of St. John .
In 1833 he had married Amalie von Katte (1811–1868). He had six children with her, three of whom died in childhood. In addition to the eldest son Carl Ludwig (1839–1911), these were the two daughters Luise Amalie (1844–1918) and Anna Charlotte (1845–1914).
Ludwig Gustav von Winterfeld is buried in the family cemetery he created in Damerower Park.
Chronicler of the family
Even as a young officer, Ludwig Gustav collected sources and information on the history of his widely ramified and difficult to understand family. This research meant that he himself was in contact with more distant relatives and became a kind of integrating figure in the Winterfeld family. In 1857, during the celebrations to mark the centenary of General Hans Karl von Winterfeldt's death at Sanssouci Palace, in the presence of the Prussian king, he established the Winterfeld family association, which still exists today. In addition, from 1858 onwards, he gathered his findings on family history in his monumental history of the von Winterfeld family , of which he himself published three extensive volumes based exclusively on document studies during his lifetime (and which were later continued by other authors).
Fonts
- History of the von Winterfeld family. 3 parts, self-published, Damerow 1858–1874. ( Digitized version ), ( 1st part ), ( 2nd part ), ( 3rd part )
literature
- Gothaisches genealogical pocket book of the noble houses. 1904. Fifth year, Justus Perthes, Gotha 1903, pp. 912–913.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Winterfeld, Ludwig Gustav von |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Prussian officer, politician and family historian |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 31, 1807 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Nemitz |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 18, 1874 |
| Place of death | Damerow |