Perhaps you are walking across the Stöcken city cemetery. It is a peaceful place. Here lies Wilhelm Henze.
Wilhelm Henze was a German writer. He was also a reciter. Henze performed his own works. He wrote mainly in the Hanoverian dialect. Some works were in Calenberg Platt.
Born in Einbeck in 1845 Wilhelm Henze moved to Hanover in 1862. His father was a shoemaker. In Hanover, Wilhelm trained as a wallpaper printer. He then worked for 33 years. He printed rulers at Conrad Bube’s factory.
Alongside his work, Wilhelm Henze was a writer. He wrote farces. He also wrote humorous literature. His anecdotes were mainly in the Hanoverian dialect. Henze performed his works in a unique way.
Around 1900 Wilhelm Henze’s texts appeared as loose leaflets. Later they were in collections of dialect texts. During World War I Wilhelm Henze recited his texts. He performed in military hospitals for wounded soldiers. In 1916 he received the War Aid Cross for his service.
Wilhelm Henze died in Hanover in 1918. He was buried in an honorary grave. The grave is in the Stöcken city cemetery. In 1936 the Henzeweg in Badenstedt was named after him. The street honored the dialect humorist Wilhelm Henze.
Friedrich Gersbach published collections of Wilhelm Henze’s texts in 1917. These collections included several volumes. “Eck segge man bloß” was one. “Wat sei allet maket” was another. “Tau’n lustigen Steebel” completed the set.
Hugo Thielen wrote about Wilhelm Henze. His work appears in the Hannoversches Biographisches Lexikon. Franz Rudolf Zankl also featured Henze. He included him in the Hannover Archiv. Wilhelm Otto and Peter Löhr wrote about Henze too. Their work was in Heimatland magazine. You can also find Wilhelm Henze in the database “Die niederdeutsche Literatur”.
Wilhelm Henze’s life and work reflect Hanover’s cultural history. He captured local language and humor. His performances brought joy during difficult times. The street named after him keeps his memory alive. The honorary grave honors his contributions. He was a true Hanoverian original.