Struve in Staufen

Some of my readers will immediately think of Ulli Struve, Associate Director of the Academic Year in Freiburg (AYF) and the man trusted by students. Still, I will write about Gustav Struve, the spiritus rector of the Baden revolution in 1848/49.

Actually, Red Baron talked about Struve and the first German Republic at the Museumsgesellschaft on September 24. The presentation preparation was quite time-consuming, explaining why my blogging recently was light. For readers who like to read German, find the pdf file of my talk titled" Hoch lebe die deutsche Republik" here.

Following Friedrich Hecker's failure to march to Karlsruhe, where Gustav Struve at least made it to the gates of Freiburg, both men fled to Switzerland. While Hecker emigrated to the States, fed up with the German tepidness toward revolutions, his mate Gustav continued his revolutionary activities, preparing for a German Republic.

On September 21, 1848, Struve crossed the Swiss border and proclaimed the first German Republic in Lörrach.

Struve and his men entering Lörrach.

Struve is proclaiming the first German Republic speaking from a window of the Lörrach town hall.

On September 23, having rallied about 8,000 men, he started his long march to Baden's capital Karlsruhe. Still, on September 24, his putsch was stopped at Staufen, where 800 grand-ducal troops armed with 4 cannons easily defeated the remaining 4000 ill-equipped revolutionaries.

The Staufen skirmish on September 24, 1848.

The Struve Walk is an annual tradition in Staufen.

Dr. Jörg Martin, Staufen's urban historian, guided a small group on the trails of Struve and his putsch.

Dr. Martin showed Struve's picture.

Walking down Staufen's picturesque main street.
On the hill in the back, admire the ruins of the castle.

Grand-ducal soldiers fired their cannons in the direction of the insurgents who fled, crossing the river Neumagen.

The fleeing revolutionaries were drawn by an eyewitness.

Staufeners cherish their memories of the revolution in 1848/49. A cannonball in a wall ...

Walking through the Struve Passage.
The cannonball marked 1848 is on the left, high above the window shutter.

... or a bullet in a book:

A stray bullet in a volume of the town archive

The episode of the Kronenwirt (landlord of the Crown Inn) is well-known. When soldiers came to his house to arrest him for sympathizing with the insurgents, he shouted, "Ich dulde es nicht, dass ich erschossen werde" (I will not tolerate being shot). His chutzpah impressed the soldiers, and they let him go.

We finished our walk at the municipal cemetery.

The Lindenwirt (landlord of the Linden Inn) was less lucky.
He was hit by a stray bullet and died.

Remembering those five innocent musicians
who was accidentally executed by a firing squad.

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