Rudolf Stapfer

Rudolf Stapfer

Rudolf Stapfer (* 1779 in Horgen ; † April 17, 1838 there) was a Swiss teacher and a Zurich Cantonal Councilor .

life and work

Stapfer grew up as the son of the primary school teacher Hans-Heinrich Stapfer (1737-1815) with three sisters in Horgen. He attended the private school of Rudolf Rottenschweiler (1736-1806), who from 1798 taught in the Preceptor's Room (now the Seidenzimmer) of the Sust Horgen.

In 1797 he opened his own educational establishment (private school). He continued his education with supporters of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi : For example, he attended teacher training courses with Carl August Zeller , which were mostly held outdoors on the Riedtli in Zurich. In 1809 and 1810 he took part in teacher courses with Johann Jakob Reutlinger, pastor and school inspector in Rüti since 1798. From 1815 to 1817 Jacob Zürrer (1805–1870) attended the Stapfer Institute. In 1825 he founded the Weisbrod-Zürrer AG silk weaving mill in Hausen am Albis.

After the death of his father, he became head of the elementary school in Horgen. In addition, he continued to run his private school in the "Windegg", as the primary school teachers' wages at the time were insufficient to support his family with eleven children.

In 1834 he and his eldest son built the expanded «Institut Stapfer» in a new building in «Thalacker». Although the state founded primary, secondary and higher education institutions during this period, the Stapfer Institute was able to hold its own alongside the existing private teaching institute of the Hüni brothers. Well-known students were Johann Jakob Schäppi and Johann Jakob Widmer , who later worked as an assistant teacher at the institute.

In later years he taught less and served the community as a judge of the peace, took care of poor and orphan bills and served as the headmaster. He was elected to the Grand Council . There he vehemently advocated the constitutional amendment with extended people's rights and was a supporter of the veto . He fought against the machinations of the reactionary party to undermine school reform, which tried to turn respected men of the countryside against the reform system.

As president of the school chapter and as a member of the district school administration, he had a major influence on the teaching staff adhering to the original principles of school reform and the school system showing positive results. In 1830 he joined the voluntary conferences that brought practical improvements to teacher training.

The struggle for more freedom rights led by liberal politicians like Rudolf Stapfer and the landscape ( Ustertag ) was brought about by the new liberal constitution of the canton of Zurich of 1831. This formed the basis for the education law passed in 1859 with modern elementary schools and the right to education and free of charge primary and secondary schools.

The brothers Hans-Heinrich and Jakob Stapfer and Hans-Heinrich's son Rudolf Stapfer campaigned for better school locations and worked as schoolmasters in Horgen for many years. The first school house built by the community was built in 1820. All Wachten had schoolrooms in the 19th century. In 1835 there were five teachers for 574 students in Horgen.

literature

• Paul Kläui : History of the community of Horgen , 1952.

Web links

• Horgner yearbook 1981

Individual evidence

1. ^ [1] Stapfer-Enquête 1799: Hans Heinrich Stapfer
2. ↑ Quoting from a speech by Rudolf Stapfer in the Grand Council: If one could hope that the proposed constitutional amendment should be considered merely as the introductory measure for further changes, then he could vote for acceptance, but if it was meant that one wanted that it is precisely the time required to take a general step to appease it, but then to refrain from individual urgent changes and improvements for a long time: then he would have to discard this revision .
3. ^ New Nekrolog der Deutschen , Volume 16, 1838. Verlag Bernhard Friedrich Voigt , Weimar 1840
4. ↑ Horgner yearbook 1981
5. ^ [2] Stapfer-Enquête 1799: Horgen