Joditz
Encyclopedia
Joditz is a village in Upper Franconia
, in the municipality of Köditz
and the district of Hof
.
Joditz lies in the valley of the Saale
, ten kilometers north-west of the town of Hof. The village has 345 inhabitants (as of January 2010) and contains a parish church. The area of the parish includes the hamlets Joditz, Lamitz, Saalenstein, Scharten, Stöckaten and Siebenhitz.
At the centre of the village is St John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. It was first mentioned in 1365 and has been the parish church since 1561. The present structure was built in 1704. The pulpit, altar, organ case and baptismal font (the last no longer extant) were by the Hof sculptor Johann Knoll. The altarpiece depicts the birth of Christ, and is flanked by statues of Moses and John the Baptist. The altar is surmounted by three cherubs with the arms of the former patron families, and the pulpit is decorated with figures of the four evangelists. The church was renovated in 2002/2003.
-born writer Jean Paul
, whose father was pastor from 1765 to 1776. In his autobiography he described the importance of the small town in his upbringing and his later literary work; he tells not only of his childhood joys, but also of the great superstitious fears he harboured, such as the fear of village ghosts.
The character of the village schoolteacher Maria Wutz of Auenthal (in Jean Paul's eponymous idyll) is thought to be based on an inhabitant of Joditz.
The Jean Paul Museum in Joditz keeps the memory of the writer and his childhood spent in Upper Franconia. In an idyllic rural setting, which includes the old rectory garden, the visitor can examine manuscripts, early prints, first editions, engravings, drawings and other documents. The museum is a private initiative, run by Eberhard and Karen Schmidt.
Upper Franconia
Upper Franconia is a Regierungsbezirk of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia , all now part of the German Federal State of Bayern .With more than 200 independent breweries which brew...
, in the municipality of Köditz
Köditz
Köditz is a municipality in Upper Franconia in the district of Hof in Bavaria in Germany....
and the district of Hof
Hof (district)
Hof is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Wunsiedel, Bayreuth, Kulmbach and Kronach, the states of Thuringia and Saxony , and the Czech Republic...
.
Joditz lies in the valley of the Saale
Saale
The Saale, also known as the Saxon Saale and Thuringian Saale , is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the Main, or the Saale in Lower Saxony, a tributary of the Leine.-Course:The Saale...
, ten kilometers north-west of the town of Hof. The village has 345 inhabitants (as of January 2010) and contains a parish church. The area of the parish includes the hamlets Joditz, Lamitz, Saalenstein, Scharten, Stöckaten and Siebenhitz.
At the centre of the village is St John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. It was first mentioned in 1365 and has been the parish church since 1561. The present structure was built in 1704. The pulpit, altar, organ case and baptismal font (the last no longer extant) were by the Hof sculptor Johann Knoll. The altarpiece depicts the birth of Christ, and is flanked by statues of Moses and John the Baptist. The altar is surmounted by three cherubs with the arms of the former patron families, and the pulpit is decorated with figures of the four evangelists. The church was renovated in 2002/2003.
Jean Paul
Joditz was the childhood home of the WunsiedelWunsiedel
Wunsiedel is the county town of the Upper Franconian district of Wunsiedel in northeast Bavaria, Germany. The town became well known for its annual Luisenburg Festival and the Rudolf Hess Memorial March held by the Neo-Nazis here until 2005.- Geography :...
-born writer Jean Paul
Jean Paul
Jean Paul , born Johann Paul Friedrich Richter, was a German Romantic writer, best known for his humorous novels and stories.-Life and work:...
, whose father was pastor from 1765 to 1776. In his autobiography he described the importance of the small town in his upbringing and his later literary work; he tells not only of his childhood joys, but also of the great superstitious fears he harboured, such as the fear of village ghosts.
- Let not the poet place his birth and first years in a capital city, but wherever possible in a village, or at greatest a little town. The abundance and over-stimulation of a large city are, to the weak and excitable soul of a child, a meal made out of dessert, a drink of aqua ardens, and a bath of mulled wineMulled wineMulled wine, variations of which are popular in Europe, is wine, usually red, combined with spices and typically served warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas and Halloween.-Glühwein:...
.
The character of the village schoolteacher Maria Wutz of Auenthal (in Jean Paul's eponymous idyll) is thought to be based on an inhabitant of Joditz.
The Jean Paul Museum in Joditz keeps the memory of the writer and his childhood spent in Upper Franconia. In an idyllic rural setting, which includes the old rectory garden, the visitor can examine manuscripts, early prints, first editions, engravings, drawings and other documents. The museum is a private initiative, run by Eberhard and Karen Schmidt.
External links
- Website of the Jean Paul Museum