Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger

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Memorial plaque for Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger in Hohnstein (Saxon Switzerland)

Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger (born September 1, 1758 in Struppen , † April 23, 1818 in Neustadt in Saxony ) was a German Lutheran theologian , author and is considered to be the developer of Saxon Switzerland .

Live and act

Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger
Rectory in Struppen, birthplace of Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger

Youth, childhood and studies

Götzinger was born as the son of the Struppener pastor Johann Karl Götzinger and his wife Christiane Friedericka, geb. Gollmitz, a pastor's daughter, was born. On his father's side, his ancestors had been pastors for several generations. Götzinger spent his first childhood years in Struppen and already as a child went on his first hikes in the vicinity of his home village. His father gave him private lessons at an early age and aroused the boy's interest in intellectual education and nature.

In 1766 the family moved to Sebnitz because their father took up a position as pastor in the town church. Götzinger spent his other childhood and youth in the small town on the edge of Saxon Switzerland. The private lessons were continued by the local rector and the cantor . At the age of 14, his father sent Götzinger to the Pirna city ​​school for further training . He also received private lessons from Johann Theophil Lessing , a brother of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing , who worked as vice-principal at the Pirna School. School education ended in 1776. From July 1, 1776, Götzinger studied at the University of Wittenberg , where on April 30, 1779 he acquired the academic degree of a master's degree in philosophy and also pursued theological studies.

Jobs and walks

Since there was no prospect of a vacant pastor's position after the end of his studies, Götzinger moved back to his parents in Sebnitz. Here he represented the father and other pastors in the surrounding towns. In his free time, Götzinger pursued scientific and mineralogical studies and began to write a chronicle about Sebnitz and its parish communities. While writing this manuscript, which was completed by 1783, Götzinger often hiked with local guides in the area around Sebnitz.

Between 1783 and 1787 Götzinger was tutor in Hohnstein . His pupils included the children of the chief inspector and forester. By working as a private tutor, Götzinger also got an insight into the nepotism that prevailed in the city administration at the time. According to his own diary statements, he was disgusted by the arrogance and arrogance of his employers and their acquaintances and was looking for a change and relaxation on walks and hikes in Saxon Switzerland. He summarized his observations in a description of the dual office of Hohnstein-Lohmen, which included large parts of Saxon Switzerland on the right bank of the Elbe. The manuscript was published as a book in 1786 under the title History and Description of the Chursächsischen Amt Hohnstein with Lohmen: in particular the city of Sebniz, which belongs under this office .

Marriage and first own pastorate

While working on this book, Götzinger met Charlotte Bielitz in 1784, whom he married on January 28, 1788. The marriage had seven children.

St. Jacobi Church in Neustadt

In 1787 Götzinger took up a position as a deacon at the St. Jacobi Church in Neustadt. After 24 years of service he was elected parish priest in 1811. As a preacher, Götzinger was valued by both his congregation and his superiors.

Meanwhile Götzinger continued the scientific and mineralogical studies he had started. He took his children and their classmates with him on hikes and excursions in Saxon Switzerland at an early age. These excursions were much more strenuous compared to today, as Saxon Switzerland was not yet developed as a hiking area and there was no corresponding network of trails. As a mineral collector, Götzinger began an exchange of letters with Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1798 , whom he also attended several times at the Freiberg Mining Academy. The correspondence continued until Werner's death in 1817. Götzinger's mineral collection attracted a lot of national attention, its value was already estimated at several thousand thalers during its lifetime . In the dispute between the Neptunists and Vulcanists , Götzinger, in contrast to Werner, whom he admired, took the position of the Vulcanists.

Schandau and its surroundings

In 1804 Götzinger's second book and main work Schandau and its surroundings or description of so-called Saxon Switzerland was published . The book was based on extensive hikes and contained not only a travel description, but also vividly described facts about the history, flora , fauna , topography and geology of Saxon Switzerland and the neighboring areas. Götzinger supplemented his lack of specialist knowledge by calling on specialists who B. helped naming plants and insects. After publication, Götzinger worked continuously on an update of his main work, which appeared in a second edition expanded by 150 pages in 1812.

family

After the death of his first wife in 1811, Götzinger married the pastor's widow Sophie Caroline Brahtz in 1813, probably to take care of his children. This marriage remained childless. His son Max Wilhelm Götzinger also gained importance as a linguist, as did his grandson, the geologist Karl Götzinger . One of his great-grandchildren was the pharmacologist Arthur Heffter .

