Hedwig Dransfeld
Encyclopedia
Hedwig Dransfeld was a German Catholic feminist, writer and member of parliament.
), Germany to the Romberg
family (German aristocrats). Her father, Clemens Dransfeld, was a senior forester, and her mother, Elise Fleischhauer, was a doctor's daughter and a Catholic. Dransfeld's father died when she was three, and her mother died five years later. She was brought up by her maternal grandmother until she, too, died, at which point Dransfeld was placed in an orphanage.
At the age of sixteen she began to train at the Königlichen Katholischen Lehrerinnen-Seminar ("German Catholic Teachers' Seminar") in Paderborn
. During her training, she contracted a form of tuberculosis
that entered her bones, and lost her left arm and a heel. Despite this she passed her exams with distinction in 1890 and began a teaching career that culminated in her appointment as headmistress of the Ursuline School in Werl
.
She began to write, and published books of poetry. Later she wrote for Die christliche Frau ("the Christian Woman"), a German newspaper, and in 1905 took over the editorship of that journal and made it an organ of the Katholischen deutschen Frauenbunds ("Catholic German Women's Federation", abbreviated KDF).
After women were admitted to universities in Germany, in 1908 Dransfield studied Kulturwissenschaft ("Cultural Studies") in Münster
and, later, Bonn
.
In January 1912, she made a noted speech on women in the church and religious life at the first German Women's Congress at the Reichstag
in Berlin. The Berlin Vorwärts (a newspaper) described her as "the most important woman alive today", and in October 1912 she gave up her work as a teacher to become full-time chairman of the KDF.
After the November revolution, Dransfeld was nominated for Zentrum für die Weimarer Nationalversammlung ("Centre for the Weimar Republic
National Assembly") and Preußischen Landesversammlung ("Prussian National Assembly"). She played a major part of the new social legislation, and from 1920 until her death was a senior member of the Rheinischen Zentrumspartei ("Rhenish Centre Party"). She was also appointed Chairman of the Reich Women's Advisory Board of that party. In 1922 she retired from chairing the KDF on health grounds, but remained a member of the Reichstag.
She died in the Ursuline Convent, and her grave is in a cemetery in Werl
.
is named after her.
Biography
Hedwig Dransfeld was born in Hacheney (now DortmundDortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
), Germany to the Romberg
Romberg
Romberg is a German surname which may refer to:* Andreas Romberg , German composer, violinist* Bernhard Romberg , German cellist and composer* Brett Romberg , American football player* Luci Romberg, an American stuntwoman...
family (German aristocrats). Her father, Clemens Dransfeld, was a senior forester, and her mother, Elise Fleischhauer, was a doctor's daughter and a Catholic. Dransfeld's father died when she was three, and her mother died five years later. She was brought up by her maternal grandmother until she, too, died, at which point Dransfeld was placed in an orphanage.
At the age of sixteen she began to train at the Königlichen Katholischen Lehrerinnen-Seminar ("German Catholic Teachers' Seminar") in Paderborn
Paderborn
Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader, which originates in more than 200 springs near Paderborn Cathedral, where St. Liborius is buried.-History:...
. During her training, she contracted a form of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
that entered her bones, and lost her left arm and a heel. Despite this she passed her exams with distinction in 1890 and began a teaching career that culminated in her appointment as headmistress of the Ursuline School in Werl
Werl
Werl is a town located in the district of Soest in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Werl is easily accessible because it is located between the Sauerland, Münsterland, and the Ruhr Area...
.
She began to write, and published books of poetry. Later she wrote for Die christliche Frau ("the Christian Woman"), a German newspaper, and in 1905 took over the editorship of that journal and made it an organ of the Katholischen deutschen Frauenbunds ("Catholic German Women's Federation", abbreviated KDF).
After women were admitted to universities in Germany, in 1908 Dransfield studied Kulturwissenschaft ("Cultural Studies") in Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
and, later, Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
.
In January 1912, she made a noted speech on women in the church and religious life at the first German Women's Congress at the Reichstag
Reichstag (German Empire)
The Reichstag was the parliament of the North German Confederation , and of the German Reich ....
in Berlin. The Berlin Vorwärts (a newspaper) described her as "the most important woman alive today", and in October 1912 she gave up her work as a teacher to become full-time chairman of the KDF.
After the November revolution, Dransfeld was nominated for Zentrum für die Weimarer Nationalversammlung ("Centre for the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
National Assembly") and Preußischen Landesversammlung ("Prussian National Assembly"). She played a major part of the new social legislation, and from 1920 until her death was a senior member of the Rheinischen Zentrumspartei ("Rhenish Centre Party"). She was also appointed Chairman of the Reich Women's Advisory Board of that party. In 1922 she retired from chairing the KDF on health grounds, but remained a member of the Reichstag.
She died in the Ursuline Convent, and her grave is in a cemetery in Werl
Werl
Werl is a town located in the district of Soest in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Werl is easily accessible because it is located between the Sauerland, Münsterland, and the Ruhr Area...
.
Honours
Dransfeld received the freedom of the City of Werl on her 50th birthday. A school for the disabled is named after her, and on 10 November 1988 her life was commemorated on a stamp (illustrated above). A street in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
is named after her.
Selected publications by Hedwig Dransfeld
Translator's note: These are in German.- Hedwig Dransfeld: Wie das Grafendorli glücklich wird. Erzählung für junge Mädchen. In: Bachems illustrierte Erzählungen für Mädchen. 7, Bachem, Köln 1920.
- Hedwig Dransfeld: Der gute Ton für die heranwachsende Jugend. Thiemann, Hamm 1930.
- Hedwig Dransfeld: Il Santo. Erzählungen und Gedichte für alle Verehrer des Hl. Antonius von Padua. Junfermann, Paderborn 1902.
- Hedwig Dransfeld: Theo Westerholt. Erzählung aus der Zeit Albrecht Dürers. In: Aus allen Zeiten und Ländern. 18, Bachem, Köln 1913.
- Hedwig Dransfeld: Die Geschwister di Mona Rosta. Erzählung aus dem 17. Jahrhundert. In: Bachems illustrierte Erzählungen für Mädchen. 13, Bachem, Köln 1920.
Sources
Translator's note: These are in German.- Walter Gronemann: Dransfeld, Hedwig. In: Hans Bohrmann (Hrsg.): Biographien bedeutender Dortmunder. Menschen in, aus und für Dortmund. 1, Ruhfus, Dortmund 1994, S. 24ff..
- Marianne Pünder: Hedwig Dransfeld. In: Aloys Böhmer (Hrsg.): Westfälische Lebensbilder, XII, Aschendorff, Münster 1979, ISBN 3-402-05951-7.