Waltraud Hunke (28 April 1915 – 2004) was a German philologist, publisher and philanthropist who specialized in
Germanic studies
Germanic philology is the philological study of the Germanic languages, particularly from a comparative or historical perspective.
The beginnings of research into the Germanic languages began in the 16th century, with the discovery of literary te ...
.
Biography
Waltraud Hunke was born in
Kiel
Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021).
Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...
, Germany on 28 April 1915, the daughter of the publisher (1879-1953) and Hildegard Lau (1879-1944). Her mother was the daughter of engineer Thies Peter Lau (1844-1933) and Walewska Berta Anna Artelt (1856-1943). She had two sisters, including
Sigrid Hunke
Sigrid Hunke (26 April 1913, Kiel – 15 June 1999) was a German author. She is known for her work in the field of religious studies.
Biography
Sigrid Hunke was born in Kiel, Germany on 26 April 1913, the daughter of the publisher (1879-1953) an ...
.
Hunke received her
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in
Germanic philology
Germanic philology is the philological study of the Germanic languages, particularly from a comparative or historical perspective.
The beginnings of research into the Germanic languages began in the 16th century, with the discovery of literary tex ...
at the
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 1941 under the supervision of
Otto Höfler
Otto Eduard Gotfried Ernst Höfler (10 May 1901 – 25 August 1987) was an Austrian philologist who specialized in Germanic studies. A student of Rudolf Much, Höfler was Professor and Chair of German Language and Old German Literature at the Uni ...
. She subsequently worked as an assistant to the historian
Ernst Anrich Ernst Anrich (born 9 August 1906 in Strasbourg, died 21 October 2001 in Seeheim-Jugenheim) was a German modern historian, sociologist, university professor, academic administrator and publisher, who was the principal founder (in 1949) and managing d ...
and philologist
Siegfried Gutenbrunner at
Reichsuniversität Straßburg
The Reichsuniversität Straßburg (RUS) was founded 1941 by the National Socialists in Alsace, annexed to Nazi Germany, while the regular University of Strasbourg moved to Clermont-Ferrand in 1940. The purpose was to create a continuity to the G ...
. After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Hunke returned to her hometown of Kiel, where she made a fortune as a publisher and bookstore owner. She donated large sums to the
University of Kiel
Kiel University, officially the Christian-Albrecht University of Kiel, (german: Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, abbreviated CAU, known informally as Christiana Albertina) is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in ...
, particularly for the purpose of supporting female academics. Upon the death of Hunke in 2004, her estate was donated to the University.
See also
*
Heinrich Beck (philologist)
Heinrich Beck (born 2 April 1929 - 5 June 2019) was a German philologist who specialized in Germanic studies. A Professor of Ancient German and Nordic Studies at Saarland University and later the University of Bonn, Beck was a co-editor of the se ...
Selected works
* ''Die Trojaburgen und ihre Bedeutung''. Dissertation. München 1941.
* ''Goethe-Gesellschaft Kiel 1947–1987''. Goethe-Gesellschaft, Kiel 1987.
* mit
Oswald Hauser, Wolfgang J. Müller: ''Das Haus Glücksburg und Europa''. Mühlau, Kiel 1988, .
* mit Thiel J. Martensen: ''100 Jahre Universitätsbuchhandlung Walter G. Mühlau. Eine Chronik.'' Mühlau, Kiel 2002, .
Sources
* Friedrich Schmidt-Sibeth: ''Hunke, Heinrich''. In: ''Biographisches Lexikon für Schleswig-Holstein und Lübeck''. Wachholtz, Neumünster 1982–2011. Bd. 9 – 1991. , S. 154.
1915 births
2004 deaths
German philologists
German publishers (people)
Germanists
Germanic studies scholars
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni
20th-century philologists
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