Heinrich Friedrich Trute called Wilhelm Trute (; March 5, 1836October 20, 1889) was a German miner and breeder of singing canaries, the

Harz Roller Harz Roller (german: link=no, Harzer Roller ) is the name of a breed of domestic canary bred in the Upper Harz mountains of Germany. The birds were bred in the Upper Harz between Lautenthal and Sankt Andreasberg in the middle of the 19th cen ...

Biography

Wilhelm Trute was born in 1836 in

Sankt Andreasberg Sankt Andreasberg is a former town in the Goslar (district), district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 November 2011, it is part of the town Braunlage. It is situated in the Harz, approximately 7 km west of Braunlage proper, and 2 ...

as the only child of Georg Conrad Trute and Johanna Henriette Trute (birth name Keitel). Not much is known about Trutes childhood and youth. It is very likely that he attended school in Sankt Andreasberg and worked in the local mineral processing unit as a teenager to supplement his family's income. He followed his father's footsteps and became a miner. He first got a job in Clausthal and later on in the

Samson Pit The Samson Pit or Samson Mine (german: Grube Samson) is an historic silver mine in Sankt Andreasberg in the Upper Harz region of central Germany. He married Henriette Minna Charlotte Gödecke with whom he had one child, Carl Trute. While working as a miner, he pursued his passion for breeding of canaries, but rheumatism and, from 1889, gastric trouble which later turned out to be stomach cancer chained him to his bed. After a long period of suffering, he died on 20 October 1889 at 12:45 AM.

Canary Breeding

Wilhelm Trute's ancestors reached the HarzGottfried Drott: ''Die Trut'sche Legende.'' In: ''Der Vogelfreund.'' Ausgabe 10/98, S. 13. in the 15th century from the Ore Mountains, making his family one of the oldest in Sankt Andreasberg. It is not known when his ancestors began to bred canaries but, like others, his father Andreasberg already bred a race of canaries from the mainland called Japper. Around 1865, Wilhelm Trute got a pair of high quality singing canaries from the silver works supervisor Wilhelm Weiland, a relative. It is probable that the first Harz Rollers emerged from this cross-breed. These ''Rollers'' from the Trute branch had, other than later Harz Rollers, grey to grey-green feathering and excelled by their delightful song. Those birds brought worldwide fame to the breeder and his hometown. In distinction to other breeders, Trute used only birds from this one branch. He also did not sell his birds by mail. Whoever wanted to acquire one of his Rollers had to come to his home in Sankt Andreasberg. He bred canaries from the Trute branch in his home until his disease chained him to his bed in 1889.

Honors

To honor his achievement in canary breeding he was dedicated an outsized, stylised Harzbauer in a ceremonial service on 2 May 1999. To point out the special relationship between mining and canary breeding a vessel for ore processing was mounted in the cage as a symbolised drinking bowl. In 2001 the memorial was complemented with a

Dennert Fir Tree The Dennert Fir Tree (german: Dennert-Tanne also known as the , or ) is a signboard that is used throughout the Harz mountains in Germany to provide information about mining and other points of interest in the area. The signboards mark locations, ...

which describes the breeders deeds. Another Dennert Fir Tree was erected in front of his former house. Wilhelm-Trute-Denkmal Sankt Andreasberg.jpg, Wilhelm Trute Memorial in

Gedenkplatte am Wilhelm Trute Denkmal.jpg, Plate at the memorial Vogelbauer.jpg, Transport cage for canaries as it was used in the 18th and 19th century for the delivery of Harz Rollers Dennert-Tanne Wilhelm Trute (Denkmal).jpg, Dennert Fir Tree at the Wilhelm Trute Memorial Dennert-Tanne Wilhelm Trute (Wohnhaus).jpg, Dennert Fir Tree at Trute's former home The local association for the care of the cemetery of Sankt Andreasbrg in cooperation with the Samson Pit Museum reerected Trute's grave on its former location. To underline his achievements in canary breeding a small silvery canary was added to his gravestone. Since then, the grave has been maintained by the association. Harzer Roller auf Wilhelm Trutes Grab.jpg,

on Wilhelm Trutes Gravestone Wilhelm Trutes Grab 1.jpg, Wilhelm Trutes grave in

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trute, Wilhelm 1836 births 1889 deaths German miners

Biography

Canary Breeding

Honors

See also

References

External links