Emil Molt (14 April 1876, in
Schwäbisch Gmünd
Schwäbisch Gmünd (, until 1934: Gmünd; Swabian: ''Gmẽẽd'' or ''Gmend'') is a city in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. With a population of around 60,000, the city is the second largest in the Ostalb district ...
,
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg ( ) was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Electorate of Württemberg, which existed from 1803 to 1806.
Geogr ...
– 16 June 1936, in
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
) was a German
industrialist
A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...
,
social reformer
Reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary movements which reject t ...
and
anthroposophist. He was the director of the
Waldorf-Astoria-Zigarettenfabrik
The Waldorf-Astoria-Zigarettenfabrik (English:''Waldorf-Astoria Cigarette Factory'') was a German tobacco company, established in Hamburg and Stuttgart by Emil Molt and several other partners on January 1, 1906. It was named after Johann Jakob As ...
, and with
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner (; 27 or 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century ...
co-founded the first
Waldorf school
Waldorf education, also known as Steiner education, is based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Its educational style is holistic, intended to develop pupils' intellectual, artistic, and practical ski ...
. Hence,
Waldorf education
Waldorf education, also known as Steiner education, is based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Its educational style is holistic, intended to develop pupils' intellectual, artistic, and practical sk ...
was named after the company.
Background
Molt was born in southern Germany and was orphaned as a teenager.
He enlisted in the military and worked for Emil Georgii after he was discharged. Georgii's son Emil Jr. hired Molt to work at the Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory at Stuttgart. He later became its general manager and owner.
A biography written by Molt's daughter detailed how he purchased the Waldorf Astoria brand name from the tobacconist shop in a
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
hotel owned by the
Astor family
The Astor family achieved prominence in business sector, business, Socialite, society, and politics in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. With Germans, German roots, some of their ancestry goes back to th ...
.
Waldorf school
Molt's association with Steiner began due to his interest in
spirituality
The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...
, particularly after he signed up as a member of the Theosophical Society in 1906. Steiner was regularly invited to speak in its gatherings. The industrialist also became a follower of Steiner's
esoteric
Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...
philosophy called
anthroposophy
Anthroposophy is a spiritual new religious movementSources for 'new religious movement': which was founded in the early 20th century by the esotericist Rudolf Steiner that postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensibl ...
.
After
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
people believed it was possible to initiate new social arrangements.
One of them was Molt, who decided to address the educational needs of his factory workers and their children.
For this initiative, he was drawn to Steiner's holistic proposition in education, which holds that teaching must attend to multiple aspects of human experience. Following a series of consultations, Molt and Steiner founded the Waldorf school after gaining the approval of the German Minister of Culture.
It opened in September 1919 in
Stuttgart, Germany
Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
. Molt bought the ''Uhlandeshohe Restaurant'' as the school's first building and altered it according to Steiner's specifications.
The adjoining properties were later purchased as the school expanded.
The Waldorf School opened with twelve teachers. Initially, there were 150 students who were chosen from proletarian families and with parents who belong to the Anthroposophical Society.
Waldorf schools became the largest independent school movement in the world.
External links
Bio at Rudolf Steiner Webh1>
References
1876 births
1936 deaths
People from Schwäbisch Gmünd
People from the Kingdom of Württemberg
Anthroposophists
German social reformers
{{Germany-academic-bio-stub