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Friedrich
Ludwig Jahn: (1178-1852) German Gymnastic Educator and Patriot
Friedrich Ludwig Jahn was born August 11, 1778 at Lanz Brandenbury, Prussia. He was a high school teacher in Berlin and was active in efforts to free Germany from Napoleonic rule. He organized the Turnverein, a gymnastic association, to build strength and fellowship among young people of all classes. The gymnastic groups Jahn fostered became centers for nationalism and for the movement to unify Germany.
After serving in the war against Napoleon, Jahn continued his work until his political agitation caused his imprisonment from 1819-25.
In 1840 Jahn was decorated by the Prussian government with the Iron Cross for bravery in the wars against Napoleon. In the spring of 1848 he was elected by the district of Naumburg to the German National Parliament. Jahn died on the 15th of October 1852 in Freyburg, where a monument was erected in his honor in 1859.
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