Lucia Pytter (10 April 1762 - 9 October 1825) was a Norwegian

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

. She is known for her social projects in

Bergen, Norway Bergen (, ) is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 2025 the population is 294 029 according to Statistics Norway. The municipali ...

and referred to as a pioneer of

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

Life

Pytter was born at Braksiel near

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. She was the daughter of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

merchant Johann Müller. She was married Martin Görbitz (1738-1796) in 1778, a merchant who operated a profitable trade in manufactured and fashion goods, and established residence in Bergen. They had ten children, among them son

Johan Gørbitz Johan Görbitz (8 September 1782 – 3 July 1853) was a Norwegian painter. He is most associated with his portraits of prominent Norwegians. Görbitz was born in Sandviken, Norway. He was one of ten children born to Martin Görbitz (1738-1796) ...

, who became a significant artist. After the death of her first spouse, she married Frantz Anton Pytter (1769-1857) in 1801. Both of her spouses were German born merchants who had relocated to Bergen. On her own initiative and partly with her own funds and efforts, she made sure to provide food, care and medical assistance to many of the city's poor and needy. She had a

soup kitchen A soup kitchen, food kitchen, or meal center is a place where food is offered to Hunger, hungry and homeless people, usually for no price, cost, or sometimes at a below-market price (such as coin Donation, donations). Frequently located in Low i ...

for 30 poor families every Wednesday, and organized collections for food for the poor. In 1799, she founded a professional

handicraft A handicraft is a traditional main sector of craft making and applies to a wide range of creative and design activities that are related to making things with one's hands and skill, including work with textiles, moldable and rigid material ...

s school and she also founded a

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

asylum, both for females. She participated in the press in the debate of social issues, and published a work about social care. In consultation with her friend

Hans Nielsen Hauge Hans Nielsen Hauge (3 April 1771 – 29 March 1824) was a 19th-century Norwegian Lutheran lay minister, spiritual leader, business entrepreneur, social reformer and author. He led a noted Pietism revival known as the Haugean movement. Hauge is al ...

, she also worked to establish a middle school where Christianity would be prioritized. She is also considered to be the author behind the anonymously published collection of poems ''Svarte-Digen'' from 1794. She died after prolonged illness and was buried at

St. Mary's Church St. Mary's Church, St. Mary the Virgin's Church, St. Mary Church, Saint Mary Church, or other variations on the name, is a commonly used name for specific churches of various Christian denominations. Notable uses of the term may refer to: Albania ...

in Bergen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pytter, Lucia 1762 births 1825 deaths Norwegian philanthropists Norwegian women philanthropists Norwegian social workers German emigrants to Norway Norwegian women poets 18th-century Norwegian people 18th-century Norwegian women 19th-century Norwegian people 19th-century Norwegian women