Till Eulenspiegel - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 1977 - 50 Pfennig

In the year 1975 the largest German Schwankheld, Till Eulenspiegel, was 625 years dead. Its death year 1350 is handed down in the 95. History of the 1510/11 with Johannes Grüninger in Strasbourg published Volksbuches »An amusing reading of Till Eulenspiegel, born from the country to Braunschweig ". The earliest literary mention Eulenspiegel comes from the year 1411. In the summer of 1950, the 600th anniversary of the death of Eulenspiegel in his birthplace Kneitlingen on the Elm and in the nearby town of Schöppenstedt (southeast of Braunschweig) was celebrated as part of a festive week. At the end of the week, ten participants founded the »Circle of Friends Till Eulenspiegel« under the strong impression of the past joyous and lively days. The aim of the circle of friends Till Eulenspiegel was and is: the promotion of all efforts to scientifically research the Eulenspiegelgestalt, to further educate them artistically and to preserve them popular. The Volksbuch vom Eulenspiegel is the only worldwide success of the poetry of Lower Saxony. It is also the most famous and long-lived of all German folk books and proved to be a pronounced "bestseller". Already in the 16th century, it began its triumphal procession in the Western world. In Germany alone at least 40 editions appeared during this period. The book was translated (partly in selection) soon after its publication in most of the cultural languages ​​of Europe, u. a. into English, Dutch, French, Latin, Danish, Polish and Czech. From the 17th to the 20th century, the Volksbuch conquered another 14 languages. All in all, there are over 230 foreign language editions of the Volksbuch. About the author of the Eulenspiegel-Volksbuches prevailed until the recent time in uncertainty. Only in 1971 did the Zurich lawyer Dr. Peter Honegger today no longer doubted proof that the Brunswick customs clerk Hermann Bote (around 1463 to 1520) wrote the book. Bote wanted to write an entertaining book, which he undoubtedly did. In addition, however, he exposes the grievances of his time and the general human weaknesses. He wants to instruct and shake things up as well as to bring his fellow-men to self-knowledge by holding up a "mirror" in the form of his hero and in his words and deeds. Messenger illuminates the people of all classes in a satirical way and exposes them in their inadequacy. The poet's full color style is appropriate to his theme and intention; his timeless poetry also has a lot to say to today's people. Dr. S. Sichtermann, Kiel The Eulenspiegel stamp shows four well-known Eulenspiegel pranks: 1. "The fourth story tells how Eulenspiegel chatted the boy about 200 pairs of shoes off his feet and made sure that old and young got their hands on them" , 2. "The 29th story says how Eulenspiegel in Erfurt taught to read a donkey in an old Psalter". 3. "The 26th history says how Eulenspiegel in Lüneburger Land bought a peasant part of his field and sat there in a crash carts (thus escaping the Duke of Lüneburg)". 4. "The 87th History says how Eulenspiegel managed that a woman broke all her pots in half on the market in Bremen."