Did you know that Otto Ernst, born Otto Ernst Schmidt, hailed from humble beginnings? He entered the world in Ottensen near Hamburg on October 7, 1862. The Otto Ernst Plaque commemorates this celebrated poet and writer who passed away in Groß Flottbek near Hamburg on March 5, 1926.
Otto Ernst’s journey is a testament to his talent and determination. Born into a cigar maker’s family, he grew up in poverty. Recognizing his potential, his teachers supported his education at the Hamburger Präparandeum and Seminar. This enabled him to become a teacher.
In 1883, Otto Ernst began teaching at various Hamburg public schools and a higher school for girls. During this time, he met his future wife and colleague, Helmy Scharge. They married in 1887. Otto Ernst founded the “Literarische Gesellschaft” in Hamburg in 1891. Two years later, he co-edited the literary critical magazine Der Zuschauer.
Alongside teaching, Otto Ernst worked as a freelance writer, playwright, and performer from 1882. His collection “Gedichte” earned him the Augsburg Schiller Prize in 1889. By 1901, his artistic earnings allowed him to leave teaching and dedicate himself to his art.
Otto Ernst purchased a house in Groß-Flottbek in 1903. He lived there with his wife and their five children until his death at 63. In honor of Otto Ernst, the street where he lived was later renamed Otto-Ernst-Straße.
Otto Ernst’s daughter, Senta-Regina Möller-Ernst, bequeathed his Jugendstil study to the Schulverein of the Christianeum. The school is diagonally opposite his former home. In 2004, the room was rebuilt and restored there. However since 2018, the restored room is no longer there. Its components have been outsourced and a new use is not known.
Although popular during his lifetime, critics were less appreciative of Otto Ernst. He described himself as “hopelessly unmodern… because I do not remain silent and still about good and evil, but fight, because I am an optimist contrary to fashion and despite my own difficult, even repulsive experiences, because I strive for a healthy, simple art.”
Today, Otto Ernst is remembered for his children’s story “Appelschnut,” published in 1907. It was based on his daughter Senta-Regina Möller-Ernst’s childhood. His autobiographical Asmus Semper trilogy is also highly regarded. It offers insights into life in Ottensen before the turn of the century. The first volume, “Asmus Sempers Jugendland. Roman einer Kindheit,” appeared in 1904. It was followed by “Semper der Jüngling” in 1908 and “Semper der Mann. Eine Künstler- und Kämpfergeschichte” in 1916.
“Flachsmann als Erzieher” from 1900 is considered Otto Ernst’s most popular play. “Nis Randers” is his most famous ballad. It dramatically highlights a fundamental human conflict in a life-saving situation. The German Maritime Search and Rescue Association honored the poem by naming a rescue cruiser in Bremen after Nis Randers in 1990.
The Otto Ernst Plaque serves as a reminder of a man who rose from poverty to become a celebrated literary figure. His works continue to resonate today, offering glimpses into Hamburg’s past and exploring timeless human themes.