Baron Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich
Ferdinand von Steuben was the Inspector General of the American Army during
the War of Independence. Steuben had formerly served as a Prussian captain
and temporary adjutant of Frederick the Great. He was born on September
17th, 1730 in Magdeburg, the present-day capital of Saxony-Anhalt. Benjamin
Franklin suggested that he come to America in an effort to support George
Washington's troops. He agreed to Franklin's wish and landed at Portsmouth,
New Hampshire on December 1st, 1777. Historians credit Steuben
for his professionalism as an officer and for his ability to effectively
blend Prussian discipline together with the enthusiasm of a revolutionary
army. Steuben became a dedicated democrat and in many writings celebrated
America as a fortunate country without kings and idle barons.
It seems somewhat ironic that just 2 hours
from Magdeburg, Friedrich August, the ruling monarch of the Principality
of Anhalt-Zerbst, sold 1,311 mercenaries to fight for the English Crown
. Of those 1,311 mercenaries, 129 lost their lives in battle.
Despite the rich and outstanding heritage of
Magdeburg and the 72 other locations along the Romantic Road, Saxony-Anhalt's
most popular historic site, especially for American visitors, is undoubtedly
Martin Luther's Wittenberg. The town was home, not only to Martin Luther
and Philipp Melanchton, but also to many other German thinkers throughout
history.
Some other famous names to have come from Saxony-Anhalt
were Kurt Weill, the composer of the "Three Penny Opera". He was born in
Dessau and later made his way via Berlin to Broadway. Dessau also happens
to be the birthplace of Walter Gropius, the founder of the world-famous
Bauhaus School in Weimar. He was responsible for moving the school to Dessau
in 1919. It is interesting to note that Gropius and his genial colleague,
who later succeeded him in Dessau, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, never passed
a single academic examination. Gropius taught at Harvard University and
served as its Dean for many years. Mies van der Rohe became head of the
Illinois Institute of Technology. Many of their creations, whether they
stand in America or in Germany, are still considered by critics, even till
this day, to be some of the most outstanding examples of innovative architecture.
