Robert Burkhardt

Robert Burkhardt (born October 2, 1874 in Rutha ; † March 15, 1954 in Ückeritz ) was a German homeland researcher . He dealt with Pomeranian history, in particular with the home history of the island of Usedom .

Life

Robert Burkhardt was born in Rutha near Jena in 1874 as the son of a factory carpenter. He decided early on to become a teacher, but was unable to attend a teaching seminar for financial reasons . At the age of 16, he received a temporary teaching position in Hainichen (Eilenburg) as a so-called preceptor . In 1894 he passed the "seminar discharge test" at the teachers' seminar in Weißenfels , as an external person, that is, without having attended the seminar. In 1897 he passed the second teacher examination in the same way. This now gave him the opportunity to apply as a teacher across Germany.

In 1900 he went to Bergen on Rügen as a middle school teacher . With that Burkhardt had come to Pomerania , where he would work until the end of his life. In Bergen he also met his future wife, whom he married in 1903. After stints in Sankt Goarshausen and Wolgast , Burkhardt became school principal in the city of Usedom . With that he had achieved a financially secure position.

During the First World War, Burkhardt volunteered for the military nursing and served as a platoon leader, first in France, then in Poland. In 1916 his military service ended; he was requested by the civil administration in Lodsch for the teachers' college there. In October 1918 he resumed his work as school principal in Usedom. In 1924 he moved to Swinoujscie , where he was rector of the boys' school and at the same time director of the vocational school.

Burkhardt wrote novels and short stories. Above all, he wrote works on local history, the most important being the chronicle of the island of Usedom and the history of the port and the city of Swinoujscie . Burkhardt had been a member of the Society for Pomeranian History and Archeology since 1908, and from around 1930 he headed the Swinoujscie Society's local branch. Since 1931 at the latest, he was also the district curator for the cultural and historical soil antiquities of the Usedom-Wollin district .

Burkhardt was released from school prematurely in 1934, but became head of the city archives of Swinoujscie. In November 1945 he and his wife had to leave Swinoujscie, which had since come to Poland. They first went to Koserow , where he worked as a headmaster again for a few months, and then to Ückeritz , where he also became headmaster. In 1948 he was retired due to old age and illness. In his retirement he still wrote articles and memoirs about local history. Robert Burkhardt died on March 15, 1954 in Ückeritz.

Fonts (selection)

A complete list of publications can be found in: Baltic Studies . Volume 78 NF (1992), ISSN  0067-3099 , pp. 107-109.

Novels and short stories

• The last Neuenkichen. A novel from the past of the island of Usedom. W. Fritzsche Verlag, Swinemünde 1911.
• Widar and his gender. From the Germanic prehistory. From the Oder Islands, volume 2. Verlag Diesterweg, Frankfurt am Main 1925.

Local history works

• Chronicle of the island of Usedom. 3 parts. Verlag W. Fritzsche, Swinemünde 1909 (part 1), 1910 (part 2), 1912 (part 3).
• History of the port and the city of Swinoujscie. 2 parts. Verlag W. Fritzsche, Swinemünde 1920 (part 1/1), 1921 (part 1/2), 1931 (part 2).
• One century of the Swinoujscie City Savings Bank 1836–1936. Swinoujscie 1936.

literature

• Hellmut Hannes : Robert Burkhardt (1874–1954). Life and work of the chronicler of the Oder estuary area. In: Baltic Studies. Volume 78 NF (1992), ISSN  0067-3099 , pp. 99-109.

Web links

• Literature about Robert Burkhardt in the state bibliography MV