Wilhelm Pütz (pedagogue)

Wilhelm Pütz (born November 6, 1806 in Cologne ; † June 4, 1877 there ) was a professor at the grammar school at Marzelle in Cologne, author of historical and geographical textbooks and reading books as well as a patron .

Life

Pütz was the son of the port attendant Justus Pütz and his wife Anna Maria Krauthoven. After successfully completing his high school years, he began studying philology and history at the University of Bonn. The historian Niebuhr was one of his academic teachers . After the state examination, he became a candidate for teaching at the grammar school in Düren. In 1844 he went to the Catholic grammar school in Cologne, where he taught German, Latin, history and geography in the upper school until 1865.

Grave (back side) in Melaten cemetery

In addition to his teaching activities, he wrote historical, geographical and other textbooks. In 1862 he was awarded the title of professor because of his services and in 1865, when he retired, the Order of the Red Eagle, 4th class . In the last years of his life he devoted himself to revising his textbooks.

Due to the economic success of his school books, Pütz was able to amass a significant fortune. Since he was not married and had no heirs, he sat in his will, the University of Bonn as a heritage and determined the main part of his legacy of 75,000 marks and their interest of the University Library for the purchase of historical and geographical books. The annual interest of 40,000 marks flowed into a fund from which three students of history or geography were given scholarships . The Marienhospital in Bonn and other charitable institutions in Cologne as well as the grammar school study fund received further financial support. He donated his valuable paintings to the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum . Because of his services to the University of Bonn, the library administration had a picture of its patron displayed in the library's reading room .

Pütz was buried in the Melaten cemetery in Cologne (lit. C, between lit.V + W). The grave has now been converted into a sponsorship grave .

Textbooks

Wilhelm Pütz's textbooks are as follows:

"Outline of the geography and history of the ancient, middle and modern times, for the upper classes of higher educational institutions"
It appeared in three volumes, of which the first volume covers antiquity , the second the Middle Ages and the third the more recent times.

This was followed by a "Outline of German History for the Middle Classes of Higher Educational Institutions", as well as a "Guide to Teaching in the History of the Prussian State"

As an aid to supplementing and revitalizing historical and related geographic teaching, Pütz published "Historical representations and characteristics for school and home collected and processed", the 1st volume of which is antiquity (1861), the 2nd volume the Middle Ages (1862 ), the 3rd volume deals with the newer time (1864) and the 4th volume deals with the new time (1866).

1859–1860 his “Characteristics for comparative geography and ethnology” appeared in 2 volumes. The 14th edition of his "textbook on the comparative description of the earth for the upper classes of higher educational institutions and for self-teaching" was published posthumously in an adaptation by F. Behr in 1888 (Herder'sche Verlagshandlung, Freiburg). In addition, Pütz wrote a "German reading book for the middle classes of higher educational institutions, etc.", also an "Old German reading book" and a "Middle High German reading book" with language and factual explanations, which are followed by an "overview of the history of German literature for higher educational institutions".

Soon after their publication, the history textbooks by Pütz found recognition on the part of the school authorities and professional circles. They spread in Germany and since 1843 also abroad.

The popularity of the books may be partly explained by the mood of the times that emerged after 1848, in which the spiritual orientation was receptive to such teaching materials, then also in the influence of the church, as well as in the consequent support of some governments. There was also a lack of such teaching materials.

criticism

Pütz's books were repeatedly criticized because of the author's confessionally influenced views and the resulting changed representations of facts. Critics called him the "right missionary of the ultramontane regime to spread a mindless history lesson stripped of all subjective criticism and color" .

Pütz's presentation and expression were also criticized. They are too extensive and difficult.

Works

• Outline of the geography and history of the ancient states: for the upper classes of a grammar school . - Cologne: Renard u. Dübyen, 1833. Digitized edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf
  • Dept. 3. The Romans. 1834
• Outline of German history for the middle classes of higher educational institutions. 9., reworked. Ed., (2nd, probably repr.) Bädeker, Koblenz 1871 ( digitized )
• Guide to teaching the comparative description of the earth. 14., often verb. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1873 ( digitized version ).
• Comparative geography and ethnology (part 1-2). 2., reworked. Edition DuMont-Schauberg, Cologne 1874–1875 ( digitized version ).
• Guide to teaching in the history of the Prussian state. 9., often verb. Ed. Bädeker, Leipzig 1876 ( digitized version ).
• Outline of the geography and history of ancient, middle and modern times (parts 1-3). Baedeker, Coblenz 1873–1876 ( digitized version ).
• Outline of the geography and history of ancient, middle and modern times (parts 1-3). 2., reworked. Edition DuMont-Schauberg, Cologne 1873–1877 ( digitized version ).
• Historical-geographical school atlas (part 1-2). Manz, Regensburg 1859–1877 ( digitized version ).
• Textbook of the comparative description of the earth. 11., verb. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1879 ( digitized version ).
• Historical representations and characteristics (part 1-4). Baedeker, Koblenz 1877–1882 ( digitized version ).

literature

• Binder:  Pütz, Wilhelm . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 26, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1888, pp. 780-782.