Kaspar Hauser’s life (1812-1833) was a definitive crystallization point in recent human history. In 1828, during a time of enormous societal and intrapersonal upheaval, a being appeared out of nowhere in Nuremberg, Germany on Whitsun, and posed the question of true human identity.
Jakob Wassermann said, “Kaspar Hauser will be as powerful in death as he was powerless in life.”
A time has now come in which Kaspar Hauser‘s mission for humanity is ready to be taken to a new level – but now by a community impulse rather than by lone researchers and artists. Kaspar Hauser, who appeared in Nuremberg at Whitsun 1828 can inspire a Whitsun-like fellowship of free individuals today
Thirty years ago, at his graduation speech in distant South America, Eckart Böhmer first began to speak of “the child of Europe.” In 1998, he created the bi-annual Kaspar Hauser Festspiele in Ansbach, Germany, produced for the tenth time in 2016. The most significant exoteric Kaspar Hauser researcher was Dr. Hermann Pies (1888-1983), who built the historical-scientific foundation of Kaspar Hauser research. Through his friendship with the painter and writer Heinz Demisch, who introduced him as a Kaspar Hauser researcher in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung [FAZ], he also met the publisher Johannes Mayer, who was working, at the time, on comprehensive documentation of Kaspar Hauser, and who began to reprint Hermann Pies’ works. After his death in 1983, the Stuttgart publisher administered Pies’ extensive estate, and supplemented it with his own significant research. 33 years have passed since then, and Johannes Mayer began to look for another person who saw Kaspar Hauser as his life’s work. In this way, this treasure was passed on to Eckart Böhmer.
Eckart Böhmer founded the Kaspar Hauser Research Circle, as the estate needs to be sorted and properly archived in order to be of use in the future. This goal will now be realized in cooperation with Richard Steel and the Karl König Institute.
For this to be a success, we are in need of new supporting members. In Europe this circle of friends already exists and is a valuable asset towards further research and financial support. In Brtain and North America an English speaking „Friends Circle“ is being formed and we would invite you to take part! Please help us to form the economic foundation for this work. In return you will receive the regular Newsletters of the Research Circle and will be invited to events. But more important still, we invite you to take part in our research and in making Kaspar Hauser more known in society: that is nothing less than helping with the continuation of his task!
Leitung: Eckart Böhmer
Director: Eckart Böhmer. Advisory committee: Dr. Anne Weise, , Winfried Altmann, Richard Steel
The Kaspar Hauser Research Circle became part of the Karl König Institute on December 17th, 2016.
