Hermann Bruno Otto Blumenau (December 26, 1819 – October 30, 1899) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

who founded the city of Blumenau, situated in the Itajaí-Açu river valley in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Biography

Hermann Bruno Otto Blumenau was a son of a forest administrator, born in

Hasselfelde Hasselfelde is a town in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated in the eastern Harz, approximately 17 km south of Wernigerode. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Oberharz am Brocken. Hasselfelde has 2,390 i ...

, Duchy of Brunswick (in present-day Saxony-Anhalt). Between 1832 and 1836 he attended the

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

in Braunschweig, but left school to become a pharmacist.Deutsche Biographie
/ref> From 1840 to 1841 he worked in a

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

in Hasselfelde. He later worked in a pharmacy in

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits in ...

, where he met Alexander Humboldt and

Justus von Liebig Justus Freiherr von Liebig (12 May 1803 – 20 April 1873) was a German scientist who made major contributions to agricultural and biological chemistry, and is considered one of the principal founders of organic chemistry. As a professor at t ...

. Soon after, Blumenau visited London with the Consul-General of Brazil,

Johann Jakob Sturz Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name ''Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious" ...

, and decided to emigrate. He studied chemistry at the University of Erlangen from 1844 until 1846, when he received his doctorate. Between 1846 and 1848 he travelled in southern Brazil for the Hamburg colonial society. He claimed about 200 km² of forest in the province of Santa Catarina. After 2 years in Germany, he returned to Brazil in 1850 with 17 German colonists and established the colony Blumenau. After the Brazilian government took control of the growing village in 1860, he remained as the first official director. Blumenau founded schools and hospitals in his growing city, and by 1880 its population totaled approximately 15,000 people, most of whom were Germans. This population has managed to preserve its German heritage and, even today, German schools still prevail. In 1884, Blumenau returned to Braunschweig, Germany with his wife (whom he had married in 1867) and their three sons. He died on October 30, 1899 in Braunschweig.

References

External links

Origins of the Germans who emigrated to Brazil
(in Portuguese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Blumenau, Hermann 1819 births 1899 deaths People from Oberharz am Brocken People from the Duchy of Brunswick People from Blumenau German Lutherans German emigrants to Brazil Blumenau Brazilian city founders 19th-century Lutherans German city founders