As of: March 31, 2024, 7:24 a.m
By: Felix Herz
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Germantown – shown here on a postcard – was founded in 1683 by the Bavarian Franz Daniel Pastorius. Today it is a beautiful part of Philadelphia. © piemags / IMAGO
Franz Daniel Pastorius has had an eventful life. Among other things, he founded Germantown in America - making him the first German settler in the USA.
Bad Windsheim / Philadelphia – A small but charming district in the megacity of Philadelphia in the eastern United States, looks back on a multifaceted – and, especially from a German perspective, exciting – history. Germantown, the name of the district in the north of Philadelphia, was once an independent city that was founded by a German. More precisely, from Franz Daniel Pastorius from Sommerhausen in Lower Franconia.
The first German settler in America: Franz Daniel Pastorius founded Germantown
Admittedly, Germantown isn't the most imaginative name. But that shouldn't obscure Pastorius' impressive background. Bad-windsheim.de
proudly reports on one of the most famous sons of the city in the Neustadt an der Aisch-Bad Windsheim district
.
Accordingly, Pastorius was born in Sommerhausen, Würzburg district, in 1651, then lived in Bad Windsheim for ten years before completing his law studies in Altdorf, Strasbourg, Basel and Jena.
He then returned to Bad Windsheim and worked as a lawyer there. In Frankfurt he came into contact with the Quaker movement, through which he finally came to America after 1683. That same year, in the North American wilderness, he founded the town of Germantown on land that had been given to one of the English founders of the Quakers, William Penn, by the king.
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Pastorius: First mayor of Germantown and great advocate of equal rights
Franz Daniel Pastorius was the first mayor of Germantown and, according to
bad-windsheim.de
, also held the office of peacemaker and school principal. In the spirit of the Quakers, who were committed to the “witness of equality,” Pastorius fought against human trafficking and slavery in many writings.
In general, Pastorius was a learned man whose extensive knowledge was respected and respected in the United States, according to the Windsheim website. He wrote numerous books, travelogues and poems, dealing, among other things, with legal texts, agriculture, medicine and beekeeping.
Today, Germantown is a relaxed, beautiful neighborhood in Philadelphia. According to the city's website, the area attracts with the seamless transition between modernity and history - exciting small shops and boutiques stand next to 300-year-old houses. The “Revolutionary Germantown Festival” also takes place annually in Germantown, commemorating the Battle of Germantown in 1777, which was fought as part of the Revolutionary War. It is now seen as an important milestone in convincing the French that the American cause was worth supporting against the British.
(fhz)
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