Karl Justus Blochmann (19 February 1786, in

Reichstädt Reichstädt is a municipality in the district of Greiz, in Thuringia, Germany. The town is member of the municipal association Am Brahmetal Am Brahmetal is a ''Verwaltungsgemeinschaft'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Greiz, in T ...

– 31 May 1855) was a German

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

known for being among the first to introduce the "Pestalozzi method" of education into

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

. From 1805 he studied

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

. In 1809 he relocated to

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, where he spent eight years teaching classes at

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (, ; 12 January 1746 – 17 February 1827) was a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach. He founded several educational institutions both in German- and French-speaking r ...

's institute in

Yverdon-les-Bains Yverdon-les-Bains () (called Eburodunum and Ebredunum during the Roman era) is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord vaudois of the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is the seat of the district. The population of Yverdon-les-Bains, , was ...

. Pestalozzi's educational philosophy had a profound influence on Blochmann that lasted throughout his lifetime.

Blochmannsche Institute

In 1819 he returned to Germany, where he was appointed conrector at the ''Friedrich-August-Schule'' in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

. Desirous of a school system that took a more progressive, comprehensive approach to education, in 1824 with the support of Saxon cabinet minister Detlev Graf von Einsiedel (1773–1861), he founded the "Blochmannsche Institute" in Dresden. Among those who spent time as instructors at his school were,

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 especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

Alfred Fleckeisen (1820–1899),

agricultural chemist Agricultural chemistry is the study of chemistry, especially organic chemistry and biochemistry, as they relate to agriculture—agricultural production (economics), production, the food processing, processing of raw products into foods and beverag ...

Julius Adolph Stöckhardt Julius Adolph Stöckhardt (4 January 1809 – 1 June 1886) was a German agricultural chemist. He is mostly recognized for his work on fertilizers, fume damage of plants and his book ''Die Schule der Chemie'' (''School of Chemistry''), which was ...

(1809–1886) and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

Arnold Dietrich Schaefer (1819–1883). Today, the institute is referred to as the " Vitzthum-Gymnasium".

Selected writings

* ''Die Feier des dritten Jubelfestes der Uebergabe des Augsburgischen Glaubensbekenntnisses in der Blochmann'schen Erziehungsanstalt und dem Vitzthum'schen Geschlechtsgymnasium'', 1830. * ''Ein Wort über die Bildung unserer Jugend zur Wohlredenheit und öffentlichen Beredsamkeit'', 1831. * ''Heinrich Pestalozzi : Züge aus dem Bilde seines Lebens und Wirkens; nach Selbstzeugnissen, Anschauungen und Mittheilungen'', 1846 - Heinrich Pestalozzi: Features from an image of his life and work to personal accounts, beliefs and communications.WorldCat Search
(publications)

References

ADB:Blochmann, Karl Justus
@

Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, german: Universal German Biography) is one of the most important and comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language. It was published by the Historical Commission of the Bavarian Aca ...

External links

Google Books
History of the Pestalozzian movement in the United States by Will Seymour Monroe. German educational theorists Leipzig University alumni 1786 births 1855 deaths People from Greiz (district) Heads of schools in Germany Privy Councillor (Russian Empire) {{germany-academic-bio-stub