Hans Philipp Werner, Freiherr von und zu Aufseß (1801–1872) was a German

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

, antiquarian and lead founder of the Germanisches Museum in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

. Born at Castle Unteraufseß into the Aufseß noble family, he studied law at

Erlangen Erlangen (; , ) is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the administrative district Erlangen-Höchstadt (former administrative district Erlangen), and with 119,810 inhabitants (as of 30 September 2024), it is the smalle ...

and was employed at the courts at

Bayreuth Bayreuth ( or ; High Franconian German, Upper Franconian: Bareid, ) is a Town#Germany, town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtel Mountains. The town's roots date back to 11 ...

and Gräfenberg. He received his doctorate in law in 1822 and left public service, dedicating himself to the administration of the family estate and to the study of German antiquity. He accumulated a substantial library and art collection. His genealogical research into his family's history was published in 1838. His antiquarian studies were influenced by the ideals of

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

and nascent

German nationalism German nationalism () is an ideological notion that promotes the unity of Germans and of the Germanosphere into one unified nation-state. German nationalism also emphasizes and takes pride in the patriotism and national identity of Germans as ...

of the time. From 1832, he co-edited the journal ''Anzeiger für Kunde der deutschen Vorzeit''. From 1846, von Aufseß dedicated himself to the creation of a museum for German antiquity. He moved to Nuremberg in 1848 and worked towards this goal for a number of years, leading up to the foundation of the Germanic Museum (''Germanisches Museum'') in 1852, for which he served as director until 1862. At this point he retired and spent his final years on an estate in

Kressbronn am Bodensee Kressbronn am Bodensee is a municipality and a village in the district of Bodensee in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It lies on Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: ...

. He died in

Münsterlingen Münsterlingen is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History In 1994 the municipality was created from Landschlacht and Scherzingen.Thurgau Thurgau (; ; ; ), anglicized as Thurgovia, and formally as the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts. Its capital is Frauenfeld. Thurgau is part of Eastern Switzerland. I ...

, succumbing to injuries he received from a mob of angry students when he visited the opening ceremony of

Strasbourg University The University of Strasbourg (, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. Founded in the 16th century by Johannes Sturm, it was a center of intellectual life during ...

due to a case of mistaken identity, being taken for a "

Francophile A Francophile is a person who has a strong affinity towards any or all of the French language, History of France, French history, Culture of France, French culture and/or French people. That affinity may include France itself or its history, lang ...

". A great-nephew, Hans Max von Aufseß (1906–1993), also known as Baron von Aufsess, was Chief Civil Administrator of

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

, during the

German occupation of the Channel Islands The military occupation of the Channel Islands by Nazi Germany lasted for most of the Second World War, from 30 June 1940 until liberation on 9 May 1945. The Bailiwick of Jersey and Bailiwick of Guernsey are British Crown dependencies in the ...

(1942–1945).

References

* * * * Hans Max von Aufseß: ''Des Reiches erster Konservator. Hans von Aufseß, der Gründer des Germanischen Nationalmuseums, 7. 9. 1801–1806. 5. 1872''. Erlangen: Fränkische Bibliophilengesellschaft, 1971. * Bernward Deneke und Rainer Kahsnitz (eds.): ''Das Germanische Nationalmuseum. Nürnberg 1852–1977. Beiträge zu seiner Geschichte'', München/Berlin 1978.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aufsess, Hans von und zu 1801 births 1872 deaths German barons German antiquarians German male non-fiction writers