Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn - Museum Schlossstraße 11 06632 Freyburg / Unstrut		phone: 034464 / 27426 fax: 034464 / 66560 mail: info@jahn-museum.de
		german version

 

You can get information about the historic personality of F. L. Jahn, the father of gymnastics that perhaps excite your curiosity for a visit of the museum and other memorials or even for joining our sponsoring society.

We are grateful for any hints to improve our homepage.

Yours faithfully,
The team of the museum

 

Chronology

11/08/1778	Born as a son of a priest in a village called Lanz
1791 -1794	Attends grammar school in Salzwedel
1794 - 1795	Attends grammar school "At the grey monastery ("Zum grauen Kloster") in
	Berlin (without qualification from school)
1796 - 1803	Studies in Halle, Greifswald and at other universities
1803 - 1805	Private tutor in Mecklenburg
1805 - 1806	Continuation of his studies in Göttingen
1806	• Victory of Napoleon near Jena and Auerstedt
	• Jahn is witness to the defeat of Prussia and the occupation of other German   states and makes the decision of his life to fight for the unity and freedom of Germany
1807	Visit to the Gutsmuths in Schnepfenthal
	(visits the gym field there)
1809	Teacher at "The grey Monastery" School ("Das graue Kloster") in Berlin
	• Unsuccessful attempt at an academic career
1810	• Supply teacher at the Plamannsche Anstalt (institution)
	• Founds the secret" German bond" with the Friesens • Goes into the open air with his students for physical education and matches • The book "German National Traditions" ("Deutsches Volksthum") is published.
18/06/1811	• Opening of the first official gymnastics field at Berlin's Hasenheide
	• Jahn includes physical exercises in the patriotic education for the preparation   for the war of liberation
1813	Gymnasts and students prove their worth in the Luetzow volunteer corps
	Jahn himself is one of the commanders
16/10/1813	Battle of the Nations near Leipzig until 19th October, 1813
24/07/1814	Jahn visits Wartburg castle coming from Paris
30/08/1814	Marries Helene Kollhof
1814	• Hardenberg assures Jahn of an annual salary of honor
	• Jahn demands free rights, a constitution, and the unity of the Fatherland (native country)
1814 - 1815	• Busy with different tasks for the Prussian government, among other things in
	Frankfurt/M., Vienna and Paris • Honorarium for lifetime and candidature for the "Iron Cross"
29/05/1815	Students-gymnasts, who are former Luetzow people, found a student
	fraternity in Jena in accordance with Jahn´s ideas
1815 - 1819	Birth of his three children
1816	"A Treatise on German Gymnastic Skills" ("Die Deutsche Turnkunst")
1817	• Climax of the gymnastics movement
	• More than 100 gym fields in Prussia, 1074 gymnasts in the Hasenheide • Jahn gives 21 lectures on "German National Traditions"   with attacks against reactionary thinking and the small states (Kleinstaaterei) • "Wartburg party" • The degree of an honorary doctor is conferred on Jahn by the universities in   Jena and Kiel
1818	Gymnastics feud
14/03/1819	Gymnastics field at Berlin's Hasenheide is not set free for the annual
	reopening
23/03/1819	Student Sand murders Kotzebue
13/07/1819	Jahn is arrested (directly from his child's sick-bed) in the night to the 14th July
	and was imprisoned in Spandau, Kuestrin, Berlin and Kolberg for 5 years
31/08/1819	"Karlsbad resolutions": persecution of demagogues, prohibition of the student
	fraternity, and gym club
1819	His children Waldemar and Sieglinde die of diphtheria.
1823	His wife Helene dies.
13/01/1824	Judgement of first instance and self-defence
15/02/1825	Marries Emilie Hentsch
15/03/1825	• Acquittal and paying of the honorary pension on the condition not to settle
	in a university or grammar school city of Germany • Jahn´s residence in Freyburg/Unstrut
1828	Banishment to Koelleda
1836	Return to Freyburg
1838	His rented flat burns down
1838 - 1839	Construction of the dwelling house with the help of his own plans
1840	Rehabilitation by King Friedrich Wilhelm IV and
	awarding of the "Iron Cross"
1842	Lifting of the gym bans
1848	• March revolution
	• MP at the German National Assembly • Participation in the foundation of the German gymnastic association • Disagreement with the Republican-minded gymnasts • "Schwanen" speech
1849	• Failure of the National Assembly
1852	Friedrich Ludwig Jahn's death at the age of 74 in Freyburg on the river Unstrut

 

 

The Jahn Museum in Freyburg/U.

