Wanderjahre in Italien

Ferdinand Gregorovius (19-JAN-1821 - 01-MAY-1891)


Ferdinand Gregorovius. Stich, Zeitschrift "Vom Fels zum Meer", 1891/II, S. 384.

Ferdinand Gregorovius was born Ferdinand Fuchsmund on 19-JAN-1821 in Neidenburg/East Prussia in a Teutonic Order castle, where he also spent his childhood and early youth. He came from a Masurian family of pastors and lawyers. He studied theology and philosophy in Königsberg, but did not want to work as a pastor, so he wrote his dissertation and worked as a tutor and later as a teacher in a public school. From 1852 he travelled to Italy and Corsica and wrote several travelogues. In 1854 he decided to write the medieval history of Rome and worked on it for the next 18 years. In 1874 he returned to Germany, lived in Munich and became a full member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences. Here in Munich he also died on 01-MAY-1891.

Ferdinand Gregorovius was neither a geologist nor interested in caving. Nevertheless, his travel reports are very meticulous and he described everything he visited extremely accurately. During his travels through Italy, he visited caves several times, mostly what today would be called show caves. As a rule, these caves are show caves today. His descriptions give us an excellent impression of what visiting these show caves was like in the 19th century. We have below the two most detailed, the Grotto of Collepardo and the Blue Grotto on Capri in full text.

Biography

. . . . .
19-JAN-1821 Born in Neidenburg/East Prussia in a Teutonic Order castle.
1832 to 1838 Attended the Gymnasium in Gumbinne.
1838 to 1841 Studied theology and philosophy in Königsberg
1843 Dissertation on Plotinus' aesthetics
1843 to 1845 Activity as a tutor.
1845 to 1852 Teaches at a public school in Königsberg and editor of the "Neue Königsberger Zeitung".
1852 travels to Italy.
1852 walks through Corsica for three months.
1854 to 1874 writes the medieval history of Rome
1874 returns to Germany, lives in Munich
1875 Associate member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences
1876 The first German honorary citizen of Rome and member of the Roman Accademia dei Lincei.
1880 Journey to Greece
1882 Journey to the Orient.
01-MAY-1891 Died in Munich

Bibliography