Ulrich Blank (Abbot)

Ulrich Blank (born December 31, 1673 in Uttenweiler ; † October 17, 1748 ) was imperial prelate and abbot of Marchtal (today Obermarchtal , Alb-Danube district).

Ulrich Blank was born as a "bear" in Uttenweiler in what was then a first-rate economy . His father Andreas Blank, miller's son from Sauggart, married the widow of the bear host Martin Schilling in 1647. After the death of his wife, he married Anna Gaisser from Ingoldingen in 1667 (important men such as Abbot Gaisser von St. Georgen also emerged from this family). Johannes, who later became Abbot Ulrich, was born on December 31, 1673 as the fifth of seven children in this family.

The older brother Lorenz later took over the property and the economy, while Johannes came to Obermarchtal in the Premonstratensian monastery school there. On November 21, 1693 he made his profession and was able to celebrate his primacy on September 29, 1699 . Afterwards he studied in Dillingen and then gave lectures in philosophy and theology in his own monastery . For some time he was Kastner (asset manager) of the Marchtal convent.

In 1719, Father Ulrich Blank was elected abbot of his monastery and thus as the imperial prelate local lord of his homeland (in 1693 the Lords of Stein had died out). The Marchtaler Land extended to Kirchbierlingen , to the Federsee and also to the area beyond the Danube. According to the custom of the time, the subjects had to pay homage to their "sovereign". This memorable homage in Uttenweiler was on 22./23. October 1720, before the church patronage. The then governor of Uttenweiler, Premonstratensian Father Athanasius Haumann, left a report on this.

Literature and source

Hermann Schneider and Ferdinand Kramer: Home book of Uttenweiler . Published by the Uttenweiler community, 1994, ISBN 3-925171-27-4