Bertha Ronge
Encyclopedia
Bertha Ronge was an activist in the causes of childhood education, women's education and religious freedom. She established the kindergarten movement in England
, where she founded the first three kindergartens in London
(1851, with the assistance of her sister Margarethe Meyer Schurz
), Manchester
(1859) and Leeds
(1860). She followed the precepts of Friedrich Fröbel, who advocated the use of structured play activities to promote learning. Bertha Ronge was largely responsible for Fröbel's kindergarten concept gaining a foothold in England.
Bertha became an active founding member of the “Association of German Women”, the “Social Club of Hamburg Women for Equalizing Denominational Differences” (Socialen Verein Hamburger Frauen zur Ausgleichung konfessioneller Unterschiede; founded in 1848 to reduce religious descrimination against Jews), and the “Association of Women and Girls in Support of German Catholics” (Verein der Frauen und Jungfrauen zur Unterstützung der Deutschkatholiken; founded in 1846 to support the German Catholics specifically and to generally promote freedom of worship of independent congregations — freireligiösen Gemeinde — in a situation where marriages and baptisms outside religions recognized by the civil authorities were not recognized under civil law).
In 1849, Bertha visited Friedrich Fröbel in Bad Liebenstein
where she met Baroness Bertha von Marenholtz-Bülow
and Johannes Ronge.
Bertha Traun, Johannes Ronge and others founded a “School for Women” (Hochschule für das weibliche Geschlecht) in 1850 in Hamburg for the general education of women with special attention to kindergarten work. However there were controversies between the women who staffed the school's board of directors and the president of the school. In this context, Bertha and Johannes fell in love, and the controversy increased.
The couple went to England via Holland, the latter stopping point being chosen so Christian Traun could divorce Bertha due to “desertion.” Bertha and Johannes moved to London
where they married in 1851 and had a daughter Marie. Because of the scandal, the School for Women was closed down in 1852.
Bertha held several lectures on the principle of the kindergarten at the home of von Marenholtz-Bülow. The Ronges moved back to Germany 10 years later, after founding kindergartens in London (1851), Manchester (1859) and Leeds (1860), and the Fröbel Society for the promotion of the Kindergarten System.
In 1861 the Ronge family moved back to Germany
to Wroclaw
(now in Poland
) and to Frankfurt
in 1863 where Bertha died.
and founded the first kindergarten in the United States in Watertown, Wisconsin
(1856).
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where she founded the first three kindergartens in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(1851, with the assistance of her sister Margarethe Meyer Schurz
Margarethe Schurz
Margarethe Meyer-Schurz Margarethe Meyer-Schurz Margarethe Meyer-Schurz (born Margarethe Meyer; also called Margaretha Meyer-Schurz or just Margarethe Schurz; born 27 August 1833 in Hamburg; died 15 March 1876 opened the first German-language Kindergarten in the USA.- Life :...
), Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
(1859) and Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
(1860). She followed the precepts of Friedrich Fröbel, who advocated the use of structured play activities to promote learning. Bertha Ronge was largely responsible for Fröbel's kindergarten concept gaining a foothold in England.
Biography
Bertha was the second child of Heinrich Christian Meyer, a wealthy cane manufacturer, and his wife Agatha Margaretha (Beusch). Her mother died giving birth to her 11th child, Margarethe. Bertha married Christian Traun, 14 years her senior, in 1834. He was the private secretary of the Duchess of Cambridge. They had six children; one child died at the age of 11 years.Bertha became an active founding member of the “Association of German Women”, the “Social Club of Hamburg Women for Equalizing Denominational Differences” (Socialen Verein Hamburger Frauen zur Ausgleichung konfessioneller Unterschiede; founded in 1848 to reduce religious descrimination against Jews), and the “Association of Women and Girls in Support of German Catholics” (Verein der Frauen und Jungfrauen zur Unterstützung der Deutschkatholiken; founded in 1846 to support the German Catholics specifically and to generally promote freedom of worship of independent congregations — freireligiösen Gemeinde — in a situation where marriages and baptisms outside religions recognized by the civil authorities were not recognized under civil law).
In 1849, Bertha visited Friedrich Fröbel in Bad Liebenstein
Bad Liebenstein
Bad Liebenstein is the oldest spa town in Thuringia . It is situated 9 km east of Bad Salzungen, and 18 km south of Eisenach.A part of Bad Liebenstein is Altenstein, the summer residence of the dukes of Meiningen....
where she met Baroness Bertha von Marenholtz-Bülow
Bertha von Marenholtz-Bülow
Bertha von Marenholtz-Bülow was a German educator noted for her work in spreading the kindergarten concept through Europe.-Biography:...
and Johannes Ronge.
Bertha Traun, Johannes Ronge and others founded a “School for Women” (Hochschule für das weibliche Geschlecht) in 1850 in Hamburg for the general education of women with special attention to kindergarten work. However there were controversies between the women who staffed the school's board of directors and the president of the school. In this context, Bertha and Johannes fell in love, and the controversy increased.
The couple went to England via Holland, the latter stopping point being chosen so Christian Traun could divorce Bertha due to “desertion.” Bertha and Johannes moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where they married in 1851 and had a daughter Marie. Because of the scandal, the School for Women was closed down in 1852.
Bertha held several lectures on the principle of the kindergarten at the home of von Marenholtz-Bülow. The Ronges moved back to Germany 10 years later, after founding kindergartens in London (1851), Manchester (1859) and Leeds (1860), and the Fröbel Society for the promotion of the Kindergarten System.
In 1861 the Ronge family moved back to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to Wroclaw
Wroclaw
Wrocław , situated on the River Oder , is the main city of southwestern Poland.Wrocław was the historical capital of Silesia and is today the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Over the centuries, the city has been part of either Poland, Bohemia, Austria, Prussia, or Germany, but since 1945...
(now in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) and to Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
in 1863 where Bertha died.
Family
Her sister Margarethe married Carl SchurzCarl Schurz
Carl Christian Schurz was a German revolutionary, American statesman and reformer, and Union Army General in the American Civil War. He was also an accomplished journalist, newspaper editor and orator, who in 1869 became the first German-born American elected to the United States Senate.His wife,...
and founded the first kindergarten in the United States in Watertown, Wisconsin
Watertown, Wisconsin
Watertown is a city in Dodge and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Most of the city's population is in Jefferson County. Division Street, several blocks north of downtown, marks the county line. The population of Watertown was 21,598 at the 2000 census...
(1856).
External links
- Fröbel Educational Institute
- Manuscript for "Johannes Ronge" poem by Dante Gabriel RossettiDante Gabriel RossettiDante Gabriel Rossetti was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848 with William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais, and was later to be the main inspiration for a second generation of artists and writers influenced by the movement,...
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