Aftermath

Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger is one of the developers of Saxon Switzerland. He has the merit of having written the first comprehensive descriptions of the region and, in some cases, of its peripheral areas. In contrast to a number of other travel guides and travelogues that may a. by Carl Heinrich Nicolai , Karl August Engelhardt and Philipp Veith, also published at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, Götzinger's works are characterized by extensive local and local history, based on archive and source evaluations as well as on intensive own observations . Götzinger's works were already regarded as considerable contributions to local history during his lifetime. They made a significant contribution to the awareness of Saxon Switzerland and thus laid the foundation for the region's tourist development.

The Götzingerhöhe (424 m above sea level), a popular excursion destination on the outskirts of Neustadt, was named in honor of Götzinger . The thief's cave at the Kleiner Bärenstein near Thürmsdorf (Saxon cave cadastre no. PW-15) was renamed Götzingerhöhle and received a plaque. There is a Götzinger relief in the Schindergraben near Hohnstein. In the commemorative year 2008, his birthday will be celebrated for the 250th time and the 190th anniversary of his death. The various places of his work in Saxon Switzerland (Bad Schandau, Neustadt, Sebnitz, Hohnstein) offered public events.

  • Memorial plaque for Götzinger and Carl Heinrich Nicolai on the Bastei bridge

  • Memorial plaque at the Götzinger cave on the Kleiner Bärenstein

  • Relief in the Schindergraben near Hohnstein

  • Memorial plaque on the rectory in Neustadt

  • Memorial stone on the Götzingerhöhe

Writings and cards

  • History and description of the Chursächsisches Amt Hohnstein with Lohmen, in particular the town of Sebniz , which is part of this office , Freiberg 1786 (Reprint Sebnitz 1987) ( digitized version )
  • Schandau and its surroundings or description of the so-called Saxon Switzerland , Bautzen 1804 ( digitized version )
  • Schandau and its surroundings or description of the so-called Saxon Switzerland with topographic and petrographic travel map through Saxon Switzerland and the surrounding area , Dresden 1812 (Reprint Verlag der Kunst Dresden, 2nd edition Husum 2008, ISBN 978-3-86530-108-6 ) Digitized travel map )
  • Sermons for town and country families on all Sundays and feast days of the year. 2nd volume Leipzig 1810 and 1811, 2nd edition Leipzig 1818
  • The Schandau mineral bath. In: Charitable contributions. Dresden, 1812, No. 20, 22, 30, 50 and 51

literature

  • anonymous: Mag. Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger. 1758 - 1818, a commemorative sheet for his 225th birthday , Sebnitz 1982
  • anonymous: 250 years of Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger. The discoverer of Saxon Switzerland. Memorial sheet and event program
  • Er - Gruber : General Encyclopedia of Sciences and Arts . 1st section, part 73, p. 16
  • Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger: Schandau and its surroundings or description of the so-called Saxon Switzerland , from Bergersche Buch- und Kunsthandlung, Dresden 1812 (Reprint Verlag der Kunst Dresden, 2nd edition Husum 2008, with an afterword by Manfred Schober , ISBN 978-3- 86530-108-6 )
  • Georg Christoph Hamberger, Johann Georg Meusel: The learned Teutschland, or lexicon of the now living German writers. Verlag der Meyerischen Buchhandlung, Lemgo, 1820, vol. 17, p. 748
  • Manfred Schober: The estate of the local researcher Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger. Bulletin 6 of the Saxon Switzerland Working Group in the Saxon Heritage Protection Association. Pirna 2008, pp. 2-5

Audio books

Web links

Commons : Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger  - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Fritz Juntke: Album Academiae Vitebergensis - Younger Series Part 3. Halle (Saale), 1966, p. 186
personal data
SURNAME Götzinger, Wilhelm Leberecht
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Developer of Saxon Switzerland
DATE OF BIRTH September 1, 1758
PLACE OF BIRTH Struppen
DATE OF DEATH April 23, 1818
Place of death Neustadt in Saxony