Franz-Xaver-von-Schönwerth
"Mit da Zeit blöihad'
Hackstöck'"
Schönwerth, Franz Xaver von Schönwerth
a name that had almost been forgotten. But on the occasion of his 200th birthday, this son of Amberg, the most important collector of myths, fairy tales and legends in the Upper Palatinate, gained new fame. Not really all that surprising when you consider that Jacob Grimm wrote about Schönwerth: "Nowhere in all of Germany has collection been carried out more carefully, more fully and with such a quiet ear."
Franz Xaver Schönwerth was born on July 16, 1810 in Amberg, where he grew up and attended high school and lyceum. He moved to Munich in 1832 to study. It was only after he had risen to the post of Secretary General and Ministerial Councilor at the Bavarian State Ministry of Finance in 1851 that Schönwerth seems to have taken his project seriously. He collected customs, proverbs, legends and fairy tales that were passed down orally in the Upper Palatinate. Schönwerth died in Munich on May 24, 1886.
Today his work is considered an important contribution to Bavarian cultural history and the preservation of cultural heritage.
The Schönwerth Secondary School can consider itself fortunate to have him as the school's namesake since February 2009, as he is a role model for education, commitment and creativity.
Unfortunately, there are no photographs or paintings of Franz Xaver von Schönwerth, so we don't know what he looked like today. The only thing he left us was his signature on documents. Our school logo therefore shows the initial letter from Schönwerth's signature. In the cursive script (Kurrentschrift) that was common at the time, the letter "S" was written in the same way that Schönwerth used it.
We, the Franz-Xaver-von-Schönwerth secondary school, have and will continue to make our contribution to ensuring that this name remains on everyone's lips in the future and does not disappear into obscurity again, and act in the spirit of our namesake. For us as a school, fairy tales and legends - especially when they are so locally-related - are of great importance, and we need to bring them closer to our young adults. In addition to all the media consumption with its often negative side effects, we should never forget the positive and identifying aspects that our traditional legends, sagas and fairy tales offer to our young people today, who are just finding "their" place in life. Even a small glimpse into Schönwerth's world, with its mysterious yet timeless nature, can captivate young and old and offers an invaluable insight into the thoughts and feelings of our ancestors.
Our commemorative publication gives you an insight into the multifaceted and committed projects and activities that our school has set up to mark the Schönwerth Year 2010, and at the same time wants to convey to you how closely we feel connected to our namesake, Franz Xaver von Schönwerth.
→ Biography of Franz Xaver von Schönwerth (external link)
→ Homepage of the Schönwerth Society (external link)