Speckmannshof in Amberg, Bavaria, Germany — Central Europe

Franz-Xaver von Schönwerth

Photographed By James Hulse, February 19, 2024

1. Franz-Xaver von Schönwerth Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

German:
Königlich Bayerischer Ministerialrat
Geboren in Amberg Am 10.Juli 1810
Gestorben in München Am 24.Mai 1886

Bekanntester Oberpfälzer Volkskundler

Das Rockenfüssl In dem turm am henkerbergl soll ein armes mädchen gewohnt, und trotzig das gebot übertreten haben: man soll am freitag nicht singen, am samstag nicht spinnen, am sonntag die erste messe nicht verschlafen. Und weil sie es im alter wie in der jugend trieb und boshaft dem alten gesetz zuwider gehandelt hat, wurde ihr fuss in einen rockenfuss umgestaltet und sie musste nach ihrem tode umherwandern.

Es ist klein, mit rundem reifrock und hat zwei hühnerfüsse, einen sehr grossen kopf, darauf ein dreispitz sitzt. Es springt, statt zu gehen. Oft zeigt es sich auf der amberger hollerwiese.

Franz-Xaver von Schönwerth

English Translation:
Royal Bavarian Ministerial Council
Born in Amberg on July 10, 1810
Died in Munich on May 24, 1886

Best-known Upper Palatinate Folklorist

The Distaff A poor girl is said

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to have lived in the tower on Henkerbergl and defiantly violated the commandment: you shouldn't sing on Friday, you shouldn't spin on Saturday, and you shouldn't sleep through the first mass on Sunday. And because she did it in her old age as well as in her youth and maliciously acted contrary to the old law, her foot was transformed into a distaff foot and she had to wander around after her death.

It is small, with a round hoop skirt and has two chicken feet, a very large head with a tricorn hat sitting on it. It jumps instead of walking. It often shows up on the Amberg holler meadow.

Franz Xavier von Schönwerth

Erected 2009 by Gestiftet Vom and Rotary-Club Amberg - 975 Years of Amberg-2009.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music. A significant historical date for this entry is May 24, 1886.

Location. 49° 26.732′ N, 11° 51.321′ E. Marker is in Amberg, Bayern (Bavaria). It is in Speckmannshof. Marker is on Deutsche Schulgasse just east of Löwenwirtsgäßchen, on the left when traveling east. The marker is located on the southeast side of the church wall. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Deutsche Schulgasse 4, Amberg BY 92224, Germany. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Amberger Kulturstadel (a few steps from this marker); Schulkirche / School Church (within shouting distance

The Franz-Xaver von Schönwerth Marker on the exterior south wall of the school church image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, February 19, 2024

2. The Franz-Xaver von Schönwerth Marker on the exterior south wall of the school church

of this marker); Stadttheater / Town Theatre (within shouting distance of this marker); Alte Veste / Old Fortress (about 150 meters away, measured in a direct line); Ratstrinkstube / Council Taproom (about 180 meters away); Frauenkirche / Church of Our Lady (about 180 meters away); Bischof Michael Wittmann (about 180 meters away); Rathaus / Town Hall (about 240 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Amberg.

Also see . . . Franz Xaver von Schönwerth. Wikipedia

Schönwerth recorded legends, fairytales, comic stories, children's games, nursery rhymes, children's songs and proverbs. He also observed how people lived, describing the everyday life of peasants, their customs and their traditional costumes. Grimm wrote in a review: "Nowhere in the whole of Germany has anyone collected more circumspectly, more completely, or leaving so few traces." His questionnaires and the care with which he recorded the dialect of responses served as models as folklore collecting became more objective and scientific; Grimm, with whom he corresponded from 1858 on, recommended
Photographed By James Hulse, February 19, 2024

3. The view of the Franz-Xaver von Schönwerth Marker along the street
his methods in a letter to Karl Julius Schröer and told the king that Schönwerth was the only person who could continue his and his brother's work after their deaths. Unlike Grimm, Schönwerth did not seek a unified picture of Germanic folk culture and its pre-Christian origins, but focussed on the distinct features of the Upper Palatinate; he held a now discredited view that the regional dialect showed close parallels to Gothic.

(Submitted on March 6, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 6, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 6, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 39 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 6, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.