Die Harzreise (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Die HarzreiseDusseldorf was the capital of the duchy of Berg and with the latter fell into the hands of Napoleon in March, 1806, remaining under French control until November, 1813. French rule was not without its blessings to the people, and more particularly the Jews, of Dusseldorf. Serfdom and feudal tenure of land were abolished, laws emphasizin g class distinctions revoked, the Code N apalean made the law of the land. Furthermore, in 1808, the disabilities of the Jews were wholly removed, and Jew and Gentile became peers in every sphere of activity. It is doubtless here that the first germ of that extravagant admira tion of Napoleon,l so characteristic of Heine, is to be sought in origin it is racial; in its growth, the natural outcome of a temperament which, in its antagonism to all the little and com monplaoe, developed a marked tendency towards hero-worship.In the period of French occupation falls also the founding of the Dusseldorf Lycée in the buildings of the old Franciscan school.' Heine seems to have entered the institution about 1808. Most of his teachers were Catholic priests, a circumstance that did not, however, imply religious conviction. Thus the rector Schallmayer, an especial friend of the family, was a pronounced freethinker.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.