Adalbert Falk

Paul Ludwig Adalbert Falk ( born August 10, 1827 in Metschkau (Silesia ), † July 7, 1900 in Hamm ) was a Prussian Minister of Education and President of the Higher Regional Court of Hamm.

Life and work

Falk was the son of Consistorial and pastor of Waldau near Liegnitz Ludwig Falk and his wife Emma Hoffmann. Falk got his first lessons from his father and later attended the High School of Legnica. With 17 years of Falk began in 1844 at the Friedrich -Wilhelms -Universität zu Breslau to study law; later he moved with the same box at the Friedrich -Wilhelms -Universität zu Berlin, where he in 1847 with a PhD completed his studies. After Auskultatorprüfung 1847 Falk joined the civil service. In 1850 he got a job as a court clerk and also worked as an assistant to the prosecutor Wroclaw.

1853 Falk was promoted to the prosecutor and, after Lyck in East Prussia. In 1861 they picked him in the same position at the Court of Berlin and as such had Falk again as an assistant in the Department of Justice. During this time, Falk revised the General Land Law for the Prussian States ( Five men book) and could recommend this work for " bigger challenges " in the Ministry of Justice.

1851 married Falk in Wroclaw Rose Passow, a subsidiary of Prof. Franz Passow. With her he had three daughters and three sons, including the later Prussian General Adalbert Falk.

In the years 1858-1861 Falk was in the Chamber of Deputies of the Group of Mathis ' and, representing the district of Lyck. As a member of the Military Commission of the State Parliament he supported include the required reforms of the army. 1862 Falk was appointed Appellationsgerichtsrat in Glogau, but recalled by the Minister of Justice Adolf Leonhardt in the ministry and promoted to lecturer advice. 1867 was chosen Falk in constituting itself Reichstag of the North German Confederation of Glogau. 1871 Falk worked as an agent of the government in the Federal Council and was a member of the Commission for the German Code of Civil Procedure.

Following the resignation of Kultusmininister Heinrich von Muhler Falk took over with effect on 22 January 1872, the Ministry of Culture. His term was marked by the culture war. In the Kulturkampf he supported Bismarck's struggle against the influence of the Catholic Church. He overthrew the established by Friedrich Eichhorn Catholic department in the ministry. Falk subjected important aspects ( eg the training of theologians ) of the Catholic Church through the so-called May Laws of the control of the state. Through the School Inspection Act, the influence of the Church ended in the elementary school. Furthermore, his work was directed against the Polish-language teaching of the Catholic school children in Posen and West Prussia.

All these measures met with vigorous opposition of the Catholic Church and the center. Thanks to the support of the National Liberals, he managed to obtain for the laws majorities in Parliament. Through these events, the separation of church and state was ultimately strengthened.

Falk began by increasing the levels of teachers. By multiplication of the seminars and through appropriate organization, the number of teachers and classes very considerable ( about 4000 teachers more than before he took office ) increased. The universities, he provided them with more abundant resources and increased the expenses of bringing the arts.

An Education Act, which the school system should protect against administrative arbitrariness henceforth and which was completed in 1876 draft, failed because of the opposition of the Treasury against the additional costs. The Evangelical Church of the older provinces of Prussia sought by Falk 1875 approved by an Extraordinary General Synod in 1876 and also approved by Parliament synodal constitution for the church provinces in the eight old provinces of Prussia to give an independent position.

But it is precisely these used the Orthodox Hofpredigerpartei to agitate with Kaiser Wilhelm I against their hated liberal ministers, only to overthrow the members appointed by the President of the Prussian Evangelical Falk High Church Council Emil Herrmann, then even 1878 Falk necessary to resignation. Although Falk 1878 was not received in the office by mutual indulgence, but when Bismarck in 1879 on the occasion of the tariff negotiations in the Reichstag, the Centre Party approached Falk preferred to forestall a possible dismissal by renewing his request, which was approved on July 14, 1879 and to focus on parliamentary activity. Falk belonged since winning a by-election in the constituency Liegniztu 3 ( Glogau ) on January 9, 1873 the Reichstag. From 1874 to 1882 he represented the electoral district of Liegnitz 4 ( Lüben - Boleslawiec ), initially belonged to no faction, was then 1874-1880 Hospitant in the fraction Nazi Party in 1881 and joined the National Liberal Party. On January 31, 1882 Falk resigned his seat in the Reichstag. The Prussian House he belonged from 1873 to 1882 as an MP for the constituency of Dusseldorf 5 (Duisburg - Essen) on In the House of Representatives, he remained attached Member. Appointed in 1882 as President of the Higher Regional Court in Hamm, Falk resigned both mandates and retired from political life all the way back. A collection of his speeches remained unfinished.

Falk's work on the Reformation of the elementary school system

In three legislative initiatives Falk tried to reform the elementary school as Minister of Education:

Falk, acting as Court of Appeal President in Hamm

In effect, the time of Adalbert Falk as Oberlandesgericht Hamm president in the new building of the Higher Regional Court fell in the southern suburbs. The new building, which now serves as the town hall of the city of Hamm, was completed in 1899. Falk's residence, the Villa of the Higher Regional Court President was vis-a- vis on the present site of the employment office in Hamm.

Honors

• The honorary citizen of Hamm ( 1898) was on 10 June 1905, a monument ( by sculptor Wilhelm wall cutter, donated by Prussian teachers association), unveiled at the East Avenue in Hamm.
• As promoters of the education system and the Luther House in Wittenberg, he was in 1876 an honorary citizen of Wittenberg. In tribute to him today Falk street was named.
• In Unna both Falkenstraße and the Falk school located on this street were named after him.
• In Frankfurt, the Falk school was named after him.