Helfrich Bernhard Wenck

Helfrich Bernhard Wenck (* June 18, 1739 in Idstein, † April 27, 1803 in Darmstadt ) was a German pedagogue, historian, and rector of the consistory. Because of its three-part Hessian history, he is also considered the "father of modern country's history."

Life

Helfrich Bernhard Wenck attended the Darmstadt Pädagogium, where his father, the educationalist Johann Martin Wenck, was rector. From 1757 he studied and a half years in Giessen, Göttingen and Heidelberg theology, but without being a theologian in the strict sense. After his studies he found in 1761 as a setting Collaborator at his former school, the Darmstadt Pädagogium ( Ludwig George's Gymnasium), whose Subkonrektor he was from 1766 and where he remained from then until his death. From 1765 acted Wenck addition to his position in the school as a teacher of Crown Prince Ludwig and his siblings. In 1768 he was appointed vice-rector of his school before him the rectorship was transferred with the title of professor the following year. The Histographie devoted Wenck from 1775; was preceded by ideas about writing a German, especially Hessian history and how this could be implemented in the high school program. In 1777 he found employment as court librarian. He was distinguished by a wise acquisition policy, the realization of the first complete catalog and the opening of the library for the general public, were ready for a total of 16,000 volumes.

As director of the now to Pedagogium and Konsistorialrat Wenck put his ideas in 1778 curriculum reform through, which was built on humanistic ideals and their claim was to force the teaching of classical languages ​​, as well as to enable a more comprehensive education for all social classes. 1783 one took him into the Kurpfälzische Academy of Sciences in Mannheim, and 18 years later he held the office of chief and council secrecy Consistorial.

Among his most famous works is the Hessian story that appeared in three volumes 1783-1803. Furthermore, his two-volume Latin grammar for schools was higher attention.

Works

• Message from the current establishment of the Princely Pädagogs in Darmstadt (1774 )
• Diplomatic News of the extinct dynasties of Eppenstein (1775 )
• The renewed statutes of the Princely Pädagogs from the year 1629 (1778)
• Hessian history (1783-1803)
• From the Court Library in Darmstadt and some oddities of the same (1789 )