Hans Ferdinand Massmann (; 15 August 1797 – 3 August 1874) was a German

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

, known for his studies in

Old German Old High German (OHG; ) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally identified as the period from around 500/750 to 1050. Rather than representing a single supra-regional form of German, Old High German encompasses the numerous ...

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

, and for his work introducing

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

into schools in Prussia.

Biography

Massmann was born in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Margraviate of Brandenburg The Margraviate of Brandenburg () was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that, having electoral status although being quite poor, grew rapidly in importance after inheriting the Duchy of Prussia in 1618 and then came ...

, where he also studied. He served in the War of Liberation, was a member of the

Jena Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...

Burschenschaft A Burschenschaft (; sometimes abbreviated in the German ''Burschenschaft'' jargon; plural: ) is one of the traditional (student associations) of Germany, Austria, and Chile (the latter due to German cultural influence). Burschenschaften were fo ...

'', and was present at the Wartburg festival of 1817, where he participated in the book burning. In Berlin, he had been a friend and a pupil of

Jahn Jahn (Jähn) is a German surname. Notable people with this surname include the following: * Jahn Coleman (born 1993), English builder specialising in driveways * Constanze Jahn (born 1963), German chess player * David Jahn (born 1975), Czech bu ...

. 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 is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. 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 (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

of Old German Literature at the

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

. 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 Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

who had been directing such programs in

Burgdorf, Switzerland Burgdorf (; ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Bùùrdlef'') is the largest city in the Emmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It was the Capital (political), capital of the Burgdorf District, district of the same name until 2010, ...

. In 1842, Massmann was chosen to implement the plans developed, a position which he resigned in 1851. During this time, he accepted the

chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. It may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

of Germanic

philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

at the city university. He died in Muskau in

Lusatia Lusatia (; ; ; ; ; ), otherwise known as Sorbia, is a region in Central Europe, formerly entirely in Germany and today territorially split between Germany and modern-day Poland. Lusatia stretches from the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers in the eas ...

Works

Massmann's writings include editions of ''Deutsche Gedichte des 12 Jahrhunderts'' (1837–42);

Gottfried Gottfried is a masculine German given name. It is derived from the Old High German name , recorded since the 7th century, and composed of the elements (conflated from the etyma for "God" and "good", and possibly further conflated with ) and ("pe ...

's ''

Tristan and Iseult Tristan and Iseult, also known as Tristan and Isolde and other names, is a medieval chivalric romance told in numerous variations since the 12th century. Of disputed source, usually assumed to be primarily Celtic nations, Celtic, the tale is a ...

'' (1843); ''Kaiserchronik'' (1849–53); of the biblical translations of the Gothic bishop

Ulfilas Ulfilas (; – 383), known also as Wulfila(s) or Urphilas, was a 4th-century Gothic preacher of Cappadocian Greek descent. He was the apostle to the Gothic people. Ulfila served as a bishop and missionary, participated in the Arian controv ...

(1855–56) and of

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

's ''

Germania Germania ( ; ), also more specifically called Magna Germania (English: ''Great Germania''), Germania Libera (English: ''Free Germania''), or Germanic Barbaricum to distinguish it from the Roman provinces of Germania Inferior and Germania Superio ...

'' (1847). He was also the author of ''Geschichte des mittelalterlichen Schachspiels'' (1839) and ''Litteratur der Totentänze'' (1840).

Notes

References

* * This source gives 1843 as the date he took charge of gymnastics in Berlin. * 1797 births 1874 deaths German philologists German gymnasts Germanic studies scholars German military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Writers from Berlin People from the Margraviate of Brandenburg Academic staff of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin German male writers People from Bad Muskau Scholars from the Kingdom of Prussia {{Germany-linguist-stub

Biography

Works

Further reading

Notes

References