Mathilde Escher
Mathilde Escher (born August 26, 1808 ; † May 29, 1875 in Zurich ) was a Zurich pioneer and founder of the Mathilde Escher Foundation.
family
Mathilde Escher was the second of five children of Hans Caspar Escher vom Glas and Anna Muralt.
siblings
- Gustav Albert Escher-Kennedy (1807-1845)
- Johanna Escher († 1809)
- Rosalie Escher († 1810)
- Anna Barbara Escher (1816–1861)
Life
Mathilde Escher grew up in Zurich. The open house of her parents contributed to a confident demeanor and an alert mind of the girl. As a young woman she traveled to Karlsbad , Prague and Vienna , where she visited the writer Karoline Pichler. In 1830 she was treated in the orthopedic institute Morlay near Ligny for 14 months against the "increasing skewedness" of her body.
On her trip to England and Scotland in 1834, Mathilde Escher met the Anglican Church, the Independent Church and Elizabeth Fry of the Quakers for the first time . On her journey through continental Europe, she made propaganda for her thoughts on life and the "moral care of the prisoners". Deeply impressed, Mathilde Escher decided to found the "Association for the Moral Care of Convicts" with like-minded people in Zurich. For the time it was an unusual step for a woman to step out of the domestic bar.
In 1842 the Amalienverein was founded, a poor association. Mathilde Escher helped found the first soup company. She also looked after her own parents with great care until their death.
St. Anna Asylum (Mathilde-Escher-Heim)
After the death of her parents Mathilde was able to dispose of significant financial resources and her time freely. In 1864 she founded the St. Anna Asylum (now Mathilde Escher Heim). The original location was opposite the St. Anna Chapel in Zurich, which she also founded; This building also housed the so-called second St. Anna Chapel, in which Reformed devotions took place every Wednesday and Sunday evening during Mathilde Escher's lifetime. On the ground floor was the home for handicapped children from poor backgrounds.
Today's Mathilde-Escher-Heim of the Mathilde-Escher-Foundation stood after the demolition of the original building in 1909 on the Lengghalde in Zurich. The Mathilde Escher Heim is the leading competence center for people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy or a similar physical disability.
Honor
Mathilde Escher was honored by the Gesellschaft zu Fraumünster on the occasion of the women’s honor at Sechseläuten in 2016. Her memorial plaque is attached to the St. Anna Chapel at St. Anna Gasse 1.
literature
- Conrad Ferdinand Meyer : Mathilde Escher. A portrait. Zurich paperback to the year 1883
- Susann L. Pflüger: New Year's Gazette of the Gesellschaft zu Fraumünster for the year 2016 (tenth item), Edition Gutenberg Volume 10, No. 10, Zurich 2016, ISSN 1663-5264
Web links
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Escher, Mathilde |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss pioneer and founder of the Mathilde Escher Foundation |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 26, 1808 |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 29, 1875 |
| Place of death | Zurich |