Ernst Neumann – Archive
Archive of the Hagen-Bessel-Neumann-Familienstiftung n.e.V.
Former in Bückeburg, since 2007 in Berlin, exists an archive of the Königsberg-scientists K.G.Hagen, F.W.Bessel, F. Neumann and their descendants (mentioned in liturature e.g. as HBN-Archive Bückeburg). It manages the books and exhibits for two foundations:
1.) Franz-Neumann-grant-foundation. It was founded by the father of E. Neumann, the physicist Franz Neumann for his 50th doctor anniversary (1876). The bases for the foundation was given by emperor Wilhelm I. (Lit. Geh. Staatsarchiv Dahlem, Archivstr. 14, I. HA, Rep. Va Rep. Va Sekt 11, Titel XI, Nr. 50, Bd. 1) The former foundation was integrated in 2003 as “Zustiftung” into the “Stiftung Königsberg” under the abbreviated name „Franz-Neumann-Foundation“
2.) The“Karl-Gottfried-Hagen-Familienstiftung“ was founded in 1871 by Ernst August Hagen for the care of the widowed or single female descendants of the popular chemist Karl Gottfried Hagen. Lit: Hagen, Heinrich.: August Hagen. A memory document for its one hundredth birthday. Mediator, p. Berlin 1897.)In 2023, this Familienstiftung was transfered in the Hagen-Bessel-Neumann-Familienstiftung n.e.V. – see downstairs
The archive of both foundations contains a part of the estate of all teachers, scholars and artists, mentioned in the homepage see above. The main part of the estate became the national library of 37037 Göttingen, hand-manuscript-department Papendiek 14. (Estate Ernst Christian Neumann Acc. Mss. 1994.6.1, — 1994.34, — 1995.9 )
For example: In Göttingen (Handschriftenabteilung der Universität Papendiek-Str.14) you will find a manuel script (written down by the cholar Ernst Chr. Neumann in Berlin 1856/57) of the lecture of H. von Helmholtz (Göttingen Cod.Ms.E.C.Neumann 2a,5), A. von Graefe (Göttingen Cod.Ms.E.C.Neumann 2b,3) as well of R. Virchow (Göttingen…. 2b,5), F. Arlt L.Traube, A. Hayn, K. Sudhoff and others
Ernst Neumann was a pupil of H. von Helmholtz, who discovered the ophthalmoscope 1850 in Königsberg, and from A. von Graefe, Berlin, who is also well known as founder of the german ophthalmology.
This Ruete-Graefe ophthalmoscope from the second half of the 19th century was in the estate of Ernst Neumann, produced by Paetz and Flohr, precision engineer Berlin. Now, you will find this exponat in „Ostpreußisches Landesmuseum Lüneburg“ , given by the Hagen-Bessel-Neumann family foundation m.e.V.
Whereabouts of the estate of the K.G.Hagen, F.W.Bessel, F.Neumann Family Foundation:
In 1953 and subsequently in 1995 – 1997, Dr Franz Neumann and his nephew Dr Eberhard (author) transferred a large part of the scientific estate to the manuscript department of the University Library in Göttingen, headed by Dr H. Rohlfing: It is located there under the reference Cod. Ms. F.E. Neumann 1 – 63 Acc. Mss. 1953.13 and Cod MS. F-E. – 218. 300 – 319: Acc. Mss. 1994.6/2 ff
On 20 October 2020, part of the estate of the women’s rights activist Helene Neumann was donated to the Archive of the German Women’s Movement AddF in Kassel.
The rest of the estate, consisting of documents, journals and publications and, above all, old books from the 18th and 19th centuries, is in the archive of the Hagen – Bessel – Neumann Family Foundation n.e.V , which is administered by the author of this homepage and his nephew, Prof. Dr. Dirk Hagen in Berlin.
On the 300th anniversary of Immanuel Kant’s birth, a large part of the estate was given to the East Prussian State Museum in Lüneburg on permanent loan. The background to this measure: K.G. Hagen was a pupil and friend (Tischgesellschaft) of Immanuel Kant. Parts of the Hagen – estate were directly or indirectly connected with I. Kant.
See Button below: Contents of estate, given to Lüneburg in 2023</
The smallest part of the family estate within the H.B.N. family foundation estate comes from the physician Ernst Christian Neumann.
The reason: Ernst Christian Neumann lived with his daughter Helene Neumann in the Haidehaus in Rauschen from 1903. When Helene Neumann died in 1942, the great-niece Liselotte Neumann-Redlin, née von Jan, wife of the fallen forester Dr Konrad Neumann (1910 – 1942), took over the estate of Ernst N. and Helene Neumann. Aware of the catastrophie that was already looming for the family from the beginning of the war against Russia on 22 June 1941, Lotte Neumann-Redlin left the Haidehaus in Rauschen, todays Svetlogorsk illegally with her 3 sons Christian, Wolfgang and Eberhard in August 1944 for the West (Berlin-Zehdenick, then on to Hagen, district of Neustadt a. Rbge near Hannover, where the her brother Hans von Jan lived). She was unable to take any of her estate with her (leaving East Prussia with children was strictly forbidden by Gauleiter Koch), such as books (e.g. a large library of works signed by W. von Goethe), certificates and honourary awards from the pathologist Ernst Neumann (Stanislaus Cauer gold medal) and the artist and women’s rights activist Helene Neumann.