Ernst Schweninger: When traveling with the celebrity doctor to the adventure of Europe!
Ernst Schweninger: When traveling with the celebrity doctor to the adventure of Europe!
On May 18, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., the Neumarkt city museum organizes a special tour of the International Museum Day. This tour illuminates the special exhibition "Ernst Schweninger-the celebrity doctor of the German Empire". The exhibition not only addresses the life and work of the famous doctor, but in particular also his great passion for travel to distant countries. Neumarkt currently reports that Schweninger the 19th century used to take city trips, often combined patient visits with his travels.
Schweninger visited impressive places, such as Lake Garda, Genoa, Nice and Geneva at the age of 22. A year later, he received a scholarship that enabled him to spend research semesters in Vienna and Strasbourg. After the death of Otto von Bismarck, he accompanied wealthy patients and friends on extensive trips through Europe, which extended to the North Cape and to Capri and Istanbul.
A look at Schweninger's lifestyle
After his marriage in 1898 with Magdalena von Moltke, divorced by Lenbach, stays at the French Riviera became an integral part of his travel program in spring. But the outbreak of the First World War and his passionate travel life put an abrupt end. This was a significant setback for him, which severely restricted his mobility.
In the context of the travel habits at the time, it is interesting to note that travel in the 19th century was unaffordable for a broad population layer. According to an article about everyday life and travel in the German Historical Museum, travel was reserved for privileged layers until the 20th century. dhm describes that only a few people had vacation days and the financial means to travel. The term “tourist” only appeared in the German -speaking world in the 1830s, initially describing distinguished travelers without a fixed goal.
The development of travel and the role of Schweninger
In addition, it should be emphasized that the first travel agencies in Germany were not opened until 1863 in Breslau and that the development of tourist infrastructures made a significant contribution to popularization of travel. While Schweninger's trips were strongly influenced by a social framework, the possibilities for ordinary workers and farmers were stacked in a rather limited form: they often only traveled for day trips or visits to the relatives.
Until the First World War, only about ten percent of workers had a certain number of free days a year, which made traveling for the majority an unattainable luxury. In this light, Schweninger's experience as a "celebrity doctor" appears a remarkable contrast to the normal citizens of his time, which rarely had the opportunity to explore the country. The difference in travel habits illustrates the social classes and their access to education and relaxation in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
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| Ort | Neumarkt, Deutschland |
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