Max Wilberg

Max Wilberg (born June 8, 1869 in Frankfurt (Oder) ; † June 14, 1934 there ) was a German educator , historian , numismatist , local historian and genealogist .

Life

Wilberg came from Frankfurt (Oder) and was one of the three well-known numismatists who produced this city, along with the businessman Peter Philipp Adler (1726-1814) and the district court director Franz Bardt (1843-1897).

As the son of a pedagogue, private scholar and writer, Wilberg's later career was in a way mapped out. He attended the local Friedrichs-Gymnasium there and, after having obtained his maturity, studied ancient languages ​​(Greek, Latin), German and history at the universities of Marburg and Berlin .

After completing his studies, he gained practical experience at various private educational institutions and, at the age of 33, returned in 1902 to his home town and to the Friedrichs Gymnasium as a “candidate for a higher teaching post”. Here he worked for 31 years as a senior teacher and finally a teacher. In 1915 he was awarded the title of professor “with the rank of councilors”, 4th class, for his long-standing service in promoting education in the city of Frankfurt.

He remained unmarried for a long time and lived by the side of his widowed mother. When he found a partner after her death, she was soon snatched away from him by death. So he devoted himself to his profession and scientific studies in various areas of interest with all his might.

Due to an emergency ordinance and to make room for younger workers, Wilberg retired on February 29, 1932 from active school service. His retirement, during which he now wanted to devote himself fully to his scientific inclinations, lasted only a little over two years. On June 14, 1934, shortly after the age of 65, Wilberg died while studying Theodor Mommsen's fundamental history of Roman coins.

Scientific work

In accordance with his training, Wilberg initially occupied himself with the old Roman comedies in his spare time. He translated, commented and published several pieces. Some were also performed to his delight, such as B. "Menaechmi" / "The Twins" by Plautus in the Stadttheater Frankfurt .

Wilberg's special studies on the coins of his hometown resulted in two works, which he titled “The coins of the city of Frankfurt a. Or “published; a more popular treatise appeared in 1907 in the Frankfurter Oder-Zeitung and a scientific and extensive one in 1910 in the communications of the historical association for local history in Frankfurt a. Or booklet 24, pp. 27-38 (reviews in Numismatisches Literatur-Blatt 29, 1908). Other small numismatic works by him mostly appeared in the Berliner Münzbl Blätter, including the processing of the coin find from Wadelsdorf / Niederlausitz in vol. 33 (1912), pp. 476-480.

Wilberg's most extensive work, however, was the compilation of the "Regenten Tables", which was published in 1906 by Paul Beholtz in the Frankfurt publishing house. As he emphasizes in the foreword, it emerged from his early numismatic studies, which he had begun 23 years earlier, and was initially created solely for his private purposes.

Paul Joseph, the publisher of the Frankfurter Münzzeitung published in Frankfurt am Main, recognizes in his review of the work in year 6 (1906) especially the "enormous amount of work ... that arose from collecting, organizing and making the material ready for printing. Thanks and appreciation are due to the author of all who will use his work, which has been continued to the most recent times. "

The immense work was also recognized by a regent from the ruling houses listed. Prince Leopold IV of Lippe-Detmold , to whom Wilberg had dedicated his book, awarded him the " Order for Art and Science, the Lippe Rose on the Ring ".

Fonts

• Regent tables, a compilation of the rulers of countries from all over the world up to the beginning of the 20th century . Beholtz, Frankfurt (Oder) 1906 ( digitized version [accessed on May 3, 2016]).
• The coins of the city of Frankfurt a. Or . In: Communications from the Historical-Statistical Association (then Historical Association for Local Studies) in Frankfurt a. O. No. 24 , 1910, pp. 27 ff . ( online (PDF file) [accessed on May 3, 2016]).