Here, museum director Judith Vater reports on Behrend's love of nature on the original sandstone garden gate posts with inscription, which have been preserved in the museum garden. Peter Wilhelm Behrend's garden was located in front of Magdeburg's city gate. However, before he made a name for himself with his research and publications on church and regional history, which are still highly regarded today, especially here in Haldensleben with his Neuhaldenslebische Kreis-Chronik, printed and published by Carl August Eyraud in Neuhaldensleben 200 years ago, in 1824 and 1826, and was made an honorary citizen of the town, he was initially just a normal little boy. After viewing and explaining his publications and the chronicle and its magnificent edition in the museum, participants in this year's cultural history Easter walk are therefore invited to get to know and explore this little boy and his steps in life.
Behrends was born on Sunday 27 June 1773 in Hagenstraße in Neuhaldensleben. He was baptised just one day later in St. Mary's Church. He first attended the preparatory school with the organist Richter until 1779 and then the town school at St Mary's Churchyard. At that time, the school had already been fundamentally reformed in the spirit of the Enlightenment and had developed from a Latin school into a middle-class school with an extended educational programme. As a result, Behrends was accepted to the University of Halle in 1792. Here he studied Protestant theology and in 1795 impressed the audience in Magdeburg with his examination sermon. He then earned his living as a private teacher in Neuhaldensleben and adjunct to the town's school board before being appointed headmaster of the Oebisfeld town school in 1796. From then on, he no longer worked in Neuhaldensleben, but was a pastor in Volkmarsdorf and Nordsteimke and, from 1807 until almost his death in 1854, a pastor in Nordgermersleben.
Peter Wilhelm Behrends always remained closely connected to his home town. He promoted the publication of the first weekly newspaper editions with specially written articles on the history of St Mary's Church in Neuhaldensleben and had his Neuhaldenslebische Kreis-Chronik printed by Eyraud 200 years ago in the very same weekly newspaper printing works. Today, a plaque on the house where he was born and a street name in the southern railway station suburb commemorate his life and work. He has never been completely forgotten, neither in Haldensleben nor in the places where he worked. 2023 was the last time the mayor of the Hohe Börde municipality, Mrs Steffi Trittel, invited Peter Wilhelm Behrend to Nordgermersleben to exchange ideas and pay tribute to him. A broad network of interest developed and further meetings in Bebertal, Nordgermersleben, Süplingen, Helmstedt and Haldensleben as well as further afield have followed to this day. The work of the chronicler and pastor was the subject of several lectures and his 250th birthday was celebrated in a convivial atmosphere with a small exhibition. Several more events are planned this year, in which all interested parties are welcome to participate in order to preserve his memory in the long term. So stay tuned and feel free to contact the Haldensleben Museum at any time if you would like to make a contribution.
Museum Haldensleben
Breiter Gang
39340 Haldensleben
www.museumhaldensleben.de
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Friday from 9.00 to 12.00 and 14.00 to 17.00
Sundays from 10.00 to 12.00 and 14.00 to 17.00