Wolfgang Straßmann (8 October 1821 – 6 December 1885) was a German physician and liberal politician. He fought in the March Revolution of 1848 and the

First Schleswig War The First Schleswig War (), also known as the Schleswig-Holstein uprising () and the Three Years' War (), was a military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig–Holstein question: who should control the Du ...

. In 1877, he became a member of the

Prussian House of Representatives The Prussian House of Representatives () was the lower chamber of the Landtag of Prussia (), the parliament of Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia from 1850 to 1918. Together with the upper house, the Prussian House of Lords, House of Lords (), it formed ...

and from 1875 to 1885, he was the President of the Berlin town Council.

Biography

Wolfgang Straßmann was born to Heiman Straßmann (1797–1881), a Jewish scholar, and Judith née Guhrauer (1795–1875) in

Rawitsch Rawicz (; ) is a town in west-central Poland with 21,398 inhabitants as of 2004. It is situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship (since 1999); previously it was in Leszno Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Rawicz County. History Th ...

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

(Rawicz, Poland), where he attended elementary school. His secondary education took place in Lissa (Leszno, Poland) and at the Elisabet-Gymnasium in Breslau (Wrocław). Straßmann started to study philosophy at the

University of Breslau 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 ...

but moved to the Friedrich Wilhelm University 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 ...

to study medicine. He worked for

Johann Friedrich Dieffenbach Johann Friedrich Dieffenbach (1 February 1792 – 11 November 1847) was a German surgeon. He was born in Königsberg and died in Berlin. Dieffenbach specialized in skin transplantation and plastic surgery. His work in rhinoplastic and maxill ...

in his clinical clerkship. Bilderrevolution0358

In the March Revolution of 1848, Straßmann fought on the barricades at Berlin's Königstrasse. On 18 March 1848 Prussian troops under the command of Karl von Prittwitz stormed the barricades, Straßmann and eight of his comrades managed to hide in the house of Meno Burg. Straßmann fled to the upper floor and was hidden in the bed of a servant girl while his comrades were executed by Prussian troops. On 12 August 1848, Straßmann walked along the

Unter den Linden Unter den Linden (, "under the Tilia, linden trees") is a boulevard in the central Mitte (locality), Mitte district of Berlin, Germany. Running from the Berlin Palace to the Brandenburg Gate, it is named after the Tilia, linden trees (known ...

in a group of revolutionaries which started to wrest Prussian

cockade A cockade is a knot of ribbons, or other circular- or oval-shaped symbol of distinctive colours which is usually worn on a hat or cap. The word cockade derives from the French ''cocarde'', from Old French ''coquarde'', feminine of ''coquard'' (va ...

s from other promenaders. At the Café Kranzler, he finally addressed the crowd, declared the Hohenzollern dynasty "no longer worthy of the throne of Prussia" and proclaimed the German Republic. He was arrested the same day, sentenced to six weeks imprisonment and banished from Berlin. Straßmann moved to

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

and volunteered in the

as a medic in the German Federal Army under the command of Karl von Prittwitz. After the withdrawal of the Federal Army, he remained within the Schleswig-Holstein troops as a lieutenant, fought in the Battle of Idstedt and was decorated for bravery. In 1854, he returned to Berlin and graduated in 1855. Initially not allowed to practice in Berlin, he volunteered as a medic in a

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

outbreak in Stralau (today part of Berlin-Friedrichshain), at that time just outside of Berlin's city limits. From 1856 to 1885 Straßmann practiced as a physician in Berlin. Straßmann was elected as a member of Berlin's city council representing the

German Progress Party The German Progress Party (, DFP) was the first modern political party in Germany, founded by liberal members of the Prussian House of Representatives () in 1861 in opposition to Minister President Otto von Bismarck. History Upon the failed R ...

in 1863, from 1875 until his death in 1885 he was the council's President. He collaborated with

Rudolf Virchow Rudolf Ludwig Carl Virchow ( ; ; 13 October 18215 September 1902) was a German physician, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist, writer, editor, and politician. He is known as "the father of modern pathology" and as the founder o ...

and was especially active in the field of medical care and education of the poor. Straßmann initiated the construction of

septic drain field Septic drain fields, also called leach fields or leach drains, are subsurface wastewater disposal facilities used to remove contaminants and impurities from the liquid that emerges after anaerobic digestion in a septic tank. Organic materials in ...

s in Berlin. In 1877, Straßmann became a member of the

. Straßmann supported the

separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and Jurisprudence, jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the State (polity), state. Conceptually, the term refers to ...

which made him a target to

antisemitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

attacks of court chaplain Adolf Stoecker in 1883. Straßmann was married to Louise Cohen (1835–1889) from 1862 until his death in 1885. Their daughter Henni Lehmann became a well-known painter. His son Wolf died aged 35. A funeral service for Wolfgang Straßmann was held in Berlin's City Hall, with Rudolf Virchow giving the eulogy.

Awards

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle () was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, o ...

IV class His portrait in the gallery of presidents of the town council in Berlin's City Hall was destroyed by the Nazis in the 1930s, the Straßmannstrasse in

Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg () is the second Boroughs of Berlin, borough of Berlin, formed in 2001 by merging the former East Berlin borough of Friedrichshain and the former West Berlin borough of Kreuzberg. The historic Oberbaum Bridge, formerly ...

was named in his honor on 4 August 1897 and, after being renamed by the Nazis in 1938, again in 1947.strassmannstrasse
at xhain.info

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strassmann, Wolfgang 1821 births 1885 deaths People from Rawicz People from the Province of Posen 19th-century German Jews University of Breslau alumni Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Prussian politicians German Progress Party politicians Members of the Prussian House of Representatives