Permanent exhibition
F.L. Jahn: Life and Work

In August in 1999 the house was restored, redeveloped with the help of Jahn's plan and reopened with the new permanent exhibition in the rooms on the ground floor which is called "Friedrich Ludwig Jahn-Life and Work"

In this exhibition Jahn is shown as a person in his time and its social conditions, as well as with the special features of his character and his views and comments corresponding to the spirit of that time. The exhibition looks at Jahn with all his merits, work and goals, but also with all his human weakness, failures, disappointments and conflicts.

Friedrich Ludwig Jahn - The founding father of German gymnastics

The first section of the exhibition is devoted to Jahn´s lifework- the development of a modern form of physical training available to everyone and promoted by the state. This part of Jahn´s work is the most important link of the association for maintaining the traditions.

An eye-catcher of historical importance is the gym horse which Berlin gymnasts gave their "father of gymnastics" for Christmas in 1812.

The book "A Treatise on German Gymnastic Skills" published by Jahn and Eiselen in 1816 is of exceptional importance for the representation of gymnastics. Ernst Bernhard Wilhelm Eiselen (1792-1846) and Karl Friedrich Friesen (1784-1814) were Jahn´s most important partners in the development of gymnastics.

F.L. Jahn: His life and family

The second part describes Jahn's private journey through life from childhood up to his death.

Some of Jahn´s and his family's personal possessions such as a chess set, a notepad, a walking stick and a pipe with tobacco pouch are shown here.
The long time of engagement and other things are illustrated.

The six years of imprisonment are verified with the help of different documents.
An oil painting by the painter Heine is especially valuable.

In 1823 Jahn's first wife died.
After his acquittal he settled together with his second wife in Freyburg on the River Unstrut in 1825.

Sitting-room at Jahn's time in the style of the Biedermeier Period.

Friedrich Ludwig Jahn- A publicist and patriot

Two of his main works "German National Traditions" (1810) and "A Treatise on German Gymnastic Skills" (Jahn/Eiselen, 1816) are shown among others. There is a rather seldom edition from 1847 of the book mentioned last.

With his book "German National Traditions" Jahn takes a worthy place among those progressive German reformers whose works are designated as national educational guide lines at the beginning of 19th century.

The handwritten texts you can see here at the exhibition are only a small part of our museum's collection.

The manuscript of the Thirty Years´ War and his wife´ s letter with fire damage show the tragic loss of books, letters and other manuscripts which was caused by fire in Jahn's flat in 1838.

The "problem armchair" (Sorgensessel) and the writing desk belonging to Jahn.

Friedrich Ludwig Jahn:	A reformer- a revolutionary?
	A supporter of `hyper-Germanness`-a German?

The fourth section represents the climaxes of Jahn's political work.
Experiences of small states in his childhood and youth made him strive for a united German nation-state all throughout his life. A quotation and the map of Central Europe at the end of 18th century emphasize that.
With his national educational guide line, his book "German National Traditions", the initiative to found the secret "German Bond", the opening of the public gym field at Hasenheide where gymnastics had spread from in Prussia and other German states as well as his activities to found the German student fraternity Jahn took on different tasks in order to serve the purpose of the unity of Germany.

The Wartburg party organized by members of a student fraternity in autumn 1817, who were mostly gymnasts, was mistrusted by the rulers.
The murder of the Russian councillor of state, Kotzebue, carried out by the gymnast Sander was the final reason for the persecution of demagogues, Jahn´s imprisonment and the gym ban.