Hans Ferdinand Massmann
Encyclopedia
Hans Ferdinand Massmann was a German
philologist
, known for his studies in Old German
language
and literature
, and for his work introducing gymnastics
into schools in Prussia.
, Margraviate of Brandenburg
, where he also studied. He served in the War of Liberation
, was a member of the Jena Burschenschaft
, and was present at the Wartburg festival
of 1817. In Berlin, he had been a friend and a pupil of Jahn
. His radical ideas and "demagogue" sympathies brought him into difficulties with the authorities.
In 1826, he became the teacher in charge of gymnastics at the Royal Gymnastic Institute of Munich
. Initially his duties included military cadets. Later his duties were extended to a public outdoor exercise facility which was to serve all the schools in the city. Later he was also chosen professor
of Old German Literature at the university.
In 1841, he went to Berlin to confer with Minister Eichhorn regarding the revival of physical training in Prussia. Eichhorn later spoke with Adolf Spiess
, a citizen of Hesse
who had been directing such programs in Burgdorf, Switzerland. In 1842, Massmann was chosen to implement the plans developed, a position which he resigned in 1851. During this time, he accepted the chair of Germanic philology
at the city university
.
He died in Muskau in Lusatia
.
's Tristan (1843); Kaiserchronik (1849-53); of the biblical translations of the Gothic Bishop Ulfilas
(1855-56) and of Tacitus
's Germania (1847); Geschichte des mittelalterlichen Schachspiels (1839); Litteratur der Totentänze (1840).
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...
philologist
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
, known for his studies in Old German
Middle High German
Middle High German , abbreviated MHG , is the term used for the period in the history of the German language between 1050 and 1350. It is preceded by Old High German and followed by Early New High German...
language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, and for his work introducing gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
into schools in Prussia.
Biography
Massmann was born in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Margraviate of Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
, where he also studied. He served in the War of Liberation
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition , a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and a number of German States finally defeated France and drove Napoleon Bonaparte into exile on Elba. After Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, the continental powers...
, was a member of the Jena Burschenschaft
Burschenschaft
German Burschenschaften are a special type of Studentenverbindungen . Burschenschaften were founded in the 19th century as associations of university students inspired by liberal and nationalistic ideas.-History:-Beginnings 1815–c...
, and was present at the Wartburg festival
Wartburg festival
The first Wartburg festival on 18 October 1817 was an important event in German history that took place at the Wartburg Castle near Eisenach....
of 1817. In Berlin, he had been a friend and a pupil of Jahn
Friedrich Ludwig Jahn
Friedrich Ludwig Jahn was a German gymnastics educator and nationalist. He is commonly known as Turnvater Jahn, roughly meaning "father of gymnastics" Jahn.- Life :...
. His radical ideas and "demagogue" sympathies brought him into difficulties with the authorities.
In 1826, he became the teacher in charge of gymnastics at the Royal Gymnastic Institute of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. Initially his duties included military cadets. Later his duties were extended to a public outdoor exercise facility which was to serve all the schools in the city. Later he was also chosen professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Old German Literature at the university.
In 1841, he went to Berlin to confer with Minister Eichhorn regarding the revival of physical training in Prussia. Eichhorn later spoke with Adolf Spiess
Adolf Spiess
Adolf Spiess , German gymnast and educator, contributed to the development of school gymnastics for children of both sexes in Switzerland and Germany.-Biography:-Father:...
, a citizen of Hesse
Grand Duchy of Hesse
The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine , or, between 1806 and 1816, Grand Duchy of Hesse —as it was also known after 1816—was a member state of the German Confederation from 1806, when the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy, until 1918, when all the German...
who had been directing such programs in Burgdorf, Switzerland. In 1842, Massmann was chosen to implement the plans developed, a position which he resigned in 1851. During this time, he accepted the chair of Germanic philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
at the city university
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
.
He died in Muskau in Lusatia
Lusatia
Lusatia is a historical region in Central Europe. It stretches from the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers in the east to the Elbe valley in the west, today located within the German states of Saxony and Brandenburg as well as in the Lower Silesian and Lubusz voivodeships of western Poland...
.
Works
Massmann's writings include editions of Deutsche Gedichte des 12 Jahrhunderts (1837-42); GottfriedGottfried von Strassburg
Gottfried von Strassburg is the author of the Middle High German courtly romance Tristan and Isolt, an adaptation of the 12th-century Tristan and Iseult legend. Gottfried's work is regarded, alongside Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival and the Nibelungenlied, as one of the great narrative...
's Tristan (1843); Kaiserchronik (1849-53); of the biblical translations of the Gothic Bishop Ulfilas
Ulfilas
Ulfilas, or Gothic Wulfila , bishop, missionary, and Bible translator, was a Goth or half-Goth and half-Greek from Cappadocia who had spent time inside the Roman Empire at the peak of the Arian controversy. Ulfilas was ordained a bishop by Eusebius of Nicomedia and returned to his people to work...
(1855-56) and of Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
's Germania (1847); Geschichte des mittelalterlichen Schachspiels (1839); Litteratur der Totentänze (1840).
Further reading
- Euler and Hartstein, H. F. Massmann: sein Leben, seine Turn- und Vaterlandslieder (Berlin, 1897)