Hans von und zu Aufseß

{{about|the 19th century antiquarian Hans Philipp Werner Freiherr von und zu Aufseß|20th century military figure and author|Hans Max von Aufseß}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Hans von und zu Aufseß

| image = HansvzAufseß.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Von Aufseß as a student at Erlangen in 1822, by Friedrich Hoffstadt (1802–1846)

| birth_name = Hans Philipp Werner Freiherr von und zu Aufseß

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1801|9|7|df=y}}

| birth_place = Aufseß, Kingdom of Bavaria

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1872|5|6|1801|9|7|df=y}}

| death_place = Münsterlingen

| nationality = German

| other_names =

| occupation = Antiquarian

| known_for = Founding of the Germanisches Museum in Nuremberg

}}

{{multiple image

| width = 100

| footer = Castle Unteraufseß

| image1 = Schloss Unteraufseß.jpg

| alt1 = Castle Unteraufseß

| caption1 = birthplace Hans von Aufseß

| image2 = Studierzimmer des Hans von Aufseß im Meingoz-Steinhaus Burg Unteraufseß.jpg

| alt2 = Meingoz house, castle Unteraufsess

| caption2 = Study-room of Hans von Aufseß

}}

Hans Philipp Werner, Freiherr von und zu Aufseß (1801–1872) was a German baron, antiquarian and lead founder of the Germanisches Museum in Nuremberg.

Born at Castle Unteraufseß into the Aufseß noble family, he studied law at Erlangen and was employed at the courts at Bayreuth 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 and nascent German nationalism 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. He died in Münsterlingen, Thurgau, succumbing to injuries he received from a mob of angry students when he visited the opening ceremony of Strasbourg University due to a case of mistaken identity, being taken for a "Francophile".

A great-nephew, Hans Max von Aufseß (1906–1993), also known as Baron von Aufsess, was Chief Civil Administrator of Jersey, during the German occupation of the Channel Islands (1942–1945).{{Cite web|url=http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205088510|title=THE OCCUPATION AND LIBERATION OF THE CHANNEL ISLANDS 1940-1945|website=Imperial War Museums}}

References

  • {{Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie|1|655|658|Aufseß, Hans Freiherr von und zu|Georg Lochner|ADB:Aufseß, Hans von}}
  • {{NDB|1|444|444|Aufseß, Hans Philipp Werner von|Heinz Gollwitzer}}
  • {{Meyers Online|2|66|spezialkapitel=Aufseß|kapiteltext=Aufseß, Hans, Freiherr von und zu}}
  • 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.