Hermann Görner
Encyclopedia
Hermann Görner, was a famous German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 strongman
Strongman (strength athlete)
In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or circus performers of similar ilk who displayed feats of strength such as the bent press , supporting large amounts of...

. Görner performed in various countries and achieved feats of strength rarely matched to this day, most notably in lifts requiring exceptional gripping strength.

Early years

Görner was born in Hänichen
Bannewitz
Bannewitz is a municipality in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated south of Dresden .- References :...

, Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. He started lifting weights at the age of 10 and was able to perform a one-handed swing of 110lbs by the age of 14. Hermann was a good all round athlete with a powerful physique and worked at various times as a model for painters and sculptors. He was 6-1 in height and weighed between 264 and 293 pounds during his career.

From 1911 he competed in various weightlifting tournaments and placed fourth in the 1913 Weightlifting World Championships.

Professional strong man

Despite being injured by shrapnel and losing an eye during World War One,
Görner continued his career to become a professional strong man in 1921, touring countries such as Germany, Britain and South Africa.

His act included wrestling with a 1,500lbs elephant and challenging any member of the audience to lift the 330lbs barbell with 2.4 inch shaft which he had just raised above his head. Hermann and his wife Elsie stayed with the famous Pullum family while touring with their strength act and Hermann was known to be a witty and very personable individual whose bravery matched his physical strength.

Feats of Strength

Among Hermann Görner's many feats of strength were the following notable lifts:
  • One-handed deadlift 727lbs, July 20, 1920, Dresden, Germany
  • Deadlift 595.5lbs using just 2 fingers of each hand, normal and reverse grip was used, 1920.
  • Pinch lift 111 lbs, 1934.
  • Leg pressing 24 men, total weight 4123lb, on a plank with the soles of his feet, 1921.

Goerner The Mighty

Görner's life is documented in a 1951 book by Ed Müller, Goerner The Mighty.

Later years

A hand injury from a fall in 1929 somewhat curtailed his career in favour of training rather than lifting, but Görner continued to lift until World War Two. He was for a while held in a concentration camp but settled after the war in a village near Hanover, Germany with his beloved wife Elsie, who died in 1949. Hermann was regularly visited by admirers at his small apartment and, despite the setbacks of losing his wife and war wounds, lived to the age of 65 before passing away in 1956.
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