Honorary citizens

Johanna Franziska Reichenbach

Johanna Franziska Reichenbach was born on December 8, 1777, in Ludwigsburg. Her father was Jeremias Reichenbach, a military surgeon. She educated herself by intensive reading. Later on, Johann Gottfried Pahl, who was a colleague of her brother Friedrich, the pastor of Erdmannhausen and a good friend of the family, called her “a suffering champion of mankind". A considerable amount of the pastor's income was used used for the benefit of poor citizens of Erdmannhausen. She left 300 florins to the administration of the charitable endowment; the interest of which was to be used for poot sick people. In addition, she bequeathed warm clothing to children of poor families. In Erdmannhausen, she was held in hight esteem and she became godmother of numerous children. Several years after her brother had died, she moved to Esslingen and later on to Stuttgart where she was buried on February 27, 1864. Johanna Franziska Reichenbach was the first person ever who was awarded honorary citizenship of Erdmannhausen. In 1987, the lane Querweg was renamed Reichenbachweg in memory of her and her brother Friedrich.

Hermann Pfähler

Hermann Moriz Pfähler was born in Marbach am Neckar as the son of a turner on November 7, 1855. He attended the local grammar school. At the age of 14, he started a long-lasting, practice-oriented apprenticeship for administration. Having passed the final exams in 1877, he worked as an audit assistant in Marbach until 1881, in between he also worked as an assistant of the village mayor in Feuerbach. At the age of only 25, he was appointed village mayor of Erdmannhausen by the government of the Neckarkreis on April 5, 1881. He was the first village mayor who was a full-time professional adminstrator. During his 34 years in office, he pushed his municipality forward with several projects (see also here: link). In 1907, he ran for the office of the town mayor in Marbach – a position in which a high degree of representation was required as Marbach is the place where Friedrich Schiller was born and where four yeras berfore a prestigious Schiller Museum was opened. Before the election, he was well positioned – but in the end he only got the second highest number of votes of the three candidates. In 1908, King Wilhelm II of Württemberg awarded the Medal for Merit to him. In 1915 (at the age of nearly 60), he applied for the position of the “Oberamtspfleger” in Marbach and due to his successful dedication to the jobs he had done before, he was overwhelmingly elected. He was awarded the honorary citizen rights for his rewards by the municipal council on May 3, 1921. Expeditiously, he subscribed 1.000 marks; the interest earned was given to destitute citizens. He died in Erdmannhausen on June 4, 1937.

Friedrich Neid

Friedrich Neid was born in Ettenhausen (Künzelsau) on August 29, 1859. The son of a farmer passed the state examination at the teacher’s seminar and then worked as a teaching assistant for some time. At the beginning of the school year in April, 1883, he became a second school teacher in Erdmannhausen. He has been a teacher for nearly 30 years; his evaluations were always excellent. In 1902, he became the prime school teacher and was invigilator at the same time. Now he taught the older pupils. On the occasion of his 25-year anniversary in school in 1908, he received 100 marks for his extraordinary efficiency. In 1910, he was appointed schoolmaster. In 1916, King Wilhelm II of Württemberg awarded the “Wilhemskreuz” to him – this is an extraordinary deference which was awarded to men who did not participate in war but engaged for social services on an official or voluntary basis. The most outstanding distinction was given to him in 1923 when he got the honorary citizenship of Erdmannhausen. The document for the honorary citizenship (dated May 7) expresses the gratefulness for his 40 years of school-teaching which contributed to the development of the municipality. He died in Stuttgart on June 6, 1931 and was buried in Erdmannhausen. A lot of people attended the funeral. His gravestone was arranged at the churchyard at the interior wall near the belfry in 2005.

Siegfried Menner

Siegfried Menner was born in Oberstenfeld (Ludwigsburg) in 1943. After apprenticeship and academic studies (1961-1967) he got a graduate in public management and worked in the District Office in Ludwigsburg and in Sachsenheim as well (1967-1972). He was elected mayor of Erdmannhausen on March 5, 1972, by two third of the votes (nearly 80 % voter turnout). On the occasion of his retirement, the municipal council appointed the honorary citizenship to him for his outstanding achievements for the municipality on February 19, 2004. During his 32 years in office, he dedicated his life to the municipality: His personal commitment, his unflagging energy and his philanthropy contributed to the development of the municipality in an outstanding manner and strongly influenced the picture of Erdmannhausen. The municipality owes him its political autonomy. He was awarded the Cross of Merit from the Federal President of Germany which was given to him by District Administrator Dr. Haas.

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Erdmannhausen

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Honorary citizens

Johanna Franziska Reichenbach

Hermann Pfähler

Friedrich Neid

Siegfried Menner