Did you notice the inscription? It marks the Hermann Lön Plaque. It quietly commemorates a period in the life of a man who would become known as the Heidedichter.
Hermann Löns lived here in Greifswald from 1887 to 1888. He was a student at the university. He came to study medicine. But he soon switched gears. Löns could not afford the fees.
Löns moved to Göttingen in 1888. Then he returned to Münster to study natural sciences. He pursued his interests as a malacologist or a specialist in mollusks.
Born in 1866, Hermann Löns would become famous. He was known as a journalist, writer, and poet. His landscape ideal was the heath. He became known as the Heidedichter. This means heath poet.
But there were contradictions to Löns. He enjoyed nature. He enjoyed alcohol. He married multiple times. He even suggested a menage a trois.
Löns started his journalism career in Kaiserslautern. Later, he moved to Hannover. He wrote for the Hannoverschen Anzeiger. He became known for his local satire. He wrote under the name Fritz von der Leine.
Löns was a talented reporter. He wrote about royal visits and train accidents. He also wrote about forest fires. He became a well-known journalist and author.
From Hannover, Löns took trips to the Lüneburg Heath. Around 1900, he began writing poems. Many were set to music.
In 1907, Löns became editor of the Schaumburg-Lippischen Landes-Zeitung. He wanted peace for his writing. But he clashed with his employer. He then wrote a satire called Duodez.
In 1910, Löns suffered a breakdown. He spent time in a sanatorium. From 1898 to 1914, Hermann Löns often went hunting. He stayed in a cabin in the Westenholzer Bruch.
At the start of World War I, Löns volunteered for military service. He refused the job of war correspondent. He wanted to fight. In 1914, Löns was killed in action near Reims.
After his death, the National Socialists used Hermann Löns for propaganda. In 1934, his supposed grave was found in France. The National Socialists made him a hero. His remains were moved to Germany.
Today, Hermann Löns is remembered. There are memorials and streets named after him. He was a complex man. He was a writer and soldier. He was a lover of nature. He was the Heidedichter. This plaque is a reminder of his time here. It was a formative period in the life of Hermann Löns.