Fritz Schilgen
Encyclopedia
Fritz Schilgen was a German
athlete and the final torchbearer of the first Olympic torch relay
at the 1936 Summer Games
.
Schilgen was born in 1906 in Kronberg im Taunus
, near Frankfurt
, the second son of the rector of the Kronberger high school. After the First World War
, he began his career as a middle- and long-distance runner. He studied electrical engineering
at Darmstadt University of Technology
; in his career as an engineer he developed 35 patents. Schilgen finished in third place in the German Championships in 1929, 1931, and 1933 in the 1500-metre run
, representing the sports club ASC Darmstadt. He also won the silver medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay
at the 1928 World University Games, and the bronze medal in the 5000 metres
run at those games in 1930– in a stadium having a telecommunications system Schilgen himself had designed.
On 21 March 1936 he married Ursula Gerlach. They had five children: Walter, Regine, Sibylle, Michael and Horst.
He was chosen by the organizers of the relay as a "symbol of German sporting youth" and for his beautiful and graceful running style, as determined by the aesthetics commission. Schilgen's dramatic lighting of the flame in the Olympic Stadium
is captured in Olympia
, a Nazi propaganda
film about the Games by Leni Riefenstahl
, who also helped devise the torch relay and select Schilgen as final torchbearer. Schilgen himself did not compete in the Olympics.
Schilgen's involvement in the Olympics continued after the 1936 Games. After the Second World War
he was a consultant to the Olympic Committee. He helped to plan the 1972 Summer Olympics
in Munich
. At the age of 90, Schilgen participated as a torchbearer again before the 1996 Summer Olympics
. The 1996 Games celebrated the centennial of the modern Olympic Games
, and Schilgen had the honor of lighting the cauldron in Berlin's Olympic Stadium once again. Schilgen died in Kronberg in 2005 at the age of 99.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
athlete and the final torchbearer of the first Olympic torch relay
Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...
at the 1936 Summer Games
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
.
Schilgen was born in 1906 in Kronberg im Taunus
Kronberg im Taunus
Kronberg im Taunus is a town in the Hochtaunuskreis district, Hesse, Germany. Before 1866, it was in the Duchy of Nassau; in that year the whole Duchy was absorbed into Prussia. Kronberg lies at the foot of the Taunus, flanked in the north and southwest by forests...
, near Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, the second son of the rector of the Kronberger high school. After the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he began his career as a middle- and long-distance runner. He studied electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
at Darmstadt University of Technology
Darmstadt University of Technology
The Technische Universität Darmstadt, abbreviated TU Darmstadt, is a university in the city of Darmstadt, Germany...
; in his career as an engineer he developed 35 patents. Schilgen finished in third place in the German Championships in 1929, 1931, and 1933 in the 1500-metre run
1500 metres
The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...
, representing the sports club ASC Darmstadt. He also won the silver medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay
4 x 400 metres relay
The 4 x 400 meters relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams comprise four runners who each complete 400 meters or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, the first 500 meters is run in lanes...
at the 1928 World University Games, and the bronze medal in the 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
run at those games in 1930– in a stadium having a telecommunications system Schilgen himself had designed.
On 21 March 1936 he married Ursula Gerlach. They had five children: Walter, Regine, Sibylle, Michael and Horst.
He was chosen by the organizers of the relay as a "symbol of German sporting youth" and for his beautiful and graceful running style, as determined by the aesthetics commission. Schilgen's dramatic lighting of the flame in the Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (Berlin)
The Olympiastadion is a sports stadium in Berlin, Germany. There have been two stadiums on the site: the present facility, and one that is called the Deutsches Stadion which was built for the aborted 1916 Summer Olympics. Both were designed by members of the same family, the first by Otto March...
is captured in Olympia
Olympia (1938 film)
Olympia is a 1938 Nazi propaganda film by Leni Riefenstahl documenting the 1936 Summer Olympics, held in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. The film was released in two parts: Olympia 1. Teil — Fest der Völker and Olympia 2. Teil — Fest der Schönheit . It was the first documentary feature...
, a Nazi propaganda
Nazi propaganda
Propaganda, the coordinated attempt to influence public opinion through the use of media, was skillfully used by the NSDAP in the years leading up to and during Adolf Hitler's leadership of Germany...
film about the Games by Leni Riefenstahl
Leni Riefenstahl
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl was a German film director, actress and dancer widely noted for her aesthetics and innovations as a filmmaker. Her most famous film was Triumph des Willens , a propaganda film made at the 1934 Nuremberg congress of the Nazi Party...
, who also helped devise the torch relay and select Schilgen as final torchbearer. Schilgen himself did not compete in the Olympics.
Schilgen's involvement in the Olympics continued after the 1936 Games. After the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was a consultant to the Olympic Committee. He helped to plan the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. At the age of 90, Schilgen participated as a torchbearer again before the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
. The 1996 Games celebrated the centennial of the modern Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, and Schilgen had the honor of lighting the cauldron in Berlin's Olympic Stadium once again. Schilgen died in Kronberg in 2005 at the age of 99.