Veit Jung

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Veit Jung statue from 1916 with sculptor

Veit Joseph Jung (* 1727 or 1731 ; † November 7, 1805 ) was a Neumarkt master blacksmith. According to legend , he is said to have saved the city of Neumarkt from siege and destruction during the 1st coalition war in 1796 by opening the city gate. This enabled the Austrian troops under General Friedrich August von Nauendorf to penetrate the city and drive out the French troops.

Life and childhood

Veit Jung probably came from Reistingen near Dillingen on the Danube and married the blacksmith's widow M. Elis on February 20, 1762. Seitz from Neumarkt. He died on November 7, 1805 of a lung disease. Veit Jung was a master blacksmith . He had his forge in the upper Marktstrasse 2. Today there is a coffee house at this point. Little is known about the life of Veit Joseph Jung; He had a son, Georg Jung († 1815).

The rescue of Neumarkt

View of the intersection at the former Upper Gate from the perspective of Veit Jung's house

On August 23, 1796, the French troops under General Bernadotte holed up in Neumarkt. Previously, they had been pushed back from Daßwang via Batzhausen and Deining (cf. Battle of Deining ) to Neumarkt. The Austrian troops under General Friedrich August von Nauendorf threatened to besiege and destroy the city if they did not open the gates. Legend has it that Veit Jung ran with his forge's hammer towards the upper city ​​gate and hit the castle under the hail of bullets from the French. The city was then taken by the Austrians and the French fled.

Truth and legend

For a long time it was assumed that these were verified eyewitness reports . In fact, the act was not mentioned in contemporary sources. It was not until 1852, 47 years after Veit Jung's death, that the heroic deed was first mentioned in the poem “Der Torschmied von Neumarkt”. Only the Virgin Mary was thanked in contemporary votive pictures . Therefore, today it can no longer be proven beyond doubt whether it was actually a real event.

Honor and popular culture

Former blacksmith's forge and where Veit Joseph Jung died - see also memorial on house wall and memorial plaque - today (as of December 29, 2017) there is a coffee house in it
Commemorative plaque on the house where Veit Joseph Jung died, text: House where the brave Thorschmiedes Veith Joseph Jung died, who did outstanding work for the town of Neumarkt in the war years in 1796 by opening the closed upper town gate, affixed in 1868.

In 1868 a memorial plaque was attached to Veit Jung's former home. Furthermore, the secondary school teacher Max Knitl wrote a play, "The Thorschmied von Neumarkt", (sic) which was premiered in 1898.

During the First World War , the sculptor Johann Koller created a figure with a city coat of arms at his feet. Anyone who struck a nail in the coat of arms had to pay a fee. In 1912, the painter Albert Reich made a pen drawing that was used in many calendars - including on Gloßner's beer label. During the time of National Socialism , Veit Jung played a subordinate role. Nevertheless it was mentioned.

The newspaper " Bayrische Ostmark " wrote on October 28, 1938:

“(...) Soon the Austrians, who at that time belonged to the German Empire, appear in front of the Upper Gate and wanted to attack the French again; they threatened to bombard the city if the Upper Gate was not opened to them. The French now had little to lose in a bombardment and they did not think about opening the gate that gave them protection. So the horror of a bombardment lay over the citizens when the blacksmith Veit Jung, who had his forge close to the gate, took his heart, grabbed his blacksmith's hammer and smashed the gate's barrier, although he exposed himself to the French bullets. (...) "

- Bavarian Ostmark, October 28, 1938

Veit Jung is remembered in different ways today:

The Neumarkt brewery Glossner has a beer called “Torschmied Dunkel” in its range. A Veit-Jung-Straße exists in the Wolfstein district of Neumarkt. City tours are carried out from time to time, during which reports on the person Veit Jung are given. A Veit Jung sculpture (blacksmith with hammer) is attached to the former house.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Rogler, Edwin: The gate smith von Neumarkt Veit Joseph Jung in “Der Regensburger Trommler” (2009) pp. 31–35
  2. ↑ Brochure from the city of Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz - Surprisingly different, p. 5 . In: neumarkt.de . Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  3. ^ Writings of the Institute for History: General and German History, Volume 13 Berlin, Akademie-Verlag 1968, p. 272
  4. ^ Minutes of the Council of the City of Neumarkt from September 13, 1867
  5. ↑ Veit young Torschmieddenkmal WW1
  6. ^ "Bayrische Ostmark" newspaper, October 28, 1938
  7. ↑ Torschmied Dunkel - beer from the local brewery "Glossner", named after Veit Jung
  8. ^ Veit-Jung-Strasse, Wolfstein
  9. ↑ City tours, Veit Jung's house
personal data
SURNAME Jung, Veit
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Jung, Veit Joseph (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German master blacksmith who prevented the siege of Neumarkt in the Upper Palatinate during the coalition wars
DATE OF BIRTH 1727 or 1731
PLACE OF BIRTH uncertain: Reistingen
DATE OF DEATH November 7, 1805